The lead
May 7, 2026 - Boston - The Tampa Bay Rays keep answering the bell in close games. Chandler Simpson— pinch-hitting in the sixth—ripped a two-run single to break a tie, added an RBI triple in the eighth, and Tampa beat the Boston Red Sox 8-4 for a seventh straight win, per the Associated Press recap on ESPN.
The Rays have won 13 of 14 overall in the wire story’s count.
How the game turned
Tampa jumped ahead 3-0 in the third on RBI singles from Ben Williamson and Cedric Mullins and a sacrifice fly from Yandy Díaz. Boston tied it in the bottom half when Ceddanne Rafaela and Caleb Durbin produced run-scoring hits and a Rays error opened the door for another run.
Griffin Jax allowed three runs (two earned) in four innings as the opener-style assignment handed off to a four-man relief committee covering the final five frames. Hunter Bigge (1-0) logged two scoreless innings for the win.
Junior Caminero capped the night with a two-run homer in the ninth—his 10th of the year—while Díaz collected his 1,000th career hit in the same game story.
Pitching and matchup notes
Red Sox lefty Jake Bennett (1-1), in his second big-league start, allowed four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. Wilyer Abreu drove in a run as Boston tried to carry momentum off a three-game sweep in Detroit.
Before first pitch, the Red Sox placed Roman Anthony on the 10-day injured list with a right wrist sprain, per ESPN.
Bats that changed the board
Simpson’s pinch at-bat turned the inning; Caminero provided the exclamation point as Tampa’s youth movement kept producing leverage swings.
AthX Engine fantasy angle
Tampa ranked fourth on May 7 at 15 AthX Engine team FP on an 8-4 card where Junior Caminero logged 8 hitting FP and Griffin Jax posted 6 pitching FP in AthX Engine’s daily pull. AthX Engine differs from dynamic pricing.
What comes next
The clubs continue a four-game set Friday with Jesse Scholtens and Connelly Early listed in the AP lookahead—a quick rematch that lets both pens prove Thursday’s usage patterns were worth it.
*Sources: MLB.com schedule, ESPN recap, Associated Press via ESPN, and AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*
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