For the third straight night, the Red Sox were thumped by the Tampa Bay Rays, dropping a 9-5 decision. In each of the first three games of the series, the Rays scored at least eight runs.
Zack Godley was shelled for eight runs and 10 hits in just three innings. Of the 10 hits, three were homers. Godley hasn't given up a run at Fenway in eight innings prior to Wednesday night.
The Sox were blanked for the first seven innings before Jonathan Arauz singled home a run and J.D. Martinez followed with a grand slam, his second homer in the last three games.
Ryan Weber, recalled before the game, turned in a strong relief effort, allowing one run over the final six innings.
WHO: Red Sox (6-11) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (10-8)
WHEN: 7:30
WHERE: Fenway Park
SERIES TO DATE: Tampa 2-0
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: Tampa 3-1
STARTING PITCHERS: RHL Zach Godley (0-1, 3.97) vs. LHP Blake Snell (0-0, 3.38)
TV/RADIO: NESN/WEEI 93.7 FM
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Pillar RF
Devers 3B
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Vazquez C
Chavis 1B
Verdugo LF
Bradley CF
Peraza 2B
RAYS
Meadows DH
Lowe RF
Diaz 3B
Choi 1b
Wendle 2B
Tsutsugo LF
Adames SS
Kiermaier CF
Perez C
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
10:13 Nick Anderson comes out of the Rays bullpen and shuts the Red Sox rally down -- two strikeouts, and after a single by Alex Verdugo, a groundout by Bradley, stranding two.
10:03 J.D. Martinez makes things mildly interesting, swatting a grand slam to left, bringing the Sox to within three. Seventh career grand slam for Martinez and first since 2018.
10:01 The nightly Jonathan Arauz moment -- a line single to left, scoring the first Red Sox run of the night. Sixth hit this week and third RBI
9:58 Fourth hit of the night for Pillar -- all singles.
9:28 The Red Sox have five hits tonight and three of them have been by Pillar, who has singles in every at-bat.
9:07 It's not going to help the Red Sox tonight, and it's not a particularly good test case, but Ryan Weber has looked far sharper tonight. Has gotten a double-play, another groundout and two strikeouts so far.
8:42 That's all for Godley. Ryan Weber, who was optioned Saturday and came back today when Andrew Benintendi went to the IL, on for the Sox in the fourth.
8:20 The Rays are taking batting practice off Godley. Leadoff double to right by Ji-Man Choi, followed two batters later by a two-run homer deep to right by Yoshi Tsutsugo. Three homers in less than three innings. All of them on center-cut pitchers, all of them belted to RF.
7:59 Kevin Pillar, bizarrely, lost the ball in the lights, broke back on a ball that landed 40 feet in front of him, which proves doubly costly when the next batter, Brandon Lowe homers to right. Should have been out of the inning; instead, a two-run homer.
7:53 Godley hung a curveball and Willy Adames knew what to do with it, hammering a ball into the bullpen.
7:47 Kevin Pillar extends Blake Snell to 10 pitches leading off the bottom of the first before a sharp single to left.
7:40 Rough first inning for Chavis, who had a play at the plate, but the ball was literally stuck in his glove. He gets the out at first, but a run scores -- the first allowed by Zack Godley at Fenway this season after going eight scoreless.
7:35 Michael Chavis, who beat himself up for a poor decision to throw home on a grounder to second last night, can't glove a ball in front of the bag. It's charitably ruled a single and the Rays have runners at the corners with one out.
PRE-GAME NOTES
- The Red Sox placed Andrew Benintendi on the IL with a strained right rib cage. The injury took place in the eighth inning Tuesday night when Benintendi fell down between second and third base. He was able to finish the game, but was in some pain. Benintendi underwent x-rays Tuesday night, which revealed no break. "But today he's going to get some more evaluation on how he's doing,'' said Ron Roenicke.
- Roenicke indicated that Alex Verdugo will get the majority of playing time in left.
- To replace Benintendi on the roster, the Red Sox recalled RHP Ryan Weber from Pawtucket. Weber threw a bullpen in Pawtucket Tuesday, but is available tonight and should be able to provide some length out of the bullpen beginning Thursday.
- Roenicke said the Sox have enough OF options, with J.D. Martinez, Tzu-Wei Lin and Jose Peraza available behind Kevin Pillar, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Verdugo.
- Rafael Devers (ankle) returned to the lineup after missing the last two games.
- LHP Kyle Hart will make his major league debut Thursday afternoon. "The game will dictate how far we go with him,'' said Roenicke. "We would like some length from our starters. I'm hoping there's no question and he throws a great gamer and we just go with him until the pitch count gets up there.' Roenicke said it's something to celebrate when a pitcher who was drafted by the organization gets to the big leagues.
- The Red Sox are giving Nathan Eovaldi an extra day of rest and will go Saturday. "I said I'd like Nate to have those six days,'' said Roenicke. "I know Nate still wants to come back and pitch on his fifth day, but whenever we can do it, we'd like to try to take care of those starters. We ride Nate pretty hard because of who he is and what he does and I want to make sure we take care of him when we can and give him that one extra day.''
- Jose Peraza was back in the lineup at second. Peraza has a reputation as a plus defender but he's tied for the team lead with five errors. "I'm a little surprised,'' said Roenicke, "because of what we saw (in the spring and summer camp). He was as solid as you can get. What I saw from him was just great hands, great arm, calm...He's not happy with how he's playing. The error that he made Monday night, he was really bothered bny that. I talked to him (Tuesday) about it and he was still bothered by it. That tells me that a guy is not used to making errors. It's telling me that this is a pretty good fielder who's not used to making mistakes. He's not happy about it.''