All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 5-1 loss to the Rays, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Offense checks out: In two games against the Rays, the Red Sox have been held to just four runs. They have just two extra-base hits in the first 18 innings of the series -- both were doubles -- and have yet to hit a home run. A big problem has been the top of the lineup. Mookie Betts has been passive at the plate and the lack of aggressiveness is hurting him. He's taking pitches and falling behind early in the count. For much of the year, Betts was providing the "instant offense'' that Alex Cora craved when he installed him in the leadoff spot, but Betts hasn't gotten on base in his first at-bat in any of his last seven games and he's struck out in his first at-bat in five of those games. His fellow table-setter, Andrew Benintendi, isn't helping out much, either. Benintendi is 1-for-7 in the two games so far and has fanned four times. The only hitter who's producing in the series is J.D. Martinez who had three hits Friday night and two doubles Saturday. But without any traffic on the bases when he comes to the plate -- the first three Red Sox hitters in the lineup were a combined 0-for-10 with a walk Saturday -- he doesn't have the ability to do much damage.
Bullpen can't lock it down: This remains the issue That Won't Go Away. While the Sox have lost only four games in which they led after seven innings, the bullpen remains something of a worrisome aspect for the club and Saturday was another case in point. After Rick Porcello left in the sixth inning, the Red Sox trotted in three relievers. Two ended up allowing runs (Brandon Workman in the seventh and Tyler Thornburg in the eighth) and a third (Ryan Brasier), while technically not charged with any runs, did allow two inherited runners to score. Brasier entered in a tough spot, coming in with runners at the corners and no one out. But he didn't help himself -- or the Sox -- by throwing a wild pitch, which enabled one baserunner to score and the other to move into scoring position. And after Brasier got an out on a sacrifice bunt, he yielded a sacrifice fly with the infield pulled in. In that situation, he's got to keep the ball on the ground, but didn't. Workman wasn't any better, giving up a homer to Tommy Pham, the second hitter he faced. And Thornburg continued to demonstrate inconsistency, issuing a two-out walk which proved particularly costly when he then allowed a triple to Gi-Man Choi.
Rays aren't the same old Rays: At the beginning of the year, the Red Sox pretty much had their way with Tampa Bay. After a crushing loss on Opening Night, as the bullpen imploded in the eighth inning, the Red Sox won three in a row at Tropicana Field, then came back to Fenway the following week and swept the Rays. That meant the Sox had won six in a row. But since then, Tampa Bay has gone 6-5 over the last 11 meetings with the Red Sox, including winning the first two in this series. The Sox have lost eight series all season; the Rays can lay claim to two of those. This is a far different Tampa team than the one that began the year - the Rays have dealt off a number of established players and gone with a young group, especially when it comes to their pitching staff. But between the athleticism of the position players and the unique approach they've taken with their staff -- using "openers'' -- they've made themselves a far more challenging opponent. Saturday's win was their sixth-straight and they're now a season-high eight games over .500 -- and nobody's pushover any longer.
TURNING POINT
The game was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth when Rick Porcello yielded a leadoff triple to Kevin Kiermaier, then compounded things by hitting Willy Adames. That was it for Porcello, who gave way to Ryan Brasier. Both runs came around to score as Brasier tossed a wild pitch and allowed a sacrifice fly. Worth noting: Porcello hit two batters in his five-plus innings and both came back to haunt him as they scored.
TWO UP
Rick Porcello: Charged with three runs in five-plus innings, Porcello was saddled with the loss. But he battled and kept the Red Sox in the game while on the mound, working out of a number of jams before being lifted with his pitch count nearing 90 in the top of the sixth.
J.D. Martinez: Martinez was, once more, the most formidable hitter in the Red Sox lineup, banging out two doubles. But with no one getting on base in front of him, his opportunities to drive in runs were non-existent.
ONE DOWN
Sandy Leon: Leon had some difficulty with the running game, allowing two stolen bases while going 0-for-3 in the ninth spot in the order.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"Our entire ballclub didn't play a clean ballgame tonight and the result was a loss.''
— Rick Porcello
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Red Sox lost a series for the first time since dropping two-of-three to the Yankees on the first weekend of July.
- The loss was just the sixth time in Sandy Leon's last 36 starts.
- Xander Bogaerts saw his streak of games with at least one RBI snapped at five.
- The setback was the 11th in games in which the Sox score first