BOSTON -- Hold off on that call to the fumigators. The Boston Red Sox don’t have to air out the basement just yet.
Instead, the Sox are movin’ on up, vacating last place in the American League East by swapping spots with the Tampa Bay Rays after their third straight come-from-behind victory.
Xander Bogaerts, who turns 23 on Oct. 1, hit his first career grand slam in the eighth inning Monday night, wiping out a two-run deficit and lifting the Sox to an 8-7 win over the Rays in Fenway Park.
The Red Sox are now 72-77 with 13 games to play, a half-game ahead of the Rays (72-78), who have one fewer game. The Sox have been in last place since June 8, a span of 105 days.
Bogaerts, who entered the game with a .322 batting average, second only to Miguel Cabrera (.338) in the American League, drove a 2-and-2 slider from Brandon Gomes off one of the billboards adorning the back of the Green Monster.
One inning earlier, Bogaerts had just missed another home run, driving a ball high off the wall in left-center to score Mookie Betts in Boston’s three-run seventh, giving the Sox a 4-3 lead.
But the Rays scored three in the top of the eighth, the big hit a two-run double by former Sox outfielder Grady Sizemore.
The Sox responded in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases after there were two out and nobody on. Reliever Xavier Cedeno hit Jackie Bradley Jr. with a pitch, and manager Kevin Cash summoned Gomes. Betts and Pedroia followed with singles before Bogaerts unloaded with his seventh home run of the season.
Robbie Ross Jr., credited with the save in Boston’s consecutive comeback wins over the weekend, made it three saves in three games Monday, though he has yet to have a clean inning.
Saturday, Ross gave up a two-run home run to Jose Bautista and a double to Dalton Pompey before retiring Chris Colabello for the final out in a 7-6 win. Sunday, pinch-hitter Russell Martin hit a two-out double before Ross struck out Justin Smoak to preserve a 4-3 win.
Monday, Tampa Bay’s Richie Shaffer homered with one out in the ninth to make it a one-run game before Ross struck out Steven Souza Jr. to end it.
