ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — It was not what Jemile Weeks had in mind for his Boston Red Sox debut — getting picked off as a pinch runner in the top of the 10th inning.
Matt Joyce had an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to give Tampa Bay a 4-3 win over Boston on Monday, giving the Rays of split of the four-game series.
Acquired from Baltimore in a four-player deal on Saturday, Weeks ran for Christian Vazquez after the Red Sox catcher had singled off Grant Balfour with one out in the 10th. Balfour (2-6) caught Weeks leaning the wrong way and picked him off.
“He probably knows at some point I was going to go, so he probably did what he doesn’t usually do in that sequence,” Weeks said of Balfour, an ex-Oakland A’s teammate. “It’s definitely not a good feeling, but I think the staff and everybody knows that we play the percentages there and he went completely against what he usually does.”
Red Sox manager John Farrell said the pickoff was “untimely for sure.”
Ryan Hanigan opened the bottom of the 10th with a double off Burke Badenhop (0-3), which withstood a replay review. Kevin Kiermaier was intentionally walked before Ben Zobrist had a sacrifice bunt. After Wil Myers was given an intentional walk, pinch-runner Sean Rodriquez, who ran for Hanigan, scored on Joyce’s hit to left.
Myers had an RBI double and Evan Longoria drove in two with a single off Rubby De La Rosa as the Rays took a 3-1 lead in the third. But Mike Napoli hit a solo homer in the fourth, and Yoenis Cespedes got the Red Sox even at 3-3 with an RBI single off Steve Geltz in the eighth.
De La Rosa allowed three runs and six hits over 5 1-3 innings.
Mookie Betts put the Red Sox up 1-0 with a run-scoring double in the third. The rookie had six RBIs, including a grand slam Friday night, in the four-game series.
Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who has not played experiencing concussion-like symptoms on a play Saturday night, said he is feeling better and hopes to play as soon as Tuesday against the New York Yankees.
“I’ve got to take all these tests and stuff, which is kind of tough. I haven’t passed many tests in my schooling life,” Pedroia joked. “Today I didn’t have a headache so that was good. . . . I’m feeling normal for the most part. Sometimes I feel a little different but I guess that’s supposed to happen.”
Trainer’s room
Red Sox: Pedroia missed his second consecutive game.
Rays: CF Desmond Jennings (sore left knee) was out of the lineup for the fourth straight game but was available off the bench. … OF David DeJesus (broken left hand) was activated from the 15-day disabled list after missing 64 games.
On deck
Red Sox: RHP Joe Kelly (0-1) is scheduled to face Yankees RHP Shane Greene (4-1) Tuesday night.
Rays: RHP Jeremy Hellickson (1-2) and knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (10-12) are the scheduled starter in the start of a three-game series Tuesday night.
Closer call
Farrell explained his decision not to use closer Koji Uehara on Monday, or in the entire series: “(I’m) trying to hold Koji back in the event of a save opportunity, but given where we are in this part of the season, I’m not going to bring him in in a tie game on the road, at least in that situation where we’ve still got a fresh arm in Badenhop.”
Next Castillo stop
Recently signed Cuban oufielder Rusney Castillo will report to Double-A Portland on Wednesday, Farrell said.
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- Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria stretches to tag out Boston Red Sox’s Xander Bogaerts (2) at third base on a stolen base attempt during the fifth inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 1, 2014, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Making the call is umpire Mike Estabrook. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
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