All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to Tampa Bay, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Rodriguez trips up in big start: Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez turned in what might have been his best start of the season in his last outing, blanking this same Tampa Bay Rays team over six innings. So surely, he would build on that momentum, take what had worked so well last time out and apply it to Tuesday's start and take back the momentum for the Sox after such a sloppy loss Sunday, right? Not exactly. Rodriguez was shelled for six runs over just 3.2 innings and by the time he left, the Sox were well on their way to a blowout loss. If Rodriguez could blame some of what happened to him in the second (three runs allowed) on some more suspect outfield defense behind him, that didn't begin to explain the tape measure homers he gave up to Nelson Cruz (in the second and again in the fourth), or the consistently hard contact the Rays made against him in both the third and fourth. The truth is, Rodriguez has been horribly inconsistent from the start of the season. It's just that now, with 3.5 weeks remaining in the season, the up-and-down nature of his outings has become more costly.
Dalbec enters game late, still makes impact: With right-hander Drew Rasmussen on the mound for Tampa and Kike Hernandez back in the lineup for the Sox, Bobby Dalbec found himself as the odd man out Tuesday, as Kyle Schwarber got the start at first base. But being blown out in the late innings, Alex Cora decided to rest some of his starters and inserted Dalbec at third for Rafael Devers in the top of the eighth. It didn't take long for Dalbec to get warmed up at the plate. In the bottom of the inning, he cranked a two-run blast to left. Then, because the Sox batted around in the eighth in garbage time, he got another plate appearance in the ninth, and repeated the feat, with another two-run homer, also into the Monster Seats. That gave Dalbec 20 homers for the year. Of Dalbec's last 23 hits, 16 have been for extra bases. And since the All-Star break, covering 43 games, Dalbec has slashed .297/.376/.636 for a 1.012 OPS with 10 homers and 33 RBI. That may be something of a small sample size, and it's worth remembering that he had a similar hot streak in the final five weeks last season, only to struggle for most of the first half of this season. But at the very least, with his hot stretch over the last six weeks or so, Dalbec has served notice that he can't be counted out from the team's future plans.
TURNING POINT
The Red Sox were already on the short end of things in the top of the fourth inning, trailing the Rays 5-1. But when Randy Arozarena sliced a double to lead off the inning and Wander Franco lined a bullet that Jose Iglesias snared for the first out, it was clear that Rodriguez didn't have it and the Rays were teeing off on Rodriguez. That suspicion was further amplified when Nelson Cruz stepped to the plate and hit a gargantuan shot into the Monster Seats, his second homer in as many innings, and the Rays' rout was on.
ONE UP
Kyle Schwarber: Schwarber continues to be a weapon at the top of the order, collecting two singles and adding a walk in five plate appearances.
TWO DOWN
Brad Peacock: Obtained last week when the Sox were short of available arms, Peacock has been less than impressive. He was rocked for four runs in three innings of work.
Kike Hernandez: Returning from an 11-day absence due to COVID, he looked predictably rusty at the plate, going 0-for-5 from the leadoff spot.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"Every loss matters. Every loss hurts. It sucks. We need to come back to the field tomorrow, get back on track.'' - Christian Vazquez.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* When Bobby Dalbec and Danny Santana hit consecutive homers in the eighth, it marked the 8th time the Sox have gone back-to-back this year.
* Six of the last seven hits off the bat of Hunter Renfroe have had an exit velocity of at least 99 mph.
* The homer for Santana was his first since July 19.
* Dalbec has a 12-game on-base streak, a career-high.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox wrap the series and their homestand at 7:10 Wednesday night, with RHP Nathan Eovaldi (10-8, 3.73) vs. LHP Shane McClanahan (9-5, 3.76)