BOSTON (AP) — Tyler Glasnow pitched five scoreless innings in his final start before the postseason, combining with four relievers on a three-hitter and leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 5-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.
“I’m glad I could end on a good note, and I’m ready for the playoffs,” said Glasnow, who struck out nine and retired the last 10 batters he faced to end a personal two-game losing streak. “I felt really good. I’m super glad I could do it now. I think after a couple of bad ones, it’s nice to end on a good note.”
Josh Lowe had three hits, including a home run, and Isaac Paredes also homered for Tampa Bay, which has clinched a wild-card berth can and still catch the Orioles for the AL East title. Baltimore beat Washington later Wednesday, lowering its magic number to one to eliminate the Rays from the division race.
Even so, the Rays celebrated in the visitor’s clubhouse at Fenway Park, having opted not to do so when they clinched at least a wild-card berth on Sept. 17, a day they blew a late lead and lost at Baltimore.
“Last Sunday was unique set of circumstances,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We decided, ‘Let’s see if we can get a little closer to this thing.’ … But what these guys accomplished deserves to be celebrated. We’re incredibly proud of them.”
With their 82nd loss, the Red Sox are guaranteed to finish below .500 for the third time in four seasons. With the Yankees’ 6-0 victory over Toronto, Boston clinched last place in the division — also for the third time in four seasons.
Glasnow (10-7) allowed two hits and walked one while throwing just 70 pitches. It was his first scoreless outing since August, and just his second of the season. Andrew Kittredge, Jake Diekman, Chris Devenski and Robert Stephenson each pitched a scoreless inning.
Red Sox starter Brayan Bello (12-11) allowed five runs on nine hits and two walks, striking out three in six innings.
Lowe hit a solo homer in the second inning, and the Rays made it 3-0 in the fourth when they started the inning with three straight singles, scoring one run on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly and a second on Manuel Margot’s double.
Lowe had his third hit to lead off the sixth and scored on Paredes’ homer to make it 5-0.
TOUGH CROWD
The attendance for the Fenway finale of 34,559 brought the season total to 2.67 million — about 50,000 more than last year, but worse than every other non-pandemic year since 2002.
UP NEXT
Rays: Have Thursday off before opening a season-ending three-game series in Toronto. RHP Aaron Civale (7-4) will pitch the opener for Tampa Bay.
Red Sox: LHP Chris Sale (6-4) will face Orioles RHP Dean Kremer (12-5) on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game, season-ending series in Baltimore.
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