Duran homers and steals home as Red Sox beat Rays 5-2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Jarren Duran homered and stole home as the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-2 on Tuesday night.

Duran scored to make it 4-2 during a double steal with Rafael Devers in a go-ahead, two-run eighth against Jason Adam (2-1). Duran headed home after Rays catcher Ben Rortvedt tried to throw Devers out at second and beat a return throw to the plate with a head-first slide.

“Stealing home to get us an extra run is always awesome,” Duran said.

Devers had his team record of homering in six consecutive games end. Only nine players have gone deep in seven straight games. Ken Griffey Jr. (1993), Don Mattingly (1987) and Dale Long (1956) share the longest streak with eight.

“It was great run there,” Boston manager Alex Cora said, “It's amazing.”

Devers singled in three at-bats for an 11-game hitting streak, He was intentionally walked in the decisive eighth that saw Wilyer Abreu hit a tiebreaking single earlier in the inning.. It was Devers' first stolen base this season,

“It makes me happy to help the team win,” Devers said through a translator.

Rays manager Kevin Cash called the double steal a “good play by them.”

By winning the first two games of a three-game set, the Red Sox won their first road series against the Rays since July 22-24, 2019. Boston moved back over .500 at 25-24.

The Rays have dropped a season high-tying three straight games and fell to 25-25.

Duran homered leading off the sixth off Rays starter Zack Littell to tie it at 2. Reese McGuire had a solo drive in the ninth.

“With the new rules and everything, he’s the perfect player for this environment,” Cora said of Duran. “He can run, he can hit it out of the ballpark. He’s a good defender.”

Tampa Bay has allowed a major league-leading 41 homers at home.

Greg Weissert (2-1) struck out two in a perfect seventh and Kenley Jansen worked the ninth to get his 14th save in 17 chances..

Isaac Paredes put the Rays up 2-0 on a two-run single against Cooper Criswell in the first. Boston got within 2-1 on a second-inning RBI single by Vaughn Grissom.

Littell gave up two runs and three hits over 5 2/3 innings. Criswell allowed two runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: Cora said reliever Liam Hendriks (Tommy John surgery) is “trending in the right direction” and remains optimistic the right-hander will be back this season. … DH Masataka Yoshida (strained left thumb) is getting treatment and “improving but not there yet to do baseball activities,” according to Cora. … 1B Triston Casas (strained left ribs) has added throwing to his workout program.

Rays: SS Taylor Walls, out all season following right hip surgery, went 0 for 2 and played five innings of defense in his first game with the rookie-level FCL Rays.

UP NEXT

Rays RHP Ryan Pepiot (3-2, 3.68 ERA) will make his first start Wednesday night since getting hit in the lower left leg by an 107.5 mph liner by the New York Mets’ Starling Marte on May 5. RHP Brayan Bello (4-2, 3.96 ERA) will be the Boston starter.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Boston Red Sox's Jarren Duran celebrates his solo home run off Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zack Littell with third base coach Kyle Hudson (84) during the sixth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Boston Red Sox's Jarren Duran (16) steals home plate ahead of the throw to Tampa Bay Rays catcher Ben Rortvedt during the eighth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Boston Red Sox's Jarren Dura reacts after steal home plate against the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Boston Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela, left, scores behind Tampa Bay Rays catcher Ben Rortvedt on an RBI single by Wilyer Abreu during the eighth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Boston Red Sox's Wilyer Abreu hits an RBI single off Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Jason Adam during the eighth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Boston's Ceddanne Rafaela scored on the play. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers fields a ground ball by Tampa Bay Rays' Amed Rosario and gets the force play on Isaac Paredes during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Randy Arozarena, right, celebrates his double off Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Cooper Criswell during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Looking on is Boston Red Sox second baseman Vaughn Grissom. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Cooper Criswell delivers to the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zack Littell delivers to the Boston Red Sox during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Randy Arozarena (56) scores ahead of the throw to Boston Red Sox catcher Reese McGuire on a two-run single by Isaac Paredes during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. looking on is home plate umpire Vic Carapazza. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Tyler Fitzgerald continued his power surge with two home runs, Kyle Harrison tied a career high with 11 strikeouts, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 11-4 on Friday night.

