ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Chris Sale worked five scoreless innings in his season debut, but the Boston bullpen couldn’t hold a two-run lead in a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Sale had been out all season with a fracture in his right rib cage.
He allowed three hits with one walk and struck out five.
The lefty reached 97 mph on his fastball during a 78-pitch, 53-strike outing.
Corey Kluber allowed two runs and four hits in six innings to beat the Red Sox in consecutive starts.
The Rays went ahead 3-2 on the sixth on an RBI single by pinch-hitter Francisco Mejía and two subsequent errors by the Red Sox.
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