TAMPA — Instant reactions from the Red Sox’ 6-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Steinbrenner Field:

1) Trevor Story delivered an opposite-field single in the top of the ninth to score Ceddanne Rafaela with the winning run as the Red Sox won for the second straight time and third time in the last four games, allowing them to maintain their slim lead over Cleveland in the wild card standings. The Rays had tied the game with two runs off the Boston bullpen in the seventh inning before Story’s heroics. Consecutive singles from Alex Bregman and Masataka Yoshida then produced one insurance run and a sacrifice fly from Romy Gonzalez led to another.

2) Who says the Red Sox didn’t get anything meaningful in return in the Rafael Devers trade? Kyle Harrison, who spent months in Worcester after the June blockbuster deal, made his first start for the parent club and did well. Harrison was toudhed for a run in the fourth after he allowed back-to-back soft base hits for a single run. But that was the extent of the damage done to him as he turned in six strong innings. He finished strong, too, allowing rhe first two hitters to reach in the sixth, then successfully stranding both of them.

3) On Friday night, Jarren Duran helped win a game with his power, clubbing a two-run, go-ahead homer in the seventh inning. On Saturday, he used his legs to help. After a single to center with one out in the third, he stole second, then advanced to third and again to home on wild pitches by Tampa starter Adrian Houser.

4) Alex Bregman has been saying for a few days that he believes he’s turned a corner t the plate and the evidence keeps mounting that he’s correct. After belting a line drive homer Friday, Bregman continued to wield a hot bat, lining a hard single to left-center to produce a run in the fifth and a single to right in the ninth.

5) The series opener was a strong one for Ceddanne Rafaela, who enjoyed his first four-hit game of the season. Saturday, however, was a mixed bag. He did contribute a single and scored a run and later worked a highly rare walk. But he also struck out, and after the walk, got himself picked off first base.

6) The game represented another strong test for Justin Slaten, who entered with two out in the seventh. But after a run of impressive outings, Slaten allowed a game-tying, opposite field single to Yandy Diaz — though the run was charged to lefty Justin Wilson, who had allowed a run earier in the inning before giving way to Slaten.

7) The Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays close out the series tonight at 7:35 p.m. The game was moved from an original afternoon start time to night because the NFL’s Tampa Bay Bucs will be playing the New York Jets at 1 p.m, and the two local teams, situated across the street from one another and share parking. It will be the third major league start for Connelly Early (1-0, 0.87) vs. TBA for the Rays.

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