The Red Sox' domination of the Tampa Bay Rays is, for now, over.
After winning the first four meetings of the year against Tampa Bay, the Sox dropped their fourth straight game, 9-5, and in the process, fell out of first place in the American League East by a half-game.
Nate Eovaldi had his worst outing in a while, allowing two homers and six runs in 5.1 innings. It marked the third straight game in which the Red Sox starting pitcher allowed six runs or more.
The Sox remained within striking distance, down by a run in the eighth inning. But the Rays pounced on Adam Ottavino and newcomer Austin Davis for three runs and put the game away.
Tthe Red Sox had the bases loaded in both the sixth and seventh, but both times, left them that way.
WHO: Red Sox (63-42) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (62-42)
WHEN: 6:10 p.m.
WHERE Tropicana Field
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: BOS 4-3
SERIES TO DATE: TB 1-0
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (9-5, 3.49) vs. LHP Ryan Yarbrough (6-4, 4.38 )
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM 93.7
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Hernandez CF
Devers 3B
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Renfroe RF
Verdugo LF
Vazquez C
Dalbec 1B
Arauz 2B
RAYS
Lowe 2B
Choi 1B
Cruz DH
Meadows LF
Arozarena RF
Wendle 3B
Franco SS
Kiermaier CF
Mejia C
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
B8: Austin Davis's Red Sox debut isn't a good one -- he throws a wild pitch and allows a two-run single to Mejia and does so on an 0-and-2 pitch.
B8: Big insurance run for the Rays, with Franco slapping a single to right, scoring pinch-runner Brett Phillips from second. Another rough outing for Adam Ottavino.
T7: That's two straight innings that the Red Sox have the bases loaded and a hitter well ahead in the count....and strilke out swinging, stranding three.
T7: With the shift in place, Rafael Devers lays down a perfect bunt, right down the third base line, striking the bag. Don't know that the Sox want him doing that all the time, but it was well-placed.
B6: Wander Franco rips a triple into the RF corner, scoring Joey Wendle and the Rays are again up a run. That's all for Eovaldi at 105 pitches. Josh Taylor on.
T6: Rays reliever Andrew Kittredge loads the bases and falls behind Vazquez 3-and-0, but then throws three straight fastballs to strike him out, then fans on Dalbec on three more pitches. Quite the turnaround.
T5: Bobby Dalbec stays back on a curveball and positively crushes it out to left, scoring Christian Vazquez ahead of him. His 11th homer of the season and first in more than a month.
B4: Eovaldi makes a mistake with the fastball, and leaves one dead-red for Francisco Mejia with a runner aboard and for the first time, the Red Sox trail, 5-3.
B3: Eovaldi pitches out of a jam that wasn't his doing, stranding two baserunners on an outfield flyout and an infield popup.
B3: Two errors in the span of three hitters -- both by Jonathan Arauz. Second one allows a run to score while Eovaldi now has first-and-second and one out and this inning should already be over.
B1: Eovaldi rebounds nicely from a tough start, fanning the final three hitters of the inning.
B1: Not much of a shutdown inning for Nathan Eovaldi who allows a leadoff double to Nate Lowe and a two-run homer to Ji-Man Choi. Just the sixth homer allowed by Eovaldi this season.
T1: Xander Bogaerts drove a cutter out to right-center, his first homer in about three weeks and quickly, the Red Sox have a 3-0 lead.
T1: Broken-bat bloop single to left from J.D.Martinez scores Rafael Devers (walk, wild pitch) from second. That's just the fifth hit in the last 39 at-bats.
