All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Rays, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Offense starts well, then falters: It looked to be the start of something big for the Red Sox in the first inning. They collected two base hits on the first two pitches of the afternoon, and just five batters in, had scored two runs and had two runners on base. It looked like the Sox might blow the game open early. Then....nothing. Or at least, not much of anything. After Alex Verdugo singled home the second run of the inning, the Red Sox didn't score again. Worse, they were a woeful 2-for-28 the rest of the way. Some credit should go to Rays starter Shane McClanahan, who varied his game plan after the first and relied much more heavily on his changeup. But the Red Sox made few adjustments and had only three baserunners from the second through the ninth innings. Only once after the first inning did they manage to get a baserunner in scoring position. And over the last seven games, the Sox have scored a total of just 16 runs.
Bullpen letdown: Red Sox relievers have been mostly excelled this year. They entered Sunday's game with an ERA of 2.55, good for fourth among the 30 MLB teams. But Sunday was not the bullpen's day. After starter Rich Hill tossed four shutout innings, the pen collapsed in the fifth, allowing three runs and coughing up the lead for good. Phillips Valdez didn't allow a hit to any of the four batters he faced, but still managed to load the bases thanks to a walk and two hit batsman. Some bad luck resulted in the sixth as two infield hits created a scoring chance, but a wild pitch from Jake Diekman contributed to the misery. Finally, Matt Barnes yielded a solo homer in the sixth. The bullpen, previous to Sunday, hadn't allowed an earned run since Thursday, but seemed intent on making up for lost time in the series finale at the Trop.
Sox try Pitch Com: Through the first two-plus weeks, the Red Sox had been one of the teams which had resisted the use of Pitch Com, the new communication system approved by Major League Baseball to allow pitchers and catchers to communicate signs electronically. During the final week of spring training, manager Alex Cora indicated the Sox weren't yet comfortable with the new technology and would wait before using it in the regular season. But Hill decided to try it out Sunday and liked the results. "I really liked it,'' said Hill. "It was smooth, kept a good rhythm of the game. I think maybe there were a few things here and there that we can change with some of the pitches. But overall, I thought it was a really, really good piece of technology. And it kept the moving at a smooth pace. I think as we go into the season, looking forward to some of these games that are going to be difficult with runners on second, being able to avoid the pitches being relayed. I think it's something that's going to be beneficial.''
SECOND GUESS
All along, the Red Sox had planned to use Tanner Houck as a piggyback option to follow starter Rich Hill on the mound. But when Hill was lifted after four innings, the Red Sox turned elsewhere and saw that strategy backfire as the Rays scored three off Phillips Valdez and Ryan Brasier, then added solo runs off Matt Barnes and Jake Diekman. By the time they went to Houck, who provided an inning and two-thirds of scoreless relief, the game was out of hand. Acting manager Will Venable said the Sox wanted Houck to finish up the game, but he would have been far more useful coming into the game in the fifth to preserve the lead.
TWO UP
Rich Hill: The veteran lefty had to work his way out of a lot of jams, but gave the Red Sox four scoreless innings despite four hits, three walks and a hit batsman.
Trevor Story: Story hit the first pitch of the game for a double to right and soon scored the first Red Sox run of the game. In the field, after committing two errors in the first two games of the series, Story handled a number of tough chances at second base.
TWO DOWN
Ryan Brasier: Brasier took over in the fifth with the bases loaded and quickly surrendered a two-run double to Ji-Man Choi. Of the 10 inherited runners he's had this season, eight have come around to score.
Christian Vazquez: He went 0-for-3 at the plate with three groundouts. He also failed to glove a pitch off the plate from Diekman, resulting in a run scoring. It was ruled a wild pitch, but should have been a passed ball.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"I think it's one of those things where we have to go back to dominating the strike zone and competing when we get the opportunity.'' Red Sox hitting coach Pete Fatse on the team's offensive struggles.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* The Red Sox are 0-4-3 in their last seven regular-season series at Tropicana Field.
* After Rob Refsnyder threw out a baserunner at second, the Red Sox now have five outfield assists.
* The last time the Red Sox collected two hits on the first two pitches of a game was April 26, 1999, when Jose Offerman and John Valentin did so vs. Minnesota.
* Since last Monday, the Red Sox are just 12-for-62 with runners in scoring position.
UP NEXT:
The Red Sox move on to the second series of their three-city, road trip, with the first of four in Toronto. It will be RHP Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 3.68) vs. RHP Jose Berrios (1-0, 6.35) at 7:07 p.m.