Ryan Yarbrough tagged for 5 runs as Rays fall to Red Sox

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Martín Pérez pitched out of trouble all night, and Alex Verdugo and Michael Chavis homered to help the Boston Red Sox stop a four-game skid Wednesday with a 5-0 victory over the slumping Tampa Bay Rays.

Pérez (2-1) allowed four hits and three walks, wiggling out of jams for five innings. He struck out four.

The left-hander held Tampa Bay to 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position and induced two double-play grounders. The Rays had a man on second with no outs in both the first and fourth.

Colten Brewer, Austin Brice, Matt Barnes and Brandon Workman completed a four-hitter.

Tampa Bay has dropped six of seven, scoring 18 runs during that stretch. The Rays (5-7) have trailed in 11 of 12 games this season, including their last 10.

Verdugo added to his success against left-handed pitching with a two-run homer off Ryan Yarbrough (0-2) that opened the scoring in the fourth. The left-handed hitter is 38 for 115 (.330) when facing a lefty since the start of the 2019 season.

Christian Vazquez had an RBI single and scored on Chavis’ shot in the sixth that put Boston (4-8) up 5-0.

Chavis finished 3 for 4.

Yarbrough gave up five runs and eight hits in five-plus innings.

Yandy Diaz had two hits for the Rays.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: Third base coach Carlos Febles, who didn’t make the trip after an inconclusive coronavirus test, had a negative test.

Rays: LHP Brendan McKay (coronavirus) threw a two-inning simulated game at the alternate training site.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: After a day off Thursday, the Red Sox start a three-game home series against Toronto on Friday night.

Rays: LHP Blake Snell takes the mound Friday night in the first of a four-game set against the AL East-leading New York Yankees. “There’s no better feeling than beating the Yankees,” Snell said. There will be a pair of seven-inning games in a doubleheader Saturday.