The Boston Red Sox hosted the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night at Fenway Park for the first of three games and dropped the opener 2-1.
Nick Pivetta got the start for Boston in what could be his last outing for the team, and he looked great. He allowed just two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out six batters over 6 2/3 innings and lowering his 2024 ERA to 4.14.
Zach Penrod faced three batters in the seventh inning, walking two batters, including Pivetta's second run, and hitting a Rays batter with a pitch.
Luis Guerrero finished out the seventh and tossed a scoreless eighth before Luis Garcia did the same in the ninth.
The Red Sox' offense was anemic on the night, as they drove in just one run, which came on a Nick Sogard (0-for-1) sacrifice fly. They totaled just six total hits while striking out 10 times.
Vaughn Grissom (3-for-4) was the only member of Boston's lineup to record multiple hits.
This loss drops the Red Sox to 80-80 overall and 37-42 at home. The two AL East teams will meet for the middle game of the series on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. ET.
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