BOSTON — Ceddanne Rafaela hit a two-run homer, Brayan Bello pitched one-run ball into the seventh inning and the Boston Red Sox prolonged their successful streak to 10 video games with a 4-1, series-sweeping victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.
Rafaela, who hit a walk-off, two-run homer for Boston on Friday, hit his 14th homer of the season within the sixth inning. Trevor Story added a go-ahead single within the sixth.
Boston final had a 10-game win streak in July 2018 and heads into the All-Star break in third place within the aggressive AL East, behind Toronto and the New York Yankees.
Tampa Bay’s Chandler Simpson prolonged his hitting streak to 16 video games, a membership document for a rookie. The Rays misplaced for the eleventh time in 14 video games and closed out their highway journey to Minnesota, Detroit and Boston with a 2-8 document.
The 26-year-old Bello (6-3) gave up six hits, struck out 5 and did not concern a stroll over 6⅓ innings. He was coming off his first nine-inning full recreation in his earlier begin. All-Star Aroldis Chapman struck out the ultimate three batters for his seventeenth save.
Boston moved forward 1-0 when Rays third baseman Junior Caminero was referred to as for obstruction together with his foot blocking the bag on a pickoff play, permitting Marcelo Mayer to attain.
The Rays snapped an 18-inning scoreless stretch within the fourth inning, tying the sport on Josh Lowe’s sacrifice fly.
Ryan Pepiot (6-7) gave up 4 runs (three earned) over six innings.