Walker Buehler, Red Sox take series decider vs. Rays

Walker Buehler worked a seven-inning quality start and got the support of four solo home runs as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in the rubber game of a three-game series on Wednesday.
Marcelo Mayer homered in each of the first two at-bats, with the 22-year-old rookie becoming the youngest Red Sox player to produce a multi-homer game since Rafael Devers in 2018.
Jarren Duran hit a leadoff home run in the first inning and Abraham Toro socked the eventual game-winning shot in the fifth after Tampa Bay erased a 3-1 deficit.
Toro and Ceddanne Rafaela joined Mayer with multi-hit games for Boston, which has won back-to-back series.
Buehler (5-4) struck out seven while yielding three runs on six hits and one walk. Aroldis Chapman struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth for his 12th save.
Yandy Diaz (two-run homer), Brandon Lowe and Jake Mangum all had two hits for Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay right-hander Zack Littell (6-6) allowed all four Boston homers in his six-inning outing. He permitted eight hits, fanned six and didn’t issue a walk.
After Buehler stranded two baserunners to post a first-inning zero, Duran bashed Littell’s first pitch of the game into the right-center-field bullpen give the hosts a quick 1-0 lead.
The Rays quickly responded as back-to-back singles by Mangum and Matt Thaiss set the table for a game-tying run in the second. Lowe knocked in Mangum on a fielder’s-choice grounder to shortstop.
Mayer singlehandedly put the Red Sox back in front and provided insurance with his solo shots. His first homer led off the second inning, landing deep in the right field corner.
Mayer went deep again with one out in the fourth, sending another homer to a similar location in right.
Two-out offense drew Tampa Bay even in the fifth. After Lowe chopped an infield single on an open left side, Diaz deposited a two-run homer into the first rows of the right field seats.
After Littell recorded three straight outs by strikeout in the fourth and fifth, Toro cranked a homer out to straightaway center for a 4-3 edge.
Buehler retired seven straight to finish his outing before Justin Wilson and Greg Weissert combined to get out of an eighth-inning jam, preserving the one-run Boston lead. A walk to Junior Caminero and a Mangum single off Weissert loaded the bases, but Thaiss fanned to end the threat.