Red Sox split series with Rays, finish COVID-ravaged road trip with winning record

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First baseman Bobby Dalbec, right, celebrates with third baseman Rafael Devers after the Red Sox defeated the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

  • Boston Red Sox's Hunter Renfroe, left, scores in front of Tampa Bay Rays catcher Mike Zunino (10) on an RBI single by Bobby Dalbec during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

  • Boston Red Sox's Eduardo Rodriguez pitches to the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

  • Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe, left, catches Boston Red Sox's Danny Santana attempting to steal second base during the sixth inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

  • Boston Red Sox's Bobby Dalbec, left, celebrates with first base coach Darren Fenster after his RBI single off Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan during the fifth inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

  • Tampa Bay Rays' Wander Franco fouls off a pitch from Boston Red Sox's Eduardo Rodriguez during the seventh inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Franco injured himself on the swing and left the game after drawing a walk. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

  • Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez gets his equiment check by umpire Adam Beck (102) after being taken out of the game against the Tampa Bay Rays during the seventh inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

  • Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Richards, right, celebrates with catcher Christian Vazquez after closing out the Tampa Bay Rays during the ninth inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

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They lost eight players due to COVID-19, with Xander Bogaerts leading a group of missing regulars. Their bullpen and middle infield were ravaged, forcing them to call up a slew of Triple-A players. And it all came at the worst time, in the thick of a playoff race as they faced four games against the division leaders.

Yet somehow, the Red Sox headed home from Florida on Thursday night after completing a winning road trip with a 4-0 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field.

“It’s huge,” Bobby Dalbec said. “Tough timing to go through this, but we’re pulling through, weathering the storm, whatever you want to call it. It’s all part of it. It comes with the territory this year and how the world is right now. We’re doing good.”

It began with unease as Kiké Hernandez’s positive test set off a COVID-19 outbreak, and though they produced two dramatic victories to start the trip, the Red Sox seemed to hit a low point Tuesday night as the outbreak continued and an ugly loss followed. But with two of their best arms on the mound, the Red Sox, at least temporarily, flipped the narrative again with back-to-back resilient wins.

Eduardo Rodriguez tossed six strong innings, the offense did just enough and Garrett Richards continued his excellence out of the bullpen with a three-out save as the Red Sox finished their seven-game road trip with a 4-3 record. Given the circumstances they faced, it was both a stunning and huge result that was seemingly on the ropes.

A day after leading them to a sorely needed win, manager Alex Cora said Chris Sale was vocal before Thursday’s finale in St. Petersburg. The ace’s message was simple: There’s no quit at this stage of the season.

“He’s been very loud in the clubhouse just letting them know, it doesn’t matter what’s going on, we’re going to keep pushing,” Cora said. “We’re going to be OK, and when you have guys like that that can speak up in the clubhouse and then they go out there and they perform, it’s a lot easier. There was a lot of energy today.”

The Red Sox jumped out to an early lead behind Dalbec. Fresh off being named the American League’s Rookie of the Month for August, he looked like someone who’s not ready to slow down in September. He laced an RBI single in the first to put the Sox up first, and then helped keep the line moving in the fifth with another run-scoring single as they built a 4-0 lead.

Rodriguez and the bullpen took it from there. Given the situation, it may have been the lefty’s best start of the season as he struck out six, allowed one walk and just four hits against one of the AL’s best lineups. He built on a strong seven-inning effort last Friday against the Indians, looking like a version of the pitcher the Sox certainly hope he can be over the final month as they chase a playoff spot.

“I feel like that’s been my best start of the season,” Rodriguez said. “That’s the way I feel today. Velocity-wise, control-wise, body-wise, everything. I feel like that’s my best start of the season. That’s what I can call it, all in all. …

“Today was one of those days that, for the first time of the whole season, I felt like (I was) completely me in my location.”

But he did need some help. At 82 pitches through six innings, Rodriguez came back out looking for another seven-inning performance. But he lost a seven-pitch at-bat to Wander Franco, who walked to lead off the inning before Yandy Diaz lined a single to center. That ended his night as Cora turned to Richards, who continued to be a welcome discovery out of the bullpen since being moved from the rotation.

With two runners on and no outs, Richards silenced any threat of a Rays rally. He struck out Manuel Margot and Brandon Lowe — getting Lowe with a gift on a high called strike three — before inducing Mike Zunino into a fly out. He then worked around one baserunner each in the eighth and ninth to complete his second three-inning save of the year.

Since being sent to the bullpen in early August, Richards has posted a 0.68 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings over seven appearances, many of them in high-leverage situations. The Red Sox are 5-2 when he pitches out of the bullpen.

Despite the adversity they’ve faced over the last week, the Red Sox showed something on Wednesday and Thursday. Now, they want to build off of it as they return home.

“They understand that teams go through stuff like that,” Cora said. “It’s not the first team that has a COVID issue, but there have been teams that went through this and then they took off, right? Hopefully this is our ‘taking off’ and we can play solid baseball all the way through September and get to October to play in October.”

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