Rays tie record with 13-0 start, beat the Red Sox 9-3

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rays tied Major League Baseball’s post-1900 record for 13 consecutive wins at a season’s start, rallying to beat the Boston Red Sox 9-3 Thursday behind a seven-run fifth inning that Harold Ramirez began and capped with doubles.

Tampa Bay matched the 13-0 start of the 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers. The only longer opening streak was a 20-0 start by the 1884 St. Louis Maroons of the Union Association. The Rays have won all but one of the games by four or more runs and have outscored opponents 101-30 with the most runs in the big leagues and the fewest allowed.

Playing before a crowd of 21,175, the largest at Tropicana Field since opening day, the Rays set a team record for wins at any point in a season by topping a 12-game run in June 2004.

Boston, held to four hits, has lost 13 consecutive games at the Trop.

Rays starter Jeffrey Springs left two pitches into the fourth inning with what the team said was ulnar neuritis, inflammation of the ulnar nerve that causes numbness or weakness. He was relieved after throwing a 79.8 mph changeup and a 83.5 mph to Justin Turner, then looking at his hand and elbow.

Tampa Bay trailed 3-1 in the fifth. Ramirez started the big rally with a double off Corey Kluber (0-3) and broke open the game with a three-run double against Richard Bleier.

Francisco Mejía cut the deficit with a run-scoring single and Brandon Lowe greeted Bleier, the only left-hander in Boston’s bullpen, with a tying RBI single.

Randy Arozarena singled for a 4-3 lead, Wander Franco was hit by a pitch and Manuel Margot dropped down a run-scoring bunt single. Ramirez then lined a double into the left-field corner for an 8-3 advantage.

Lowe added a seventh-inning home run off Kutter Crawford, his fifth this season. Yandy Díaz tied the score 1-1 in the first with his fourth this season for the Rays, who lead the major leagues with 32.

Kevin Kelly (1-0), a 25-year-old right-hander who debuted April 1, pitched 2 2/3 innings for the win.

Braden Bristo, a 28-year-old right-hander, pitched three hitless innings with four strikeouts and a walk in his major league debut after seven seasons in the New York Yankees minor league system.

Rob Refsnyder homered in the first, the first run off Springs in three starts this season.

Kiké Hernández hit into a run-scoring groundout in the fourth, an inning that included Triston Casas’s 14-pitch walk against Garret Cleavinger. Justin Turner had an RBI single in the fifth on a soft fly to center that dropped just in front of center fielder Justin Lowe, who tried for a diving catch.

ROSTER MOVES

Red Sox: RHP Zack Kelly was placed on the 15-day IL after leaving Wednesday night’s game with an elbow injury, and RHP Kutter Crawford was recalled from Triple-A Worcester.

Rays: RHP Taj Bradley, who won his major league debut on Wednesday, was optioned to Triple-A Durham. … Bristo’s contract was selected from Durham and RHP Shane Baz (Tommy John surgery) was transfered to the 60-day IL.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: RHP Tanner Houck (2-0) starts Friday’s homerstand opener against Los Angeles Angels and LHP Patrick Sandoval (1-0).

Rays: RHP Drew Rasmussen (2-0) starts Friday’s series opener at Toronto, which goes with RHP José Berríos (0-2).

CHICAGO (AP) Shohei Ohtani homered in consecutive innings, including a 459-foot drive that was the longest of his Major League Baseball career, and drove in four runs to lead the Los Angeles Angels over the Chicago White Sox 12-5 Wednesday.

Mike Trout put the Angels ahead 2-0 with a 476-foot home run in the first that was four rows shy of clearing the left field bleachers. Taylor Ward also went deep as the Angels hit four two-run homers plus a solo shot.

“Those are the guys you lean on,” manager Phil Nevin said. “They can certainly put the team on their backs and carry us and that’s what they did today.”

Ohtani drove a first-pitch fastball from Lance Lynn (4-6) just to left of straightaway center in the third, where the ball was dropped by a fan who tried to glove it. That 425-foot drive put the Angels ahead 4-1.

Lynn didn’t even bother to turn and look when Ohtani hit a full count fastball more than a dozen rows over the bullpen in right-center in the fourth. The two-way Japanese star is batting .269 with 15 homers and 38 RBIs to go along with a 5-1 record and 2.91 ERA.

“I’m feeling good right now,” Ohtani said through a translator. “I’m putting good swings on pitches I should be hitting hard.”

Ohtani increased his career total to 13 multihomer games with his first this season.

Trout pulled a hanging curve for his 13th home run. Ward hit a two-run homer against Jesse Scholtens in the seventh and Chad Wallach, pinch hitting for Ohtani, had a solo homer in the ninth off Garrett Crochet.

“Usually when that happens, we’re in a good spot to win,” Trout said.

Trout and Ohtani have homered in the same game for the fifth time this season. The Angels hit a pair of 450-foot or more home runs in the same game for the first time since Statcast started tracking in 2015.

Lynn allowed eight runs, eight hits and two walks while hitting two batters in four innings, raising his ERA to 6.55. He has given up 15 home runs, one short of the major league high of Kansas City’s Jordan Lyles. Lynn had won his previous three starts.

“It seemed like he didn’t get away with any today,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “Just one of those days, man.”

Jaime Barria (2-2) gave up one run and four hits in five innings with six strikeouts and two walks.

Los Angeles won two of three from the White Sox after being swept by Miami last weekend.

Jake Burger homered for Chicago, which has lost four of five. Burger hit his 11th homer in the ninth and Hanser Alberto had a two run double off Tucker Davidson.

Chicago’s Romy Gonzalez, who’d homered in three straight games, went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

THE NATURALS

Twenty-three people became naturalized U.S. citizens during a pregame swearing-in behind home plate.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: Trout fouled a pitch off his right leg in the fourth but remained in the game.

White Sox: INF Elvis Andrus (strained left oblique) and RHP Mike Clevinger (right wrist inflammation) are close to returning but Grifol wouldn’t elaborate on either player’s status.

UP NEXT

Angels: Reid Detmers (0-4, 4.93) starts Thursday’s series opener at Houston against fellow LHP Framber Valdez (5-4, 2.38).

White Sox: Have not announced a starter for Friday’s series opener against visiting Detroit, which starts RHP Reese Olson in his major league debut. Olson is 2-3 with a 6.38 ERA in 10 starts at Triple-A Toledo.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

Rays tie record with 13-0 start, rally to beat Red Sox 9-3

Ohtani homers twice, including career longest at 459 feet, Angels beat White Sox 12-5