Rays rip Red Sox on one hit
ST. PETERSBURG (AP) – Tampa Bay’s Matt Garza took a perfect game into the seventh inning and Evan Longoria homered and drove four runs to help the AL Championship Series MVP shut down the Boston Red Sox 13-0 Thursday night.
Garza, facing the Red Sox at Tropicana Field for the first time since beating them in Game 7 of last season’s ALCS, allowed his first baserunner on Jacoby Ellsbury’s infield single leading off the seventh inning.
Ellsbury fouled off an 0-2 pitch and took two balls before hitting a squibber past Garza over the mound. The speedy Boston center fielder, who stole home against the Yankees on Sunday, easily beat shortstop Jason Bartlett’s throw to first base.
The crowd of 20,341 gave the pitcher a standing ovation, and the right-hander got back on track by getting Dustin Pedroia to ground into a double play. David Ortiz walked with two outs, but was stranded when Jeff Bailey grounded out.
Garza struck out Jonathan Van Every and Jason Bay to begin the eighth. He received another round of cheers when Rays manager Joe Maddon replaced him with reliever Grant Balfour, who finished the combined one-hitter.
Garza (2-2) threw 75 of his 108 pitches for strikes, walked one and struck out 10 in 7 2/3 innings.
Things got so bad for the Red Sox, who lost for just the second time in 14 games, that Van Every was brought in from right field to pitch after reliever Javier Lopez gave up consecutive two-run doubles that hiked Tampa Bay’s lead to 12-0 in the eighth.
Longoria had a three-run double off Josh Beckett (2-2) and hit his sixth homer of the season – a solo shot in the sixth inning – off Hunter Jones. Michel Hernandez also hit first career homer off Beckett, who allowed seven runs and 19 hits in 4 2/3 innings.
It is the second straight rough outing for Beckett, who gave up eight runs, 10 hits and four walks over five innings against the Yankees on April 25.
The Red Sox rallied from a 5-0 deficit to beat Cleveland 6-5 in 10 innings Wednesday night, but had no answers against Garza.
Including a pair of wins over Jon Lester in the ALCS, Garza is 7-1 lifetime against the Red Sox. He also beat them at Fenway Park this season, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings on April 9.