By ZAK GILBERT<\/p>\n
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Richie Palacios dropped a fly ball into shallow right in the ninth inning to score Junior Caminero and give the Tampa Bay Rays a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay, which has three walk-off wins on its current homestand, lowered its magic number to clinch the AL East to five games. The second-place Yankees are in Arizona on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
Prior to Palacios\u2019 single, the Rays were 0 for 17 with runners in scoring position over the first two games of the series. The postseason-bound Rays, who\u2019ve won seven of their last eight, capitalized on two fortuitous bounces in the ninth.<\/p>\n
First, Caminero\u2019s foul popup bounced off the Tropicana Field catwalk and out of the reach of third baseman Caleb Durbin. Caminero then lined the next pitch from Garrett Whitlock (7-2) into left. Three batters later, after Chandler Simpson singled, Connor Wong\u2019s passed ball moved Caminero to third.<\/p>\n
The Red Sox squandered a prime opportunity in the top of the ninth.<\/p>\n
Facing closer Bryan Baker (4-2) in a tie game, Boston got Caleb Durbin\u2019s double and Jarren Duran\u2019s triple. However, Nick Fortes threw out Durbin stealing third and Caminero made a stellar play at third base to retire Isiah Kiner-Falefa, stranding Duran.<\/p>\n
Boston also wasted a phenomenal effort from starter Brayan Bello, who matched a career high with 11 strikeouts. In eight innings, he allowed five hits, one run and no walks. Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman (lat tightness) was unavailable.<\/p>\n
The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead with bookend doubles from Durbin and Roman Anthony in the third inning. Trevor Story extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a sixth-inning single.<\/p>\n
Jonathan Aranda tied it with an opposite-field solo homer on the first pitch of the Rays\u2019 fourth.<\/p>\n
The Rays are an MLB-best 25-14 in one-run games.<\/p>\n
Up next<\/p>\n
RHP Griffin Jax (7-10, 3.80 ERA) gets the nod for the Rays on Sunday in the series finale. Boston had not announced a starter.<\/p>\n
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