Napoli survives trade deadline, lifts Sox to win over Tampa

Boston Red Sox’s Mike Napoli, center, celebrates his two-run home run that also drove in David Ortiz, left, as Tampa Bay Rays’ Curt Casali, right, looks on during the seventh inning of a baseball game in Boston, Friday, July 31, 2015.

The Red Sox? They’re pretty much just hoping some passerby notices their “Free Napoli” sign at the end of the driveway and takes him off their hands.

“It’s something I can’t control. Just going to keep pitching”.

Beyond disillusioning their fan base less than two seasons after winning a World Series, the Red Sox haven’t accomplished much of note this season.

The White Sox did make a minor deal, acquiring INF Justin Sellers from Pittsburgh for a player to be named or cash and assigned him to Triple-A Charlotte.

“I think the deadline is always a significant moment in time for the anticipation leading up”, Farrell said. “There might have been some building anticipation throughout the week thinking if there was a team, maybe it was Pittsburgh, that might have had some speculation needing a right-handed bat”. “I’m sure once the deadline closed, some of the… potential distractions are eliminated”. I just want it out of the garage.

The Red Sox had already blown two leads when David Ortiz drew a two-out walk in the seventh inning and Napoli turned a one-run deficit into a 6-5 lead with a drive that landed on the ledge atop the 37-foot-high wall.

The Red Sox added an insurance run in the eighth inning when Blake Swihart knocked a one-out double off the Green Monster, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on a wild pitch, increasing the advantage to two runs.

Koji Uehara worked the ninth for his 23rd save – his 13th straight – as the last-place Red Sox (46-58) won their second straight. He ended the game with a long battle with Rene Rivera, eventually striking out the catcher on the 12th pitch of the at-bat, an elevated fastball.

“This is a guy that’s been a closer in the past”, Farrell told the Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber. That’s up to us to work together, to help each other figure out what that is.

“I think it’s incumbent upon us to make real improvement between now and Opening Day”, he said.

This season the Sox had veterans with expiring contracts in Shane Victorino (who was traded to the Angels on Monday), Mike Napoli and Alejandro De Aza as the players who were rumored in trade talks the most.

In the top of the second and in the third, Rodriguez allowed single runs as the Rays tied the score at 3.

The Sox had gotten off to another sloppy start, giving up runs in the first inning for the fifth consecutive game when Eduardo Rodriguez took the mound with little command.

“We’re not good enough, and I don’t know of any teams that are, to give up extra outs and that’s what we did tonight”, said Cash, whose starter was the victim of three unearned runs in the first inning. All three Boston runs were unearned.

The Red Sox snapped a three-game losing streak, but not without another freaky injury involving slumping Pablo Sandoval.

On the day reliever Kevin Jepsen was traded to Minnesota for a pair of prospects, the Tampa Bay Rays’ middle relief faltered.

But they also stand in the way of the Red Sox answering a few questions headed into the offseason.