WHAT'S UP: At 63-42 (.600), the Red Sox own the second-best record in the AL and third-best in the majors. The Sox have lost each of their last two games and three of their last four, after winning six of their previous seven.. The Sox have not lost 3 straight games since May 31-June 2...Since then, they are 31-19 (.620)....Xander Bogaerts has played in 999 games at shortstop, all with the Red Sox...According to Elias, he would become the 70th player to appear in 1,000+ games at SS for a single franchise, the third to do so with the Sox (Everett Scott-1,093, Rick Burleson-1,004). If Bogaerts starts at SS tonight, he would pass Rick Burleson for the 2nd-most starts at the position in Red Sox history (see table on right). fThe Red Sox have begun 34 consecutive days with at least a share of first place in the AL East....They began 46 straight days with at least a share of first place from April 9-MAy 24...Their largest lead of 2021 is 4.5 games. The Sox are 29-16 (.644) vs. East teams. 29 of the Sox’ first 32 games out of the All-Star break are vs. the AL East (NYY-10, TOR-10, TB-6, BAL-3, DET-3)....Last night began a stretch in which 13 of the Red Sox’ 38 games from Friday until Sept. 8 are against the Rays...The Sox lead the Rays by a half-game in the AL East, the smallest gap between first- and second-place teams in any division. No team other than the Red Sox and Rays has been in 1st place in the AL East since April 10...This is the 18th time the Red Sox have won at least 63 of their first 105 games, having done so most recently in 2018, 2011, and 2007. Under the 10-team playoff format from 2012-19, all 18 teams that won at least 63 of their first 105 games made the postseason, with six advancing to the World Series....The Sox are 30-20 (.600) on the road, tied with HOU for the AL’s best record...They have a 3.90 ERA on the road (eighth in MLB) and a 4.41 ERA at home (24th).....The Red Sox lead MLB with 33 come-from-behind wins (the Rays rank 2nd with 30)...The Sox trailed after five innings in 12 of those comeback wins....According to Elias, the only teams that are unbeaten when holding a lead o four or more runs at any point are the Red Sox (36-0), Brewers (37-0), and Cleveland (23-0).....The Sox are one of two teams without a losing streak of longer than three games this season (also NYM).....Alex Cora owns the highest winning percentage (.594) among the 19 individuals who have managed at least 400 games with the Red Sox....: In 14 games since the All-Star break, the Red Sox are averaging 4.2 runs per game and hitting .244 with a .745 OPS...Overall, they rank in the top five in the majors in runs (third, 523), AVG (fourth, .257), SLG (third, .439), OPS (third, .759), doubles (first, 224), and XBH (first, 369). The Sox have hit four or more HR in a game an MLB-best 10 times. The Sox own MLB’s best records when scoring four or more runs (56-7, .889) and five or more runs (48-4, .923)...Prior to last night, the Red Sox had been charged with no errors in a season-best eight consecutive games, their longest errorless streak since 2018...Their four errors since the All-Star break are tied for the fourth-fewest in the majors. The Red Sox lead MLB with 32 OF assists, 10 more than any other team (MIA-22)...Sox outfielders rank T-3rd in the majors with 17 defensive runs saved (source: FanGraphs)...Nathan Eovaldi as issued one or no walks in each of his last seven starts (44 SO, 4 BB)...Prior to Eovaldi, the last Sox pitcher to issue one or no walks in as many as seven consecutive starts was Rick Porcello in 2016....Eovaldi has a 2.73 ERA in his last 11 starts....He leads qualified AL pitchers in FanGraphs’ WAR (4.0), HR/9.0 IP (0.39), and FIP (2.48), while ranking second in BB/9.0 IP (1.63). Leads Sox starters in wins (nine), ERA (3.49), innings (116.0), and WHIP (1.18)....J.D. Martinez is just 4-for-38 of late.
NOTES:
* The Red Sox added two newly-acquired relievers to their active roster. Both Hansel Robles and Austin Davis were placed on the roster. Robles will be a middle-inning option, not unlike how the Sox have used Hirokazu Sawamura, "to shut down an inning and come back for three more (outs),'' said Alex Cora. "His stuff is that good. He's done it before. Davis will be used to get lefties out in the sixth or seventh,. To make room, the Sox optioned Connor Wong back to Worcester and placed LHP Darwinzon Hernandez on the IL with a right oblique strain. "We don't think it's something that's going to take too long,'' said Cora. "He's been dealing with it and instead of pushing it, (we're going to give him some time). Hopefully, he can come back sooner rather than later.''
* UTI Marwin Gonzalez will continue his rehab at Worcester today and tomorrow and then join the Sox in Detroit Monday and be active Tuesday. Also, Matt Andriese will throw a live BP Sunday in Worcester.
* Kyle Schwarber has made good progress from his hamstring injury and believes he'll back before the two-week timetable that had been estimated. "We feel like it's not going to be too long,'' said Cora. "The strength is there. We do feel that he's getting closer. He worked out today, and he's been hitting for a while. Obviously, he's been eager to get out there and contribute. But at the same time, we've got to be smart. I'm not saying (he'd be ready to go out on a rehab assignment) in two or three days, but probably at the end of week, we'll make a decision where he's at.''
* Bobby Dalbec has dropped two routine throws at first base in the last week, and Cora believes he sees him taking some of his struggles at the plate out into the field. "I think so,'' said Cora. "You can see it. The camera shows him in the dugout and on the field. (You have to have) your at-bat and turn the page right away. We've got 60 games or whatever it is (remaining). The numbers will be the numbers. But I think people will remember you for what you do in the stretch run. He has a chance to be playing against lefties. I think it's been hard on him, to be honest with you, but at the same time, we're going to keep working with him.''