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.
Corey Kluber allowed two runs and four hits in six innings to beat the Red Sox in consecutive starts.
The lefty reached 97 mph on his fastball during a 78-pitch, 53-strike outing.
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.