Drew Rasmussen fans career-high 13 as Rays complete sweep of Red Sox

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on Jun 10, 2026

Published in Baseball

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TAMPA, Fla. — Drew Rasmussen struck out a career-high 13, and catcher Nick Fortes sparked a creative offense with four hits and three runs scored as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 7-5 on Wednesday afternoon to complete a three-game series sweep.

Rasmussen picked up where he left off on Friday night in Miami, where he threw seven shutout innings, allowed one hit and struck out nine.

Wednesday, he allowed two singles and one walk, and hit a batter. He struck out the first four Sox hitters, four more in a row over the third and fourth innings, then five in six batters over the sixth and seventh.

The 13 strikeouts matched the third most for a Rays pitcher in a game. James Shields and Chris Archer share the record with 15. David Price and Tyler Glasnow (twice) each fanned 14.

After losing 10 of 13 and all but percentage points of their American League East lead over a rough two weeks, the Rays appear to have returned to form in all aspects as they improved to 40-25.

They logged their majors-leading seventh series sweep, improved their home record to 24-9 and extended their season-starting unbeaten streak at home against division opponents to 12.

The offense got creative again Wednesday.

The Rays took a 1-0 lead in the third after Fortes, who came into the game hitting .184 over his last 18 games, rapped a leadoff double. He went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Cedric Mullins and scored on a sac fly by Taylor Walls.

They expanded the margin to 4-0 in the fifth.

Fortes again led off with a double — his first multi-extra-base-hit game of the season — went to third on Walls’ bunt single and scored when Yandy Diaz bounced a single up the middle.

The Rays then got a break when Austin Slater’s grounder bounced off the leg of Boston starter Jake Bennett and rolled into left field for a double, scoring Walls. After the Sox intentionally walked Junior Caminero to load the bases, Ryan Vilade delivered a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.

They added on in the sixth when Fortes singled, went to third on Walls’ single and scored when Diaz, who had a three-hit day to improve his AL-leading average to .331, singled to left.

The Sox made it interesting after Rasmussen left, scoring four runs in the eighth on homers off Cole Sulser and Steven Matz.

Sulser allowed a leadoff homer to Chad Durbin, then walked Isiah Kiner-Falefa before striking out Andruw Monasterio. The Rays then turned to Matz, who got bumped from the rotation due to inconsistency and then struggled Sunday in his first bullpen outing.

Wednesday didn’t go well, either, as he allowed a single to Jarren Duran, then a three-run homer to Ceddanne Rafaela.

The Rays reopened the lead in their half of the eighth when Fortes singled for his career-high-tying fourth hit, and Mullins followed with a two-run homer to right.

Durbin homered again in the ninth off Garrett Cleavinger.

The Rays left after the game for a cross-country flight to Los Angeles, where they play back to back series against the Angels and Dodgers.

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