Baz goes 7 strong innings, Siri homers and drives in 4 runs as Rays beat Red Sox 8-3

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Shane Baz allowed two runs and two hits over seven innings, Jose Siri homered and drove in four runs, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 8-3 on Tuesday night.

Baz (3-3) struck out six and walked one, and set a team mark with his fifth consecutive start of giving up three hits or fewer over five-plus innings.

Siri hit one of Tampa Bay's three homers during a four-run fifth inning and extended the Rays lead to 8-3 with his three-run bloop double to left in the eighth.

Junior Caminero, Josh Lowe and Brandon Lowe also homered for the Rays. Tampa Bay trails Minnesota by six games for the final AL wild card, and would also have pass Boston, Seattle and Detroit.

“We're not dead," Baz said. “I don't think anybody in this locker room is acting like it. We're still playing hard, and we're going to continue to play hard.”

Triston Casas and Romy Gonzalez homered for Boston, which is five back of the Twins with 11 games remaining.

“It's not a lack of effort,” Boston manger Alex Cora said. “It's not happening for us right now.”

After Caminero hit a fourth-inning solo homer, Josh Lowe and Siri homered during the fifth against Nick Pivetta (5-11) to give the Rays a 3-2 lead.

Caminero said he told Siri — who raised his batting average from .189 to .192 after going 2 for 4 — before the game he would go deep.

“I like how the vibe felt today,” Caminero said through a translator. “A lot of good energy among ourselves.”

Pivetta cramped up in the neck-shoulder area after striking out Logan Driscoll. Pivetta stayed in the game after being checked out and allowed Siri's 339-foot homer down the left-field line and Yandy Díaz's double that ended his night.

Cora expects Pivetta to make his next schedueld start.

Bailey Horn replaced Pivetta and gave up Brandon Lowe's two-run homer that made it 5-2.

Pivetta allowed four runs and five hits over 4 2/3 innings.

Casas had seven hits in his previous 49 at-bats before he put the Red Sox up 2-0 with his second-inning homer. Gonzalez hit a pinch-hit homer off Garrett Cleavinger leading of the eighth.

Kevin Kelly worked the ninth to extend his scoreless streak to 20 1/3 innings and complete a three-hitter.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: RHP Bryan Mata (right hamstring) will most likely not make his major-league this season.

Rays: Shane McClanahan (Tommy John surgery) will throw to hitters on Sept. 26. ... Caminero had a stinger on his hand during a seventh-inning at-bat and stayed in the game.

UP NEXT

Cora said RHP Tanner Houck (8-10, 3.24 ERA) will make his first start since Sept. 4 on Wednesday night against Rays RHP Ryan Pepiot (8-6, 3.76 ERA). Houck has been slowed by right shoulder fatigue. Pepiot was pulled after two innings on Sept. 12 because his velocity was down.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Jose Caballero forces Boston Red Sox's Wilyer Abreu (52) at second base ande relays the throw to first in time to turn a double play on Triston Casas during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Brandon Lowe, left, celebrates with Yandy Diaz after Lowe hit a two-run home run off Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Bailey Horn during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Yandy Diaz, left, celebrates after hitting a double off Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Looking on is Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Jose Siri celebrates after hitting a solo home run off Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (37) grabs his shoulder after throwing a pitch to the Tampa Bay Rays during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Pivetta stayed in the game. Looking on is second baseman Ceddanne Rafaela. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Josh Lowe celebrates his solo home run off Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe dives but can't get to a single by Boston Red Sox's Wilyer Abreu during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta reacts as Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero runs around the bases following his solo home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero, right, celebrates his solo home run off Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta with third base coach Brady Williams during the fourth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Boston Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida, of Japan, fouls off a pitch during the second inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta delivers to the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Shane Baz pitches to the Boston Red Sox during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

AAS, Norway (AP) — Norway reported Thursday dozens of confirmed and suspected cases of bluetongue, an insect-borne virus that is harmless to humans but can be fatal to sheep and other livestock, for the first time in the country since 2009.

The Norwegian Veterinary Institute said the virus known as bluetongue serotype 3, or BTV-3, was first detected in livestock in southern Norway on Sept. 6.

The institute said the cases followed outbreaks of bluetongue in several European countries. Cases have also recently been reported in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and France. The disease is spread by midges and ticks that are typically found in warmer weather.

In Sweden, cases were reported this week along the country's west coast, and earlier this month, several cases in Denmark prompted zoos and animal parks to protectively vaccinate animals to try and contain the spread. The first case in Denmark was recorded in early August, on a Danish farm with sheep and cows near the German border.

Symptoms in animals include high fever, mouth ulcers and swelling of the face and tongue, as well as a blue color of the tongue, known as cyanosis, stemming from a lack of oxygen. Sheep, cattle and goats may also have breathing difficulties.

Infected animals yield less milk, though the milk is safe for human consumption, authorities said.

A cow infected with bluetongue stands in the barn in Wymeer, Germany, on Sept. 10, 2024. (Lars Penning/dpa/dpa via AP)