Tampa Bay Rays' Vidal Brujan, right, celebrates with first base coach Chris Prieto after his RBI single off Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Zack Kelly during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Rays' Christian Bethancourt scored on the play. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

By MARK DIDTLER Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays won their 12th straight game to start the season, one short of the major league record, as Randy Arozarena hit a three-run homer in a 9-7 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.

The 1987 Milwaukee Brewers and 1982 Atlanta Braves both opened 13-0, tying for the best mark in big league history. Tampa Bay’s 12-game winning streak matches the team record set in June 2004.

“It sounds amazing,” Rays catcher Christian Bethancourt said.

Tampa Bay can equal the record Thursday at home against the Red Sox, who have lost 12 road games in a row to the Rays.

Taj Bradley (1-0) won his major league debut for the Rays. The 22-year-old right-hander, recalled from Triple-A Durham when Zach Eflin went on the injured list, allowed three runs and struck out eight over five innings.

“Taj did a great job,” Bethancourt said. “I think he did amazing. I had fun. It was very enjoyable. He was everything I expected.”

Bradley’s victory came on his mother’s birthday.

Arozarena made it 3-0 with an opposite-field homer off Chris Sale (1-1) in the first. Tampa Bay leads the majors with 30 home runs and has outscored opponents 92-27.

Rafael Devers, who had been hitless in 10 at-bats with six strikeouts in the series, pulled Boston to 8-7 on a three-run homer off Colin Poche in the seventh.

Arozarena’s sacrifice fly made it 9-7 in the eighth.

Red Sox reliever Zack Kelly left in the fifth with right elbow pain. After throwing a pitch that hit Yandy Díaz, an emotional Kelly went into a squat on the mound and used his hands to cover his face.

“He’ll fly with us tomorrow, and we’ll do all the stuff, the imaging, all that in Boston,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It’s the elbow he had surgery (on) a few years ago. Tough, tough to see. Hopefully there’s nothing wrong.”

Sale gave up six runs, five earned, in four innings. His ERA remained at 11.25.

“Tough, you know,” Sale said. “If we had a better starting pitcher we’d have a better chance to win. I think if you look at any of my outings, I had to get bailed out. I’m not going to sit here and make excuses. I’ve just got to be better.”

Pete Fairbanks, the fifth Rays reliever, worked the ninth to get his second save.

Wander Franco drove in a pair with a double during a three-run fourth as the Rays took a 6-1 lead.

Alex Verdugo got the first hit off Bradley with a leadoff double in the fourth and scored on Justin Turner’s single. Kiké Hernández stopped an 0-for-28 slide with an RBI double in a two-run fifth that cut the deficit to 6-3.

Bethancourt, who entered 2 for 19, got his second hit of the game with an RBI double during a two-run fifth that put Tampa Bay ahead 8-3.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: OF Masataka Yoshida (right hamstring) didn’t play.

Rays: RHP Tyler Glasnow (left oblique) is throwing off a mound.

ADJUSTMENTS

With Yoshida out, Hernández moved from shortstop to center field, and Bobby Dalbec got his second start and fourth overall appearance at shortstop. Dalbec cleanly fielded Díaz’s grounder leading off the first, but was charged with an error on a groundball by the second-place hitter Franco.

UP NEXT

Rays LHP Jeffrey Springs (1-0) and Boston RHP Corey Kluber (0-2) are Thursday’s scheduled starters.

  • Boston Red Sox’s Justin Turner lines an RBI single off Tampa Bay Rays’ Taj Bradley during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Boston’s Alex Verdugo scored on the hit. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
  • Boston Red Sox right fielder Alex Verdugo leaps but can’t get to a three-run home run by Tampa Bay Rays’ Randy Arozarena during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
  • Tampa Bay Rays’ Wander Franco (5) steals second base as Boston Red Sox second baseman Yu Chang fields a bouncing throw during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
  • Boston Red Sox’s Chris Sale pitches to the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
  • Tampa Bay Rays’ Taj Bradley wears an MLB debut patch on his sleeve during the first inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
  • Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale delivers to the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
  • Tampa Bay Rays’ Vidal Brujan, right, celebrates with first base coach Chris Prieto after his RBI single off Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Zack Kelly during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Rays’ Christian Bethancourt scored on the play. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
  • Boston Red Sox’s Zack Kelly reacts after hitting Tampa Bay Rays’ Yandy Diaz with a pitch during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Kelly left the game. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
  • Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Zack Kelly, center, is checked on after hitting Tampa Bay Rays’ Yandy Diaz with a pitch during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Kelly left the game. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
  • Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale reacts as he gets a new baseball after giving up a three-run home run to Tampa Bay Rays’ Randy Arozarena during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
  • Tampa Bay Rays’ Christian Bethancourt, left, and Vidal Brujan celebrate after scoring on a two-run double by Wander Franco off Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
  • Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Taj Bradley delivers to the Boston Red Sox during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
  • Tampa Bay Rays’ Yandy Diaz watches his run-scoring sacrifice fly off Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Rays’ Taylor Walls scored on the play. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

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