Red Sox 5, Rays 0
Clay Buchholz pitched eight shutout innings, allowing no hits through the first seven, and struck out a career-high 11 as Boston blanked visiting Tampa Bay.
Kelly Johnson’s broken-bat single to lead off the eighth inning ended the no-hit bid for Buchholz (3-0), who walked four and also allowed a double to Desmond Jennings. Dustin Pedroia had three hits and Mike Napoli delivered a two-run double in a four-run third inning for the Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the series.
Tampa Bay starter Alex Cobb (1-1) allowed seven hits and four runs – three earned – over 6 2/3 innings. The Rays have dropped five of six, scoring eight runs combined.
The Red Sox loaded the bases with none out in the third and Napoli belted a Cobb pitch to the deepest part of center field for a 2-0 lead. Two more runs came home on shortstop Yunel Escobar’s throwing error to first base on a potential double play that would have ended the inning.
Buchholz allowed two walks in the sixth, but retired Evan Longoria on a fly ball to right field and induced a groundout from Matt Joyce to end the threat. Buchholz, who has allowed one run in 22 innings, threw 109 pitches before being replaced in the ninth.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Boston closer Joel Hanrahan will be held out a couple of days due to right hamstring soreness. … The Rays have not hit a home run since April 6. … Red Sox DH David Ortiz was scratched from his rehab start with Triple-A Pawtucket on Sunday due to illness. Ortiz is 3-for-7 with three RBIs in two games with Pawtucket while rehabbing from an Achilles' tendon injury.