Rafael Devers set a Red Sox franchise record for consecutive games with a home run in Boston’s series-opening 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays Monday night in St. Petersburg, Fla. In the fourth inning, the third baseman wrote himself into the Red Sox record book with an opposite-field, two-run shot to left on a 97 mph four-seam fastball from Taj Bradley (1-2) for a 3-0 lead.
It was his sixth straight game going deep, eclipsing the high mark most recently matched by Bobby Dalbec in 2020. His 10th blast traveled an estimated 382 feet and left him two games shy of tying the major league record of eight. Jarren Duran tripled and scored on Wilyer Abreu’s double earlier that inning. Ceddanne Rafaela stepped up with a two-run long ball in the fifth.
Boston starter Tanner Houck (4-5) used 94 pitches over seven innings to shut down the Rays. The right-hander allowed two hits, fanned five and issued one walk via a defensive alignment violation by Rafaela on a full count. In breaking a three-game losing streak in May, Houck lowered his ERA to 1.94. Justin Slaten finished the three-hit shutout with two scoreless frames.
