BOSTON (AP) — Kutter Crawford allowed his major league-high 34th home run, a go-ahead drive by Junior Caminero, and took his big league-worst 16th loss when the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 7-2 Saturday. Caminero had three RBIs for the Rays (80-81), who with a series sweep would avoid their first losing season since 2017. Caminero and Brandon Lowe had three hits each.
Shane Baz (4-3) won his third straight start, allowing two runs and three hits in six innings with seven strikeouts, one walk, two hit batters and a run-scoring wild pitch. Crawford (9-16) gave up six runs, five hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings with six strikeouts, finishing with a 4.36 ERA.
His 33 starts tied for the major league lead. Tristan Casas’ 13th homer put Boston ahead in the first. Caminero gave the Rays a 2-1 lead with a two-run homer in the third off Crawford (9-16) following Yandy Díaz's walk, Tampa Bay opened a 4-1 lead in the fifth on consecutive one-out singles by Díaz, Brandon Lowe, Caminero and Jonathan Arando, the last two driving in runs.
Josh Lowe hit a two-run single off Greg Weissert. Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran doubled up Josh Lowe at first base in the fourth on Jose Siri's flyout. Durran began the day with 12 assists, tied for the major league lead among outfielders.
Boston finished 8-7 this year in its yellow City Connect uniforms, a tribute to Patriots Day weekend and the Boston Marathon. The Red Sox are 20-10 in the yellow jerseys since the start of 2023.
