Price is right, Ortiz continues to swing hot bat

The Red Sox wasted no time getting the lead against Rays pitcher Jake Odorizzi.

The Red Sox, 49-38, resume their season when they open a three-game series at 7:05 p.m. Friday against the Yankees in NY.

Price, who is in the first year of a seven-year, $217 million contract with the Red Sox, gave up just four hits and a walk. “I never lost confidence in my abilities”.

Price’s dominance carried Boston (49-38) into the All-Star break riding high with a fourth straight win and its seventh in nine July contests.

With baseball’s unofficial midway point upon us, we’re busting out the red pens and grading the Red Sox’s first half of the season by each position. Tampa Bay Rays President of Baseball Opertaions Matthew Silverman recently said that in the trade market if teams in the Rays division were to show interest in his players, he would want those teams to cough up more in a deal due to their stances as division rivals.

KK EAGER: CF Kevin Kiermaier figures to be the happiest man in Port Charlotte today as he plays his first rehab game, with it being “almost a for-sure thing” he’ll rejoin the Rays lineup on Friday.

The Rays haven’t been above.500 since May 20 and are 20 games under.500 for the first time since finishing 30 games below the mark at 66-96 in 2007. It’s going to be interesting to see what some teams do in the second half with so many teams in contention, especially in the wild card race.

In the beginning, just before the dawn of this 2016 season, a great cry went out for five bold predictions of where the Red Sox would stand entering the All-Star break. And while Kimbrel is out, the Red Sox will gladly take more eight-pitch 1-2-3 innings from the submarining Ziegler, acquired early Saturday morning from the Arizona Diamondbacks for two low-level minor leaguers. “You’re always going to need depth, and of late, the timing of the trades that we’ve made have been uncanny given the injuries that have cropped up”.

The right-hander has faced Boston once already this year, lasting only four innings while allowing five runs and eight hits in an April 21 no-decision, a game the Rays won 12-8. Yaz went 4-for-6 with an RBI that broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning and ended up with the All-Star Game MVP award.

Ortiz followed with his homer, which landed in the first row of the Green Monster seats in left. The side arm thrower punched out two Tampa Bay Rays and exited the inning effortlessly.

Betts blooped a single into right to plate Sandy Leon for Boston’s final run in the second.

To make room for Ziegler, Boston placed RHP Sean O’Sullivan on the 15-day DL with left knee tendinitis.

Price got some help in the second inning from his defense as Jackie Bradley Jr gunned down Casali trying to extend a single into a double at second base.

“Obviously not the way we wanted to go into the break”, Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

With little options remaining for their front-loaded starting rotation, the Boston Red Sox will return an old friend to the mound for the team’s first post-All-Star break tilt on Friday night against the New York Yankees.

BOSTON (AP) – David Price was the ace the Red Sox have expected.