ST. PETERSBURG, FL — In a day that was filled with COVID-19 news about the Red Sox, it was a sleepy night in Tampa Bay for the Red Sox, as what was a 6-1 ballgame felt like a 15-1 ballgame.
Boston had six hits, but only had one run which was a Bobby Dalbec homer in the second.
Nick Pivetta was solid, going five innings allowing four earned while defense wasn’t exactly on his side. He did walk five, but and it’s not an ideal start for the righty, but it’s serviceable.
He served up a 441-foot homer to Brandon Lowe in the first, and gave up an RBI single in the third to Austin Meadows.
In the fourth, after Kevin Kiermaier doubled, Pivetta struck out Mike Zunino on a curveball. But catcher Christian Vazquez failed to block it, allowing Zunino to reach base. It was scored as a wild pitch, but it looked like Vazquez was the one at fault.
The miscue would be costly, as Lowe singled home Kiermaier to make it 3-1 Tampa.
Pivetta was relieved by Hansel Robles after he let up a double and a walk to start the sixth, but Robles walked the first batter he faced to load the bases. Then, on a liner to Rafael Devers hit by Nelson Cruz, he missed a hot grounder as a run came in to score. Robles would manage to get out of the from however.
Raynel Espinal would make his major-league debut in the seventh, notching a scoreless frame but allowing a two-run double to Wander Franco after serving up a double and a walk.
That would be all for the Sox, as there wasn’t much life in any top halves of any frame Monday night.
The Sox are now 9 games back of the Rays.
(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)