On ERod, Devers, Maddox and more

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Five thoughts from the Red Sox’ 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay:

1) Despite the loss, there were good signs from Eduardo Rodriguez.

Rodriguez twice—once in the first and again in the fifth -- made sure that innings didn’t get away from him. In the first, he had runners at the corners, no out and a run in, but got two strikeouts and an infield popup to keep them stranded.

That hasn’t always been the case with Rodriguez, who is prone to giving up big innings, especially early in his starts.

“I thought he pitched very well today,’’ said John Farrell. “He used all his stuff. He was able to get a couple of big strikeouts with men in scoring position. I thought he used all three pitches really well and got a lot of swing-and-misses. The stuff he had and the pitch sequences he used were very good.’’

A better pitch mix in his last three outings has enabled Rodriguez to limit opponents to five earned runs in his last 17.2 innings.

2) The thumb injury for Mookie Betts may explain some things.

Betts was removed from the game in the fifth inning after a collision with Tampa Bay first baseman Lucas Duda resulted in Betts’s helmet flying off and smacking his right thumb.

As it turns out, Betts has been dealing with a thumb issue for what he termed “a couple of months.’’

Given that the smallest of things can impact a hitter at the plate, perhaps this nagging thumb injury is the reason his output is off from a year ago. Betts hasn’t had a terrible season by any means – he leads the Sox in doubles, RBI, hits, runs and walks and is tied for the club home run lead – but he’s not hitting at the same level he was a year ago.

Maybe the thumb has been, at minimum, a contributing factor.

3) Rafael Devers may have hit a wall and it’s affecting his play at the plate.

Devers made a costly error in the first that led to a run, his third error in as many games, his fourth in the last seven and his 11th this season.

“I don’t think it’s concentration,’’ said Farrell. “I think what we have seen, in the time that he’s been here, when he’s had a run of consecutive games, he needs a day every now and then. And that might be upcoming here.’’

Just 20 years old, this is the longest season of Devers’s pro career. Ordinarily, regular season schedules come to a close around Labor Day. But here it, two weeks past that benchmark, and Devers is still going.

He played 86 games between Double A Portland and Triple A Pawtucket before his promotion and has now appeared in 46 games for a team in playoff contention.

4) Austin Maddox continues to make his case for inclusion on the post-season roster.

Maddox came on for the sixth after Jesus Sucre had homered to put the Rays ahead. He allowed a single to left, but then got Kevin Kiermaier on a flyout to right. That marked the 10th consecutive scoreless appearance for Maddox in the big leagues, spread out over four different stints in Boston.

For the season, Maddox has not allowed a run in 12.1 innings, covering 10 appearances. He’s walked just one hitter since arriving.

Given the lack of trust in Heath Hembree and the continuing struggles of Matt Barnes, it’s hard to imagine how Maddox wouldn’t be part of the bullpen when the playoff roster is put together.

5) Rajai Davis seemed like a curious choice to hit in the top of the ninth.

Davis had come into the game in the fifth when Betts left with the thumb injury. He struck out in the seventh in what his first at-bat in what was just his third plate appearance this month.

In the ninth, with Andrew Benintendi (single) on first representing the tying run, Davis was due. The Boston bench isn’t exactly fearsome these days, with a number of extra players more known for their defensive work rather than their offense (Deven Marrero) and two others (Eduardo Nunez, Hanley Ramirez) unavailable because of injuries.

But might not Sam Travis have been a better option at the plate than Davis?