ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jarren Duran homered and stole home as the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-2 on Tuesday night.

Duran scored to make it 4-2 during a double steal with Rafael Devers in a go-ahead, two-run eighth against Jason Adam (2-1). Duran headed home after Rays catcher Ben Rortvedt tried to throw Devers out at second and beat a return throw to the plate with a head-first slide.

“Stealing home to get us an extra run is always awesome,” Duran said.

Devers had his team record of homering in six consecutive games end. Only nine players have gone deep in seven straight games. Ken Griffey Jr. (1993), Don Mattingly (1987) and Dale Long (1956) share the longest streak with eight.

“It was great run there,” Red Sox Manager Alex Cora said, “It’s amazing.”

Devers singled in three at-bats for an 11-game hitting streak. He was intentionally walked in the decisive eighth that saw Wilyer Abreu hit a tiebreaking single earlier in the inning.

“It makes me happy to help the team win,” Devers said through a translator.

Rays Manager Kevin Cash called the double steal a “good play by them.”

By winning the first two games of a three-game set, the Red Sox won their first road series against the Rays since July 22-24, 2019. Boston moved back over .500 at 25-24.

Duran homered leading off the sixth off Rays starter Zack Littell to tie it at 2. Reese McGuire had a solo drive in the ninth.

Tampa Bay has allowed a major league-leading 41 homers at home.

Greg Weissert (2-1) struck out two in a perfect seventh and Kenley Jansen worked the ninth to get his 14th save in 17 chances..

Isaac Paredes put the Rays up 2-0 on a two-run single against Cooper Criswell in the first. Boston got within 2-1 on a second-inning RBI single by Vaughn Grissom.

Littell gave up two runs and three hits over 5 2/3 innings. Criswell allowed two runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.

NOTES

GARRETT WHITLOCK, who experienced soreness in his pitching elbow after his rehab start in Triple-A Worcester last week, has ligament damage and appears headed for surgery. Manager Alex Cora said late Monday that Whitlock will fly to see orthopedist Dr. Jeffrey Dugas in Alabama to determine the next step.

It appears Whitlock may need a second Tommy John surgery. He had his ulnar collateral ligament reconstructed in 2019 while he was a minor leaguer in the Yankees’ organization.

“There’s damage in the ligament so there’s a possibility he’s going to get surgery,” Cora said.

Whitlock has been sidelined since April 17 with a left oblique strain. He pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings in Worcester on May 15 in what was expected to be his only rehab start.

Whitlock has been on the injured list eight times in four major league seasons with the Red Sox, including twice last year with elbow issues. He entered spring training healthy and had a 1.96 ERA in 18 1/3 innings in four starts.

CORA SAID reliever Liam Hendriks (Tommy John surgery) is “trending in the right direction” and remains optimistic the right-hander will be back this season. … DH Masataka Yoshida (strained left thumb) is getting treatment and “improving but not there yet to do baseball activities,” according to Cora. … 1B Triston Casas (strained left ribs) has added throwing to his workout program.

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