A 1-2 sinker, and the homestand keeps giving
Richie Palacios came up with two outs in the ninth and Junior Caminero on base. Garrett Whitlock threw a 1-2 sinker. Palacios looped it into right field, Caminero came home, and Tampa Bay had a 2-1 win over Boston at Tropicana Field on Saturday night.
That was the third walk-off of a nine-game homestand for the Rays, a rate of late drama that says something about how thin the margins have been in St. Petersburg this month. Jonathan Aranda supplied the other run with a home run. Liam Hicks and Chandler Simpson collected two hits apiece.
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Bello deserved better
Brayan Bello gave Boston eight innings, the longest outing of his season, and allowed one run on five hits. His 11 strikeouts tied a career high. It earned him nothing, because Tampa Bay’s bullpen matched him and Whitlock, now 7-2, was the one left holding the loss.
Caleb Durbin doubled twice and scored for the Red Sox, who had won their previous two. They sit 84-71 and five and a half games behind the New York Yankees for the top American League wild card, with the calendar closing fast.
The order at the top has not moved
Tampa Bay are 94-60. The Yankees lost 5-3 in Phoenix on the same night and stayed 89-65, five games back in the division. The two meet at Yankee Stadium for four games starting Tuesday with a split doubleheader, which is where the AL East is likely to be settled one way or the other.
The Rays close their home schedule against Boston on Sunday. Their September has been built on games like this one, low-scoring, decided in the last at-bat, and they keep coming out the right side of them.
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