ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Injuries and an often impotent offense have caused the Rays all kinds of problems over the last few weeks.
Yandy Diaz refuses to let them go down without a fight.
Diaz continued his torrid streak Monday night, rapping three hits, scoring three runs and driving in three as the Rays rallied after blowing a four-run lead for a 10-5 win over the Red Sox.
Diaz has hits in 14 of his last 15 starts — 27 total, including 10 doubles — and a .500 average to show for it. In 65 plate appearances over that stretch, he has reached base 37 times, including nine walks and a hit by pitch (in his first at-bat Monday).
Others lent a hand. Centerfielder Brett Phillips, who later singled to snap an 0-for-28 skid, made a spectacular running and diving catch in the second that saved a run. Reliever Luke Bard, called up Monday morning, pitched three solid innings for his first win since 2019. Rookie Josh Lowe and Jonathan Aranda had run-scoring hits; Harold Ramirez had two.
The Rays welcomed the win over their division rival, especially coming off a miserable weekend in Cincinnati, where they were swept by the last-place Reds and lost two key players, Wander Franco and Kevin Kiermaier, for extended periods due to injuries. They improved to 46-40 and moved to within a half game of the Sox for second place in the division and the top wild-card spot.
The Rays got off to a quick 5-1 lead, but blew it by the fifth.
Lefty Josh Fleming, who left after three innings with right oblique tightness, did most of the undoing.
He allowed two runs in a third inning that started with him walking the No. 9 hitter and allowing back-to-back doubles to Christian Vazquez and J.D. Martinez. Then another in the fourth on a couple of hits.
Bard gave up the fifth run in the fifth inning as part of a sequence of three straight hits, though he also settled in to work three solid innings.
The Rays struck quickly, with five runs in the first two innings.
Lowe doubled in two in the first inning after Diaz was hit by a Brayan Bello pitch and Ji-Man Choi walked.
They got three in the second thanks to more of a team effort. Luke Raley drew a leadoff walk, and with two outs four straight Rays reached — Diaz and Choi had RBI doubles, and after Randy Arozarena walked, Aranda singled in a run.
Diaz had a 12-game hitting streak until being given Saturday off and flying out as a pinch hitter.
