BOSTON — Instant reactions as the Red Sox (33-36) get early offense from Roman Anthony and a strong start from Lucas Giolito and beat the Rays, 3-1, on Tuesday:
1) Anthony waited for his family to get to Boston to record his first MLB hit, and it was a big one. Donning a new uniform number (No. 19), Anthony laced an opposite-field, two-run single off Ryan Pepiot in the first inning that gave Boston a 2-0 lead.
Anthony was 1-for-4 but the first-inning liner was just abouit the only offense the Red Sox would need. For a team that has lost the first inning countless times in the first 10 weeks of the season, getting ahead early felt big.
2) Giolito was in dire need of a rebound start after allowing seven earned runs and recording just five outs on Wednesday against the Angels. He ran into some trouble against Tampa Bay but did exactly that, allowing a single run (that was unearned) on three hits in six innings. Giolito walked three (including two in a laborious fifth) and struck out four.
The up-and-down start to his season continued with a much-needed strong outing at home. The Red Sox held Tampa Bay to just three hits, marking a season low (and the lowest by Boston’s staff since Sept. 1, 2024).
3) Trevor Story has quietly been heating up at the plate, going 7-for-15 with a double, homer, seven RBIs and three runs in three games entering Tuesday. He had a fifth-inning single, then crushed a no-doubt homer off Pepiot that made it 3-1 in the sixth. Story’s 108 mph blast extended his streak of games with multiple hits to four.
4) With closer Aroldis Chapman unavailable after pitching three days in a row, it was Greg Weissert who got the call in the ninth inning. Facing the Rays’ 3-4-5 hitters with a two-run lead, Weissert — who entered with a 1.83 ERA in his last 21 appearances dating back to April 22 — recorded his first save of the season (and the second of his career)
5) Anthony also flashed his glove, corralling a sinking Jonathan Aranda liner with a nice sliding catch with one out in the sixth. He’s not going to be able to match Wilyer Abreu’s defensive production in right (likely a temporary position) but can use his athleticism to make some plays. Having Ceddanne Rafaela next to him in center will help.
6) Garrett Whitlock blew two saves on the mid-May road trip to Kansas City and Detroit but has been nails since. He had allowed one earned run in 9 ⅓ innings over his last 10 appearances (0.96 ERA) since May 17 — and continued his dominance in the win.
Whitlock needed just 13 pitches in a 1-2-3 seventh, then nine in a fast eighth (that ended with some warning track power from Brandon Lowe). He struck out three and lowered his ERA to 3.21.
7) If it feels like the Red Sox’ pitching staff makes a lot of errors… they do. Giolito’s throwing error on a pickoff play in the fifth inning was the 10th error by a Sox pitcher this year. Brennan Bernardino is tied for the MLB lead with four (though Matthew Boyd, who has the same number, has thrown 48 more innings).
Giolito’s miscue put two men in scoring position with two outs and the top of Tampa Bay’s order coming up in the fifth. Yandy Díaz’s RBI single made it 2-1 but Giolito got Brandon Lowe to fly out to end the threat and strand a man at third.
8) Some facts on Anthony from the Red Sox: At 21 years and 28 days old, he’s the youngest player in team history to record 3+ RBIs over his first two games. Jim Rice was a little older when he did it in 1974. Only Dalton Jones (1964) was younger when he recorded RBIs in his first two games with the club.
9) In the series finale, the Red Sox will be looking for a bounceback start from Walker Buehler (4-4, 5.18 ERA) after a stinker at Yankee Stadium on Friday. The Rays will send one-time Red Sox righty Zack Littell (6-5, 3.68 ERA) to the mound with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. ET.
