BSJ Game Report: Rays 5, Red Sox 0 - Boston flatlines in 2023 home finale at Fenway

All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Rays, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

Red Sox stifled in home finale: The Rays shut out the Red Sox, 5-0, in the 2023 finale at Fenway Park. Tampa also swept the two-game set against Boston and took the season series, 11-2. The Rays held the Sox to just three hits, thanks to a solid five-inning outing from Tyler Glasnow, who struck out nine and allowed two hits. In his last outing of the season, Brayan Bello gave up five earned runs on nine hits (two homers) and two walks over six innings. Josh Lowe led the way for Tampa, opening the scoring with a solo homer in the first as part of a 3-for-3 outing with an RBI, a walk and three runs. Isaac Paredes was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer. 

TURNING POINTS

Top of the fourth and sixth innings: The Rays started hot in the top of the fourth, lacing three straight singles against Bello before a sacrifice fly for Harold Ramirez extended their lead to 2-0. Lowe sparked the flurry with his leadoff single. Following his 4-or-4 and two-RBI outing last night, Manuel Margot made it 3-0 when he roped a changeup over the plate for a double off the Monster, giving Tampa a 3-0 cushion. In the top of the sixth, Lowe continued his damage with a leadoff single before Paredes left the yard for a two-run blast and additional insurance for the 5-0 final. 

UP

Justin Turner: He wasn't particularly notable when he was in the game (0-for-2, 2 K), but it was good to see the veteran get his flowers with a standing ovation from the crowd after Alex Cora took him out midway through the game. Turner was just the consummate pro this season and set a career-high with 96 RBI as things stand with four games left. He's also three hits and two runs away from matching career bests as well. Did it all after taking a pitch to the face in spring training and playing on a bum heel in the second half. Spoke for the team a lot during rough stretches, too, and was always pleasant to deal with. He has a player option for 2024. 

Trevor Story & Alex Verdugo: They accounted for just about all the offense from Boston in this one. Story was 1-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base, while Verdugo was also 1-for-2 with a double before coming out of the game. 

Bullpen: It was incredibly low leverage, but Chris Murphy (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K), John Schreiber (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K) and Mauricio Llovera (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K) combined for three scoreless innings in relief of Bello. Of the five swings Murphy generated, three were whiffs, per Baseball Savant. 

DOWN

Brayan Bello: Like Tanner Houck, Bello has really limped to the finish. Left a fastball in the go-zone for Lowe in the top of the second before Paredes took a high fastball deep to the Monster for the exclamation point. He has given up 19 earned runs in his last 20 innings, seeing his ERA balloon from 3.61 to 4.24. Tough to see him take these last two outings into the offseason as the end to what was a really encouraging rookie season.

Ceddanne Rafaela: Went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the leadoff spot at the dish. Unlike other nights, Rafaela wasn't swinging at anything and everything, even if he chased a few pitches. Still at the forefront of the offensive struggles, though.

Enmanuel Valdez: Night and day from last night's huge outing at the plate, going 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts. Fooled by some nice fastball-curveball sequencing from Glasnow on his K in the fifth, and chased two changeups below his knees when he went down in the eighth. With Boston down, 1-0, in the bottom of the second, he had the chance to tie it or give Boston the lead with the bases loaded and one out, but grounded into an inning-ending double play. 

NOTABLE 

The Red Sox will not play at Fenway Park until April 9, 2024, against the Baltimore Orioles.

Interesting that Rafael Devers did not play in the last chance to see him at Fenway this season. 

Sitting six games below .500, the Red Sox will finish with a losing record. They are 270-272 since the beginning of 2020. This marks the third time in four seasons they will finish below .500. 

Boston finishes with a home record of 39-42. According to Alex Speier, they have never made the playoffs with a winning percentage less than .580 at home.

QUOTE OF NOTE

"I think overall, I told him it was a good first full season at the big league level. It's not easy," Cora told reporters of Bello's season. "One thing with him – and this is the way the game is going – they're gonna load up lefties against him. Same as Tanner. So, we've got to find ways to attack them and get them out. If you look back, it was good, overall. At one point he was going seven every outing. So, he learned a lot. Now, he got punched a few times in the last two. Hopefully, this helps him through the offseason with the things he needs to work on."

UP NEXT

The Sox will kick off their final series of the season when they travel to Baltimore for a four-game set with the AL East-leading Orioles, beginning Thursday at 6:35 p.m. at Camden Yards. LHP Chris Sale (6-4, 4.42 ERA) is set to face RHP Dean Kremer (12-5, 4.25 ERA).