Wilyer Abreu homered twice to help the Boston Red Sox extend their winning streak to 12 games by beating the visiting Tampa Bay Rays 7-6 on Saturday.
Abreu hit a solo home run in the third, then a two-run homer off reliever Garrett Cleavinger (2-3) that erased a 6-5 deficit in the seventh. Abreu also homered twice in Boston’s 5-3 victory in the second game of a doubleheader Friday.
Reliever Ryan Watson (1-0) collected the win. He gave up a run on one hit in two innings. Aroldis Chapman walked two with two outs in the ninth, but earned his 21st save when Jonny DeLuca grounded out to shortstop to end the game.
Boston also received a two-run home run from Jahmai Jones.
Victor Mesa Jr. and DeLuca each hit a solo home run for Tampa Bay. Mesa’s homer was part of a three-run fourth inning that gave the Rays a 5-3 lead. DeLuca’s home run made it 6-3 in the seventh.
The Rays took a 2-0 lead in the second. Ryan Vilade scored on a throwing error by second baseman Anthony Seigler, and it was 2-0 after Nick Fortes drove in Chandler Simpson with a single to right.
Boston tied the game when Jones homered after Andruw Monasterio drew a two-out walk.
The first of Abreu’s two home runs put Boston up 3-2.
Simpson tied the game in the fourth when he doubled, stole third and scored on a throwing error by catcher Carlos Narvaez. Mesa homered later in the inning to give the Rays a 4-3 advantage, and Tampa Bay stretched its lead to 5-3 on a two-out single by Yandy Diaz that drove in Richie Palacios.
After DeLuca’s home run handed the Rays a three-run lead in the top of the seventh, the Red Sox scored four times in the bottom half of the inning. Monasterio scored from third on Masataka Yoshida’s groundout, Ceddanne Rafaela’s double drove in Jarren Duran to make it 6-5 and then Abreu capped the scoring with his two-run homer.
