Tampa Bay’s Nate Lowe celebrates his three-run home run in the seventh inning of the Rays’ 11-1 win over the Red Sox on Friday in St. Peterburg, Fla. Chris O’Meara/Associated Press
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Nate Lowe hit two homers and drove in four runs as Tampa Bay fielded a lineup of all lefties, Blake Snell worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings and the AL East-leading Rays routed the cellar-dwelling Boston Red Sox 11-1 on Friday night.
Tampa Bay became the first major league team since at least 1900 to use a batting order with only left-handed batters, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Snell (4-1) gave up five hits and two walks. He struck out five.
Yoshi Tsutsugo also homered for the Rays, who stopped a three-game skid. Tampa Bay entered the game trailing Oakland by percentage points for the AL’s best record.
Boston rookie Bobby Dalbec had his five-game home run streak end but had an RBI double in the ninth.
The Red Sox would be eliminated from AL East title contention with a loss on Saturday night.
Rays Manager Kevin Cash stacked his lineup with lefties against right-hander Andrew Triggs, who made his second start with Boston.
Red Sox Manager Ron Roenicke quickly countered by removing Triggs after he allowed a hit and walk in a scoreless first. However, Tsutsugo started the second with a homer off lefty Matt Hall (0-3).
Kevin Kiermaier had an RBI grounder in the third and Austin Meadows hit a two-run double in the fourth.
Hall gave up four runs and six hits over 2 1/3 innings.
Tsutsugo had a run-scoring single before Lowe connected for a three-run drive off Robinson Leyer to put the Rays up 9-0 in the seventh.
Lowe had a solo shot off Domingo Tapia, who made his big league debut, in the sixth and finished with three hits in four at-bats. He entered 1 for 14 on the season.
While some teams have started a lineup in which all batters hit from the left side the first time up, all previous occasions since 1900 included at least one switch-hitter.
Roenicke said when bench coach Jerry Narron gave him the Rays’ lineup before the game, he thought it was wrong.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: LHP Josh Taylor (left shoulder tendinitis) was placed on the 10-day injured list.
Rays: SS Willy Adames said he has had issues hitting at home and is wearing non-prescription glasses at the plate. … C Mike Zunino (left oblique strain) hit in a cage and did defensive drills.
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