ST. PETERSBURG http://www.chicagocubsteamshop.com/authentic-david-ross-jersey , Fla. (AP) —et. Two key hits Friday night might help jumpstart the Boston star’s season.Betts and Mitch Moreland hit back-to-back homers for the go-ahead runs in the eighth inning and the struggling Red Sox beat the MLB-best Tampa Bay Rays 6-4.“A lot of emotions going through my head there, but the main thing is it put us ahead,” Betts said. “It’s just one (game), but it’s definitely a starting point. The main thing is I helped in some way today, and that’s kind of my viewpoint on playing.”With the game tied at 4, Betts hit a leadoff shot off Diego Castillo (0-2) and Moreland connected three pitches later.“You’re talking about two pretty talented hitters,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Not surprising if you don’t locate it or command it the way you want, they can make you pay.”Betts finished 2 for 4 and raised his batting average from .200 to 216. Last season, the Red Sox outfielder hit a big league-leading .346 with 32 homers and 80 RBIs on his way to the MVP award.Christian Vazquez also homered and Brandon Workman (1-1) went 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the Red Sox, who are 7-13 and trail the AL East-leading Rays by seven games. Ryan Brasier worked the ninth to pick up his fourth save.“The standings?” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We know where we’re at, but it’s more about we’ve got two shots to win the series. That feels good.”The Rays are the last team in the majors to have consecutive losses this season. Castillo was also the loser in a 6-5 Kyle Schwarber Jersey , 11-inning loss to Baltimore on Thursday night.“It’s a long, long season,” Cash said. “We’ll be fine.”After 20 games last season, the eventual World Series champion Red Sox (17-3) were 10 games up on Tampa Bay (7-13).Daniel Robertson, mired in an 0-for-21 slide, got the Rays even at 4-all with a two-run double during the sixth. The inning was setup when Boston third baseman Rafael Devers misplayed what looked a double-play grounder from Avisail Garcia with one on and no outs.Devers had a run-scoring double in the fifth for Boston’s first hit before Vazquez put Boston ahead 3-2 on his two-run shot to center.Vazquez has three homers and eight RBIs in his last five games.Betts, hitless in his previous 12 at-bats, doubled in the sixth and scored as the Red Sox grabbed a 4-2 lead when J.D. Martinez extended his hitting streak to nine games with an RBI single.“I’ve been struggling all year, and to be able to hit a double in a spot like that, it definitely felt like a weight came off my shoulders,” Betts said.Martinez has a hit in 19 of 20 games this season.Brandon Lowe hit his fifth homer in the last nine games Kerry Wood Jersey , a solo drive that just cleared the fence at the 322-foot mark down the right-field line in the second before Garcia’s third-inning RBI triple as the Rays went up 2-0.TRAINER’S ROOMRed Sox: 2B Dustin Pedroia was examined by doctors Thursday and it was determined that his latest left knee injury is not serious. “We’re just going to let it calm down for a few days and then it should be all right,” Pedroia said. He was hurt in Boston’s game Wednesday night and went on the 10-day IL on Thursday.Rays: Ace Blake Snell (fractured right fourth toe) will have a bullpen session Saturday. “He continues to heal really quickly, which we’re very encouraged about,” Cash. … C Mike Zunino went on the paternity list.SPECIAL DELIVERYBoston GM Dave Dombrowski and Cora presented Rays LHP Jalen Beeks with his 2018 World Series ring. Beeks appeared in two games last season with the Red Sox before being traded to Tampa Bay July 25 for RHP Nathan Eovaldi.UP NEXTRed Sox RHP Rick Porcello (0-3, 11.12 ERA) and Rays RHP Charlie Morton (2-0, 2.18 ERA) are Saturday night’s starters. Porcello is 8-5 with a 2.86 ERA in 15 road starts against Tampa Bay. The Colorado Rockies are big believers in the Buddy system.Manager Bud Black’s easygoing demeanor strikes just the right chord with an up-and-coming Rockies team that’s made back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history.His success was rewarded Monday with a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2022 season, the team announced from spring training in Scottsdale, Arizona.“Buddy has seamlessly become part of our leadership fabric,” general manager Jeff Bridich said. “Our organization as a whole is better for it.”The 61-year-old Black has posted a 178-147 record since being named Colorado’s manager on Nov. 7, 2016. His .548 winning percentage is the best in team history.That’s one big deal out of the way. Still looming is a possible long-term contract with All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, who signed a $26 million http://www.chicagocubsteamshop.com/authentic-david-ross-jersey , one-year contract to avoid arbitration, the largest one-year deal for an arbitration-eligible player in baseball history. No deadline has been set on talks with the Rockies for a deal.Arenado is coming off a season in which he batted .297 and had an NL-leading 38 homers. That’s a name Black wouldn’t mind penciling into the lineup for years to come.One of the things the Rockies front office appreciates about Black is his patience. He’s a calming influence throughout the twists and turns of a grueling season.“There are those stress points in any season, in great seasons and not-so-great seasons,” Bridich said. “There’s a consistent kind of calmness being able to breathe and calm things down in the face of fire or unfortunate events or if things don’t go your way. There’s a lack of panic (with Black). He does a good job of leaning on experience. It’s not all about Buddy — he leans on the people around him and leans on the folks that are empowered to do their jobs.”Colorado is coming off a 91-72 season in which the team challenged for the NL West title — the organization has never captured one — before losing in a tiebreaking game to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs in the NL wild-card game before being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers during the NL Division Series. That was on the heels of losing to Arizona in the NL wild-card contest in 2017.A solid nucleus remains intact from a year ago, including a young pitching staff. The Rockies bolstered their offense by adding Daniel Murphy and the plan will be to move Ian Desmond into the outfield. The Rockies did lose second baseman DJ LeMahieu and reliable reliever Adam Ottavino off a team that spent 25 days in first place in the NL West and four more days in a tie for the top spot in ’18.“I’m excited to be here because of where we are,” Black said. “People in the game, people in the know, are talking about the Rockies, which is a great thing.”Black has been an NL Manager of the Year finalist in each of his two seasons with the Rockies. He won the award in 2010 while with the San Diego Padres.He’s always thought of himself as a mentor, whether it’s in a managerial role or in his earlier days as a pitching coach. That was also the case throughout his pitching career.Just one of the reasons why Bridich believed Black would be a quality leader for a young Rockies team.“Anytime you’re looking for somebody to add to your leadership process, you’re looking for a certain fit Addison Russell Jersey ,” Bridich said. “For us, it’s the personality, the competency fit, a vision fit — in terms of do we see the future similarly or the potential for the future similarly? Are we going to be able to share that vision as we actually get to work and march forward together? Are we committed to the work it takes? That was at the core of a lot of it.“Throughout the season, the collaborative process that has to happen in order for us to get the most out of our players, Buddy is right at the forefront.”