BOSTON — The Red Sox dropped the finale of the a three-game series versus the Rays Thursday afternoon, as Boston tallied just two hits and are now 5.0 games back of Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay jumped out to the lead first, as Brandon Lowe knocked a sac fly into center field in the top of the third inning.
Rafael Devers knotted it up in the fourth, as Devers smacked a two-out double into right-center to score Kike Hernandez from first.
Tanner Houck was hoping to add to a solid day going into the sixth inning, but he only made his day worse. Wander Franco belted a two-run homer into center
before Nelson Cruz doubled to take Houck out of the ballgame. He wasn’t even able to record an out in the sixth, ending his day at 5+ innings of work.
Hansel Robles would come in to relieve Houck, but after walking two batters (one of which was intentional), he balked in a run. His balk made it 4-1, but Robles was able to get out of the inning as he struck out Mike Zunino to retire the side.
Hansel Robles would work two outs into the seventh, and Austin Davis would come on to retire the side. But Davis would would summon a leadoff triple from Joey Wendle to start the eighth however, as Yacksel Rios would try and stop the bleeding.
Manuel Margot plated Wendle with a sac fly to make it 5-1, and the bleeding would continue as Kevin Kiermaier smacked a double off the Green Monster to put two runners in scoring position.
Mike Zunino would proceed to promptly put the game out of reach for the Sox, as he crushed a three-run homer over the Monster to put Tampa up 8-1.
Rios managed to hurl a 1-2-3 ninth, but Boston’s offensive struggles continued as they were blanked in the ninth to give the Rays the win.
Hernandez ended up with more walks (3) than the Red Sox had hits (2).
(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)