Boston starter Martin Perez and four relievers held Tampa Bay to four hits, Alex Verdugo and Michael Chavis hit two-run homers, and the Red Sox blanked the Rays 5-0 on Wednesday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The victory snapped Boston's four-game losing streak and gave the Red Sox a split of the two-game series at Tropicana Field.
In his third start this season, Perez (2-1) worked around baserunners in each of his five innings. He allowed four hits, walked three and fanned four.
Relievers Colten Brewer, Austin Brice, Matt Barnes and Brandon Workman each worked an inning in the club's first shutout of the season.
Chavis went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs, and Xander Bogaerts was 2-for-4 with a double and a run. Christian Vazquez added an RBI single and scored once.
Tampa Bay starting pitcher Ryan Yarbrough (0-2) yielded five runs on eight hits in five-plus innings. He walked one and struck out five.
Rays leadoff hitter Yandy Diaz was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, and Jose Martinez added a two-base hit.
However, the Rays were anemic with runners in scoring position, going 0-for-7.
Perez permitted the Rays' leadoff hitters to reach base in each of the first four innings, but the southpaw was able to induce double plays in the second and third to help him escape damage.
The Red Sox got to Yarbrough after he recorded the first two outs in the fourth. Chavis collected his second single, and then lefty-hitting Verdugo -- acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Mookie Betts deal on Feb. 10 -- turned on a 71 mph curveball and lobbed his first Boston homer into the first row of seats in right field for a 2-0 lead.
Tampa Bay put the first two men onboard in the fourth -- Martinez doubled and Hunter Renfroe walked -- but Perez got a couple of flyballs and a strikeout of Willy Adames to end the threat.
Vazquez pushed the lead to 3-0 in the sixth when he singled sharply to left after Bogaerts led off with a double off the center field wall. Chavis' third hit -- a two-run blast to center on a 3-2 changeup, his second of the year -- extended the advantage to 5-0.
--Field Level Media
