All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Rays, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Pivetta can't offer shutdown innings: Starter Nick Pivetta allowed solo runs to the Rays in the second and third, giving them a 2-0 headstart. In the bottom of the third, the Red Sox starter to respond, countering with a run of their own. But in the top of the next inning, the Rays added two more. This pattern continues for the next few innings: every time the Red Sox managed a run of their own, hinting at the potential for getting back into the game, Pivetta turned around and allowed the Rays to keep adding to their lead. It was Pivetta's worst start in some time, ending a streak of six consecutive outings in which he allowed no more than four runs. It also continued a pattern in which he struggles against teams from his own division. This year, Pivetta has a 7.24 ERA against teams from the East.
Bullpen can't keep it close: After Nick Pivetta was lifted after five innings, the Red Sox were trailing 5-3 -- not a best-case scenario, but hardly hopeless with four innings to go. But that feeling didn't last long. Hirokazu Sawamura allowed three runs in the fifth, and after Ryan Brasier tossed a scoreless seventh, Austin Davis was knocked around for four more runs in the eighth as the game got completely out of hand. While the Red Sox high-leverage relievers -- Garrett Whitlock, Matt Barnes, John Schreiber -- have performed better of late, the team's middle-relief arms have hit a wall in recent weeks. The Red Sox now have two relievers with ERA above 5.00.
Home runs come...but with bases empty: A lot has been made of the power numbers being down for the Red Sox this year. They were 19th in homers, and until Saturday, the team went through a five game stretch in which the only players to homer were Xander Bogaerts and Franchy Cordero. On Sunday, that changed a bit as the Sox got three homers in the same game, something they hadn't done since Aug. 9 vs. Atlanta. But as luck would have it, every one of the homers -- Cordero in the third, J.D. Martinez in the fourth and Tommy Pham in the fifth -- came with no runners on base, limiting the amount of damage done.
TURNING POINT
In the sixth inning, with Tampa Bay leading 5-3, Hirokazu Sawamura retired the first hitter before Jose Siri hit a popup to right field. First baseman Franchy Cordero began running frantically in pursuit with his back to the plate into right field, attempting in vain to catch up to the pop-up. It ticked off his glove and fell to the ground, giving Siri a gift single. Had right fielder Alex Verdugo called him off and taken charge on what would have been a relatively routine play, the Sox would have had two outs. Instead, with Siri on, the Rays started a big inning, scoring three more times and running away with the game.
TWO UP
Tommy Pham: Pham had a homer and a single among his four at-bats, and also continued to play the wall well, recording another assist by throwing out Yandy Diaz attempting to stretch a single into a double.
Christian Arroyo: Arroyo had two hits -- both singles -- in four trips to the plate and all four balls he put in play had exit velocities of 100 mph or greater.
TWO DOWN
Rafael Devers: Devers continues to struggle at the plate. He was 0-for-4 Sunday, stranding six baserunners in the process.
Austin Davis: The lefty was a solid contributor through the first half of the season, but he's fallen off in a big way in the last two months. He had a 37-pitch eighth in which he allowed four runs and now sports an ERA of 5.47
QUOTE OF NOTE
"I think it was a disappointing effort on my part. Wasn't able to limit the damage when I needed to..I just didn't show up and do the right thing today.'' Nick Pivetta.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* Xander Bogaerts had his third multiple-hit game in his last four.
* The error committed by Rafael Devers in the eighth inning was his first in the month of August and only his third since July 1.
* Hirokazu Sawamura's ERA at Fenway this season is 5.83. By contrast, his road ERA is 0.84.
* The homer by J.D. Martinez was his first in the second half of the season, and first, in fact, since July 10, 129 at-bats and 34 games ago.
* Bobby Dalbec is 4-for-13 (.308) as a pinch-hitter this season.
UP NEXT: The Red Sox begin a quick three-game road trip in Minneapolis at 7:40 p.m. Monday. RHP Brayan Bello (0-3, 7.36) vs. RHP Dylan Bundy (7-6, 4.56).