Fitzgerald, with a pair of two-run homers, became the first Giants player to hit seven home runs in an eight-game span since Barry Bonds in 2004. The rookie shortstop had a five-game homer streak that was snapped on Wednesday.

“It’s one of those weird things that’s going to happen," Fitzgerald said. "I’m not up there trying to hit homers, but God’s got plans in store for me, I guess. I don’t know what to say about it.”

Fitzgerald, who said this is probably the most homers he's hit in an eight-game span in his life, said he's seeing the ball well.

"Earlier in the year when I wasn’t playing much, I was just trying to get on base," Fitzgerald said. “Now I’m kind of going up there not to hit a homer, but swinging a little bit harder and trying to do damage.”

Harrison (6-4) held the Rockies to a run on one hit. He struck out six of the last nine batters he faced, tipping his cap to the home crowd after he departed following a two-out walk in the seventh. He improved to 3-0 in five career starts against the Rockies.

Manager Bob Melvin praised Harrison for going deep into the game, especially with the teams playing a scheduled doubleheader on Saturday.

“Probably the first time he’s thrown 106 pitches in his career, I'm sure," Melvin said. “But we needed it today.”

Rockies manager Bud Black said before the game that Harrison has “had our number.”

“The thing that’s gotten us is his fastball — sneaky velocity at the top of the zone," Black said. “And we just haven’t been able to handle it.”

Jorge Soler also had three hits, including a leadoff homer, reaching base all five times. Soler drilled a hanging offspeed pitch from Rockies starter Kyle Freeland (2-4) to start the game. He added RBI singles in the second and fourth innings.

Freeland allowed six runs in four innings, though he had eight strikeouts to surpass Ubaldo Jiménez for fourth most in Rockies history.

Fitzgerald followed Soler’s two-out hit in the fourth with a two-run blast that put the Giants ahead 6-1. He then homered in the sixth to push the lead to 8-1. Heliot Ramos added a three-run homer in the eighth.

“Now he’s getting consistent playing time,” Melvin said of Fitzgerald. “There’s a ton of ability there. There's power, there's speed, (he) can play multiple positions. There’s a lot to like.”

Brenton Doyle knocked in two runs with a triple in the eighth inning for the Rockies.

The Giants had dropped five of seven since the All-Star break, including two of three in Colorado to start the second half.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: OF Jordan Beck (broken hand) is moving his rehab assignment up to Triple-A Albuquerque. … OF Nolan Jones (back) is rehabbing at the team’s spring training facility in Scottsdale.

Giants: RHP Keaton Winn will undergo season-ending elbow surgery next week. … IF Thairo Estrada (wrist) was placed on the 10-day injured list, and IF Casey Schmitt was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento. … OF Jung Hoo Lee (shoulder), who underwent season-ending surgery earlier in the year, is progressing well and is almost ready to play catch. He is expected to be ready for spring training next year.

UP NEXT

The teams play a doubleheader on Saturday. LHP Blake Snell (0-3, 5.83 ERA) pitches for the Giants against RHP Ryan Feltner (1-10, 5.19 ERA) for the Rockies in Game 1. Game 2 starters were not yet announced.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

San Francisco Giants pitcher Mike Baumann throws to a Colorado Rockies batter during the eighth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 26, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

San Francisco Giants' Heliot Ramos runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Colorado Rockies during the eighth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 26, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

San Francisco Giants pitcher Camilo Doval throws to a Colorado Rockies batter during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 26, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Colorado Rockies' Brenton Doyle, right, celebrates next to third base coach Warren Schaeffer after hitting a two-run triple against the San Francisco Giants during the eighth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 26, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

San Francisco Giants' Heliot Ramos flips his bat after hitting a three-run home run against the Colorado Rockies during the eighth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 26, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

San Francisco Giants' Tyler Fitzgerald runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Colorado Rockies during the sixth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 26, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

San Francisco Giants' Tyler Fitzgerald (49) celebrates in front of Jorge Soler (2) after hitting a two-run home run against the Colorado Rockies during the sixth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 26, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)