FINAL: Rays 8, Red Sox 3 Long Ball and Quiet Boston Bats Powers Tampa Bay to Win

The Red Sox fell to the Tampa Bay Rays 8-3 on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. With this loss, Boston is under .500 for the first time since June 11th. 

The Red Sox got on the board in the second inning on a Triston Casas two-run bomb that made it 2-0 Boston.

 It went downhill from there. Tampa Bay hits three homers in the game. It started with Junior Caminero hitting a solo shot in the 4th making it 2-1.

 The fifth inning was when it got ugly starting with Josh Lowe tying the game in the 5th inning with a solo shot to left centerfield and then Jose Siri gave the Rays a 3-2 lead with a solo bomb of his own.

 Brandon Lowe had a two-run long ball of his own in the 5th which made it 5-2. 

Nick Pivetta went 4.2 innings, giving up five hits, four earned runs and striking out six. Pivetta was good tonight outside of giving up the long ball. Pivetta has now tied Griffin Canning of the Angels and Aaron Nola of the Phillies for the fourth most home runs allowed this season (28). 

Romy Gonzalez hit a pinch-hit solo home run in the eighth inning that made it 5-3. 

Gonzalez hit his third pinch-hit homer which is the most in Major League Baseball this season. The wheels fell off in the bottom of the eighth with the bases loaded and Siri hit a bases-clearing double that got past a diving Tyler O'Neill in left field. 

The Red Sox will continue their three-game series with the Rays tomorrow night when Tanner Houck takes the mound at 6:50 p.m. 

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WHO: Red Sox (75-75) at Tampa Bay Rays (73-77)
WHEN: 6:50 p.m.
WHERE: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg 
SERIES TO DATE: 4-3 (1-3/3-0)
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Nick Pivetta (5-10, 4.24) vs. RHP Shane Baz (2-3, 3.28)
TV/RADIO: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
LIVE BOX
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Duran CF
Devers 3B
O'Neill LF
Yoshida DH
Wong C
Abreu RF
Casas 1B
Story SS
Rafaela 2B

SP Nick Pivetta

RAYS
Diaz DH
B. Lowe 2B
Caminero 3B
Aranda 1B
Morel LF
J. Lowe RF
Caballero SS
Driscoll C
Siri CF

SP Shane Baz

WHAT'S UP

 The Red Sox lost 3 of their 4 games at NYY over the weekend after going 4-2 on a 6-game homestand vs. CWS (2-1) and BAL (2-1).

 Starting tonight, 9 of the Sox' final 12 gamesare against teams who are currently below .500 (TB, TOR)

BOS is 40-20 (.667) against teams who are currently below .500, tied with KC (38-19, .667) for the 2nd- best record in the Majors (1st: MIN, 42-19, .689). Prior to yesterday's off day, the Red Sox went 3-4 in a stretch of 7 straight games against teams with a winning record (2-1 vs. BAL, 1-3 at NYY). Boston is 35-55 (.389) against teams at or above .500.
The Red Sox and Rays are meeting for the 1st time since 5/20-22, when Boston swept a 3-game series at Tropicana Field...The clubs also played a 4-game set at Fenway Park from 5/13-16 (TB won, 3-1).

Red Sox starting pitchers have allowed 2 runs or fewer in 4 of their last 5 games (2.42 ERA), 8 of their last 10 (2.48), and 16 of their last 20 (2.52).

In their last 36 games (beginning 8/9), Sox starters rank 5th in MLB with a 3.28 ERA (67 ER/184.0 IP).

Tyler O'Neill on Sunday at NYY hit his team-leading 31st HR...It was his 109th career HR, passing George Selkirk to move solely into the top 10 on the all-time HR list by Canadian-born players (9th: Corey Koskie, 124). O'Neill also tied Jimmie Foxx for 3rd-most HR by a player in their first 105 games with the Red Sox.

Lucas Sims began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester on Sunday vs. Syracuse, facing 3 batters (0.1 IP, 2 BB, SO, 17 pitches, 8 strikes).
Alex Cora will not be punished by Major League Baseball for Brayan Bello throwing behind Aaron Judge.