ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. β Blame it on a wild card hangover. Blame it on the first inning, when the Tampa Bay Rays set the tone with some aggressive baserunning -- and took off from there.
Whatever the reason behind the Red Sox 5-0 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field, the end result was a clear statement. The Red Sox have some catching up to do to the Rays, and after the first game of the American League Division Series, it's not clear that four more games is enough time to make up that ground.
Some 48 hours after they dispatched with the New York Yankees at Fenway in the wild card game by playing a near-perfect game, little went right for the Red Sox Thursday night.
Their starting pitcher was given the hook after five outs. Their lineup didn't produce either a walk or an extra-base hit. They weren't charged with an error, but should have been.
Or, and did we mention that their more feared hitter appeared to be trying to hit almost one-handed?
It was that kind of night for the Red Sox, who saw the euphoria of their Tuesday win rinsed pretty quickly. Just in case the Red Sox hadn't seen it for themselves over 19 regular-season meetings, the Rays provided a reminder of exactly why they're so tough to play, right from the first inning.
With Randy Arozarena on first with a leadoff walk -- cue the ominous music -- Wander Franco ripped a liner to center, sending Arozarena to third. But center fielder Kike Hernandez bobbled the ball for an instant, inspiring Arozarena to head for home. This time, unlike Tuesday, there was no perfectly executed relay and Arozarena slid in safely with the game's first run.
When Nelson Cruz flied to left two batters later, an alert Franco advanced to third, from where he scored from third on a slow roller to third.
And just like that, with one actual hit, one walk, and one infield dribbler, the Rays had themselves two quick runs. The inning was a perfect case study in the Rays' athleticism and aggressiveness, aided and abetted by a bigger-than-usual, but hardly playoff-worthy crowd of 27,419.
Still, it was if the Red Sox were playing softball and the Rays were playing fastball -- on a very fast track, at that.
Not that the pitching was any better. Starter Eduardo Rodriguez allowed another leadoff walk in the second and after recording two outs, was given the hook. Time -- and Alex Cora -- wait for no man in the postseason.
"We felt that with that lineup and the way they are, that was a moment that we had to stop it right there,'' explained Cora of his decision to go to the bullpen in the second inning.
"Overall, I just felt like I didn't have my command,'' offered Rodriguez. "This is the playoffs, man. You gotta be out there and do your job. If you can't, you're coming out of the game the way like I did today.''
Meanwhile, the Red Sox offense produced little. At times, they made very hard contact, but didn't get much in the way of results. They hit seven balls 98 mph or harder, and got one hit out of those at-bats. In particular, Bobby Dalbec smoked the ball in each of his first three trips. The outcomes: a killer double-play in the second; a bullet line drive to third to end a first-and-second threat in the fourth; and a hard-hit ball to right in the seventh that pushed Manuel Margot's back to the wall in right.
There was one last chance in the eighth. Down 5-0, the Sox loaded the bases on three singles. But Rafael Devers swung through several fastballs and Hunter Renfroe popped out to first, stranding three teammates. For the game, the Sox left eight and were a woeful 1-for-7 with RISP.
An ESPN report mid-game suggested that Devers was playing hurt after injuring his right arm in the wild card game, though an industry source suggested that wasn't accurate.
While the third and fourth runs came on homers for the Rays, the fifth again highlighted the differences between the clubs. Arozarena, who has developed a well-earned reputation for The Big Moment in just two postseasons, brazenly stole home off reliever Josh Taylor the eighth, producing a joyous eruption within the Trop.
The Red Sox mostly hung their heads in embarrassment.
It was that kind of night, and not at all like the one they had luxuriated in at home on Tuesday, bathed in adoration at Fenway, having sent their archrivals home for the winter for the second time in the last four postseasons.
Game 1 of the Division Series stood in stark contrast and served to illustrate that, as a team progresses in the postseason, the competition gets better and the hills to climb much steeper.
The 5-0 score Thursday night didn't begin to capture the gulf that exists between the clubs. It was, however, a start, and not a very good one for the Red Sox.