BOSTON — Steven Souza Jr. smacked a go-ahead double to cap a three-run sixth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat Boston Red Sox 4-2 in the finale of a four-game series Thursday night at Fenway Park.
With Boston leading 2-0 in the sixth, Rays third baseman Evan Longoria hit his 20th home run of the year, a solo shot off Wade Miley that kicked off a two-out rally. Second baseman Logan Forsythe singled, and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera tied the game with a double.
Right fielder Souza’s two-bagger secured the series-clinching victory for the Rays (75-78).
Tampa Bay center fielder Kevin Kiermaier added insurance with a solo homer in the seventh.
Longoria finished 3-for-4, extending his Fenway Park hitting streak to 14 games, the longest in franchise history.
Cabrera, Kiermaier and Forsythe all had two hits for Tampa Bay.
Rays right-hander Erasmo Ramirez (11-6) shook off an early homer to post seven quality innings, allowing only two runs on four hits and striking out six. He didn’t issue a walk.
Rays right-hander Brad Boxberger converted his 38th save of the year with a scoreless ninth.
Boston (72-80) was powered by a two-hit night for designated hitter David Ortiz, who clubbed a two-run home run — his 36th of the season and No. 502 of his career.
Ortiz’s notched his 100th and 101st RBIs of the year, giving him his ninth 100-RBI campaign to tie Ted Williams for most in Red Sox history. Ortiz also recorded his franchise-best sixth season of at least 35 homers and 100 RBIs, one more than Jimmie Foxx and Manny Ramirez.
Miley (11-11) departed after 6 1/3 innings, having surrendered four runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out three.
Ortiz unloaded on a 1-1 slider from Ramirez with a runner aboard in the first for an opposite-field homer that landed in the Green Monster seats in left, giving Boston a 2-0 lead.
NOTES: Red Sox LF Hanley Ramirez (right shoulder inflammation) was shut down for the rest of the season, but the team still plans to move him to first base in 2016. “We are very interested in seeing that happen,” Red Sox interim manager Torey Lovullo said. … Boston 3B Pablo Sandoval was diagnosed with pneumonia and will be re-evaluated Saturday. Sandoval missed the four-game series against Tampa Bay with what the team originally called a “significant upper-respiratory infection.”… Rays LHP Jake McGee (knee) is on pace to return Friday. … Tampa Bay RHP Jake Odorizzi flew to Toronto on Thursday ahead of Friday’s start.
Orioles 5, Nationals 4
WASHINGTON — Catcher Matt Wieters hit a two-run homer off reliever Blake Treinen in the eighth inning Thursday, and the Baltimore Orioles kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 5-4 win over the Washington Nationals, whose postseason aspirations are dwindling by the day.
The third and last game of the series was a makeup from a rainout Monday. Wieters smashed his seventh homer of the year after left fielder Steve Pearce led off the inning with a single off Treinen (2-4).
The Orioles (76-76), who won all three games of the series, pulled within 3 1/2 games of the idle Houston Astros for the second American League wild card. Washington (78-74), which lost for the seventh time in its past 10 home games, fell seven games back of the first-place Mets in the National League East pending the result of New York’s Thursday night game at Cincinnati.
Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos hit a long solo homer to left off reliever Chaz Roe with one out in the seventh to tie the game at 3. Later in the inning, third baseman Yunel Escobar lined his third hit, a double, to score pinch hitter Matt den Dekker to make it 4-3. However, second baseman Anthony Rendon, who had singled, was thrown out at the plate on the double.
Washington scored two runs in the fifth to make it 3-2 on a sacrifice fly by Rendon and an RBI single by Escobar.
The Orioles took a 3-0 lead in the fourth on a two-run homer by second baseman Jonathan Scoop against starter Tanner Roark. It was his 15th homer of the year for Schoop, who had been hitless in his previous 15 at-bats.
Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado had an RBI single in the first to make it 1-0 as he drove in center fielder Gerardo Parra, who led off with a double.