Red Sox Defeat Rays in 14 Innings, Jeter Returns to the Field

After their six-run first inning, it then took the Boston Red Sox (40-25) 14 innings to grab a 10-8 win against the Tampa Bay Rays (34-29) on Monday night.

Red Sox right fielder Daniel Nava’s RBI single, with one out in the 14th inning, broke the 8-8 tie. Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who had four hits for the night, provided a little insurance for the team when his single followed, giving the team one more run.

For the Red Sox, they blew two leads in the game. Through the seventh inning, they were ahead of the Rays and then again in the 10th but had to endure the home team coming back both times.

John Lackey

John Lackey was Boston’s starting pitcher who left the game with a no-decision. In the sixth inning, he hit Rays right fielder Matt Joyce in the back; both benches quickly emptied. One side saw it as intentional while the other didn’t.

This came after Joyce had homered off Lackey in the first inning; some viewed the hit as payback.

Lackey said of the incident via MLB.com, “I was trying to come in there and get him off the plate a little bit. They were swinging quite a bit, at pretty much everything I threw up there, so I was trying to maybe get a little bit of plate for me.”

In his 5 2/3 innings of pitching, Lackey gave up four runs with 10 hits. Seven relievers followed with lefty Franklin Morales (2-0), who was supposed to start for Wednesday’s game, pitched the game’s last two innings and earned the win.

Rays righty Alex Cobb (6-2) started things off and went four innings. He allowed six runs and seven hits. The first inning got off to a rough start as Boston’s first eight batters all reached base; six of them ended up scoring.

The Red Sox now have a 6-1 record vs. Rays, who sit in fourth place and five games back in the AL East race. The Red Sox remain at the top, winning their last eight of 11 games.

After the more than 5 1/2-hour game, the two teams will again meet on Tuesday night. Lefty Jon Lester (6-2) will take the mound for the Red Sox while righty Roberto Hernandez (3-6) will pitch for the Rays.

Against Tampa, Lester is 5-1 (3.38 ERA) from his eight career visits. On May 15, he saw a 9-2 win where he gave up two runs in seven innings. Hernandez is another story as he leads his team in pitching losses but sits 2-2 (2.68 ERA) over seven starts vs. Boston.

Look for another Boston win (-124, 8 o/u). They are +1200 to win this year’s World Series.

Jeter Returns to the Field

Derek Jeter

New York Yankees (37-26) shortstop Derek Jeter, who is recovering from an ankle injury, returned to the field on Monday, taking some grounders and swings.

Jeter is yet to play ball this season and for now, his timetable to make his debut isn’t until after the All-Star break, reported ESPN. The player is still awaiting medical clearance from his doctor, Dr. Robert Anderson.

The Yankees are ready for Jeter to return as his initial shortstop sub Eduardo Nunez injured his oblique and has been on the DL for a month. Jayson Nix and Reid Brignac have now stepped into the role.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said of the situation on Monday via ESPN, “We are running guys out there who are doing everything they can to help. It is not the left side of the infield you typically would construct, but these guys are major league players. They are competitors and they are allowing us to hold the fort.”

But the Yankees are still doing o.k. this season as they sit two games behind the Red Sox with a two-game win streak. On Tuesday, they play the Oakland A’s (-106, 7 o/u) but won’t get the win.