Xander Bogaerts had three hits and scored twice in the first five innings Friday night and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3.
Wander Franco, Tampa Bay's 21-year-old shortstop, had the first multi-homer game of his career.
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Xander Bogaerts had three hits and scored twice in the first five innings Friday night and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3.
Matt Barnes got Franco on a groundball for his first save after Jake Diekman walked the bases loaded with two outs in the ninth.
Franco's homer made it 2-1 in the bottom of the first. Rafael Devers led off the third inning with his third homer of the season for Boston. Bogaerts followed with a double and scored on Hernandez's single to make it 4-1.
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Michael Wacha (1-0) gave up two runs on three hits, including Franco's two homers, in five innings to get his first win for Boston.
Boston Red Sox's Enrique Hernandez hits an RBI-single against the Tampa Bay Rays during a baseball game Friday, April, 22, 2022, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP PhotoScott Audette)
Matt Barnes got Franco on a groundball for his first save after Jake Diekman walked the bases loaded with two outs in the ninth.
Trevor Story, Bogaerts, Alex Verdugo and Kiké Hernandez hit four of Corey Kluber's first 14 pitches for singles, spotting the Red Sox a 2-0 lead.
Kluber (0-1) gave up four runs on 11 hits in five innings.
Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers, right, celebrates with third base coach Carlos Febles after hitting a home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, April, 22, 2022, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP PhotoScott Audette)
Franco's homer made it 2-1 in the bottom of the first. Rafael Devers led off the third inning with his third homer of the season for Boston. Bogaerts followed with a double and scored on Hernandez's single to make it 4-1.
Franco homered leading off the fifth, and shortstop Bogaerts' second error of the game helped the Rays score another run in the seventh.
It was the second straight three-hit game for Bogaerts, who is hitting .385.
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Corey Kluber waits for a new ball after giving up a home run to the Boston Red Sox during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, April, 22, 2022, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP PhotoScott Audette)
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: J.D. Martinez was out of the lineup for a second straight game after leaving Wednesday's game in the third inning with left adductor tightness. ... Manager Alex Cora is not with the team after testing positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.
Rays: C Francisco Mejía tested positive and was placed on the COVID-19 injured list. ... RHP Chris Mazza was placed on the 10-day IL with back spasms. ... C René Pinto and LHP Colin Poche were recalled from Triple-A Durham.
Tampa Bay Rays' Wander Franco watches his home run during the fifth inning of the team's baseball game against the Boston Red Sox on Friday, April 22, 2022, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP PhotoScott Audette)
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Red Sox RHP Garrett Whitlock (1-0, 0.93 ERA), who has made 50 relief appearances for Boston over the last two seasons and earned a save on Tuesday, will get his first major league start Saturday night. The Rays will go with an opener.
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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Michael Wacha walks around the mound after giving up a home run to Tampa Bay Rays' Wander Franco during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, April 22, 2022, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP PhotoScott Audette)