BOSTON (Interstat) — Sonny Gray pitched six strong innings and the Boston Red Sox scored five unanswered runs after the second inning to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-1 on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park.

The victory gave Boston a three-game sweep of the weekend series and improved its record to 51-48. The Rays fell to 56-43.

Gray allowed five hits and one earned run while striking out five and walking two. He improved to 12-1 on the season. Shane McClanahan took the loss for Tampa Bay, dropping to 8-6 after allowing six runs, four earned, on five hits over four-plus innings. He struck out three and walked three.

The game drew 32,950 fans and was completed in 2 hours, 25 minutes.

Tampa Bay opened the scoring in the top of the second inning. Victor Mesa Jr. hit an inside-the-park home run, his seventh of the season, on a line drive to right-center field. It was the first inside-the-park homer for the Rays this year and gave them a 1-0 lead.

The Rays had a chance to add more in the same inning. Richie Palacios singled and Taylor Walls walked, but Gray retired Hunter Feduccia on a called third strike, then got Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda to fly out to end the threat.

Boston tied the game in the bottom of the second. Caleb Durbin singled and then stole second base. Catcher Hunter Feduccia’s throwing error allowed Durbin to move to third. Andruw Monasterio followed with a double to left field, scoring Durbin and making it 1-1.

The Red Sox broke the game open in the third inning. With one out, Jahmai Jones walked. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out, but Wilyer Abreu was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Willson Contreras walked to load the bases.

Caleb Durbin then reached on a fielder’s choice as third baseman Junior Caminero fielded the ball but threw wildly to second base. The error allowed Abreu to score and Contreras to advance to third. Durbin moved to second on the play. Romy Gonzalez followed with a groundout to second base, scoring Contreras and making it 4-1. That sequence proved to be the most pivotal moment of the game, as Boston turned a tight 1-1 contest into a three-run advantage.

Boston extended its lead in the fifth inning. Rafaela singled to lead off the frame. After Abreu flied out, Contreras crushed a two-run home run to right-center field, his 22nd of the season, pushing the Red Sox lead to 6-1.

The Rays put runners on base in several innings but could not convert. In the third, Cedric Mullins walked and Chandler Simpson doubled, putting two runners in scoring position with one out. But Mesa struck out and Palacios flied out to end the inning.

In the seventh, Feduccia doubled to lead off and moved to third on a groundout. But Gray struck out Aranda and got Caminero to line out.

Tampa Bay’s bullpen held Boston scoreless over the final four innings. Relievers Greg Weissert, Ryan Watson and Jovani Morán each pitched a scoreless inning for the Red Sox, with Watson striking out two and Weissert striking out one.

The Rays finished with eight hits to Boston’s six, but they stranded eight runners and went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Simpson had two hits, including the double. Mesa had the home run and Palacios singled.

For Boston, Rafaela went 2 for 4 with two singles and scored a run. Monasterio doubled and drove in a run. Contreras had the two-run homer and scored twice. Jones walked and scored once.

The lone bright spot for Tampa Bay came in the second inning when Mesa circled the bases after his line drive eluded outfielders in the gap. It was the only run the Rays managed against Gray and the Boston bullpen.

The sweep continued a strong stretch for the Red Sox, who have won four straight and seven of their last eight games. The Rays, meanwhile, have lost four in a row and six of their last seven.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Boston 7, Tampa Bay 4. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Boston with a 56.20 percent probability to win. Boston had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 7 went over the over-under line of 7.5.