Red Sox denied playoff clincher as Rays walk off Garrett Whitlock, 2-1

The Red Sox were one swing away from punching their ticket to October. Instead, they’ll have to wait at least one more day.

Richie Palacios dumped a walk-off single into right field off Garrett Whitlock in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday, lifting the Rays to a 2-1 win over the Red Sox at Tropicana Field and preventing Boston from clinching a postseason berth.

The Rays pieced together three singles against Whitlock in the ninth after the teams entered the inning tied at 1. Boston had opportunities to push across the go-ahead run in the later innings but couldn’t capitalize, wasting an outstanding performance from Brayan Bello.

Bello turned in arguably his most impressive start of the season, allowing just one run on five hits over eight innings while striking out 11 to match his career high.

“That was exceptional,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters following the game. “By far and away his best outing of the year. As good as I’ve seen him. So, I don’t know what else to say. He was awesome, really awesome.”

It marked the second consecutive scoreless start for Bello, but Saturday’s outing was far more dominant than his previous one. Against the Angels at Fenway Park, Bello navigated almost constant traffic, allowing four hits and two walks while needing 103 pitches to complete five innings.

Bello needed just 55 pitches to complete his first five innings and kept the Rays off balance throughout the afternoon. He allowed only one run, a Jonathan Aranda’s solo homer leading off the fourth, and gave the Red Sox exactly what they needed with two of their most important late-inning relievers unavailable.

“I just felt confident attacking the zone,” Bello told reporters via team translator.

Bello isn’t expected to start in the Wild Card Series, but his recent performances have provided a reminder of the value he could offer in October. After an uneven season that eventually resulted in a move to the bullpen, he has reestablished himself as someone Tracy can trust in a meaningful spot.

Aranda’s homer was notable for another reason. It was the first home run Bello had allowed since July 12, the final game before the All-Star break, snapping a homerless stretch of roughly 42 innings. Much of that work came in relief, often following an opener, but going more than two months without surrendering a homer remains an impressive run.

“For me, it’s just showing the team that I’m ready for this kind of games,” Bello added.

For the second straight game, Roman Anthony provided Boston with some early offense.

After leading off Friday’s victory with a 438-foot homer, Anthony delivered again in the third inning Saturday. Caleb Durbin opened the inning with a double before Anthony sliced an RBI double into left-center to give Boston a 1-0 lead.

The productive at-bats are an encouraging development for Anthony after his recent slump. With the postseason just over a week away, the rookie is beginning to show signs of heating up at the right time.

Durbin may be coming out of a slump of his own.

After collecting two hits in Friday’s series opener, Durbin added two more Saturday, both sharply hit doubles. His offensive turnaround earlier this season coincided with Boston’s surge up the standings, and another hot stretch would add length to the lineup and provide another productive right-handed bat heading into October.

The Red Sox had opportunities to reward Bello with another run but couldn’t break through.

With Aroldis Chapman unavailable because of lat tightness and Tyron Guerrero also unavailable, Tracy has been forced to get creative at the back end of his bullpen. Erik Miller survived a shaky ninth to record the save Friday, but Bello eliminated most of the bullpen questions Saturday by pitching through the eighth.

That left Whitlock for the ninth, but Tampa Bay finally broke through.

“Just praying it drops. That's all you're doing,” Palacios said to reporters in the Rays' clubhouse after the game. “You're just praying it drops, and it did.”

“That was a hell of a baseball game,” Tracy said. “I don’t have anything to say about that game, other than it was really well-played by both teams. Big moments and people rose to the occasion. There were a lot of great things that happened in the game, other than (the fact that) we lost, which stinks.”

The Rays’ seventh win in their last eight games moved them another step closer to their first American League East title since 2021. Tampa Bay increased its division lead to 4 1/2 games with eight remaining, pending the outcome of the Yankees’ game in Arizona on Saturday night.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Rays recorded three walk-off victories during a single homestand for the first time since Sept. 20-25, 2019. Saturday’s win, in front of 27,402 at Tropicana Field, was also their American League-leading 39th comeback victory of the season.

The late-inning success could prove valuable for a Tampa Bay club that may see Boston again in October.

“It’s very encouraging. It's a good feeling,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said postgame. “You want to get as many reps at that as possible, because we know the games that we're going to continue playing this year are going to be against good teams and in tight ballgames.”

Saturday’s intensity offered the Red Sox a taste of what awaits them in October, and Durbin believes the experience could prove valuable once the postseason begins.

“Even yesterday and tomorrow, like they got a little bit of a playoff feel,” Durbin said. “I feel like last year (with the Milwaukee Brewers), first couple playoff games … adrenaline’s way higher. So to get that feel before playoffs even start is super important, because it usually takes a couple games to really settle in.”

For now, however, the Red Sox will have to wait another day for a chance to officially secure their place in October.

Boston will close its three-game series against Tampa Bay on Sunday at 1:35 p.m. at Tropicana Field. Left-hander Patrick Sandoval (1-6, 4.99 ERA) will start for the Red Sox opposite right-hander Griffin Jax (7-10, 3.80).