ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Never mind hitting the ball out of the park like they did the previous night, combining for seven home runs. On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox would have settled for a few more balls hit out of the infield.
It took 13 innings and 32 combined strikeouts by the two pitching staffs, but the bats finally woke up as Rusney Castillo delivered a bases-loaded single to score the game’s only runs in a 2-0 Boston victory at Tropicana Field.
Second baseman Dustin Pedroia started the rally with a one-out single, followed by singles from shortstop Xander Bogaerts and first baseman Travis Shaw that loaded the bases.
Facing Tampa Bay reliever Andrew Bellatti, the Rays seventh pitcher, Castillo ripped an offering to left field to score Pedroia and Bogaerts.
Heath Hembree (1-0) got the victory with one inning of relief, and Robbie Ross Jr. picked up his second save. Enny Romero (0-1) took the loss.
Lefties Drew Smyly of the Rays and Red Sox starter Rich Hill had many in the 15,402 wondering where both team’s offenses had gone.
Hill was starting his first game since 2009, and after his sterling performance he certainly won’t have to wait as long for his next one. He pitched seven innings, allowed one debatable hit and struck out 10. He only allowed one leadoff batter to reach base, and retired the last eight he faced.
Hill nearly left the game after seven with a no-hitter. In the third inning, Rays catcher J.P Arencibia hit a playable grounder to the backhand side of Bogaerts, who couldn’t come up with it. It was ruled a single, the only hit that Hill allowed.
Smyly pitched six innings, allowed just four hits — two were bloopers and one never left the infield — and tied a career-high with 11 strikeouts.
A day after hitting two home runs to reach 500 for his career, Boston DH David Oritz got the day off Sunday. Ortiz is now just one of four players, and first non-New York Yankee, with at least 500 homers and three World Series championships. The others? Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson.
As he circled the bases after becoming the 27th major leaguer to join the 500-homer club Saturday night, Ortiz’s teammates flooded the top step of the dugout and poured onto the field to greet Ortiz.
“Every time he comes up we all kind of sit forward because he can do anything at any time,” said Lovullo, “but that moment was a little extra special.”
Ortiz didn’t waste any time setting up his historic night, hitting a three-run homer in the first inning off Rays starter Matt Moore.
In his second at-bat, Ortiz was given the green light on a 3-and-0 count, and popped up. Ortiz said there was no added pressure when he reached 499.
“Well, the last couple of weeks I think there was one day I was really trying to hit a homer and it was the day I went 0-for-4 with four punchouts,” he said. “So I’ve been just working on trying to put a good swing on the ball and whatever happens, happens.”