BOSTON — The Red Sox were haunted by several shortcomings, most particularly on the defensive side, resulting in a 6-2 loss against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on Sunday.
The Red Sox dropped to 30-29 with a second straight loss, while the Rays improved their league-best campaign to 42-19.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston’s had its fair share of struggles early on, whether they’d be offensively, defensively or with pitching. But those three costly elements came to harm the Red Sox and strip them of their opportunity at a series victory over the Rays.
Tampa Bay rallied and capitalized on Boston’s miscues in the fourth inning. First, Red Sox catcher Connor Wong attempted to gun down Brooks Raley at third base on a fielder’s choice, which didn’t work out. Then, on the next at-bat, Manuel Margot singled to left field, but Masataka Yoshida booted a routine play, which allowed the Rays to plate two runs rather than one on the play.
The defensive miscues, however, didn’t end there.
In the sixth inning, Yandy Díaz singled (initially), but a slow relay throw back to the infield allowed Margot to score with a late throw to the plate which Wong followed by airmailing an attempt to nail Díaz heading to second, leading to an unorthodox inside-the-park home run. That created a four-run cushion for the Rays, which proved to be more than enough to seal the deal.
The Red Sox also finished 1-for-10 at the plate with runners in scoring position, stranding eight men on base, after starter Tanner Houck was charged with four earned runs over the course of five innings tossed.
Boston finished with two errors, marking seven total committed by the Red Sox in their last six games. They’ve split even at 5-5 in their last 10 games, while remaining at the bottom of the American League East, sitting 10.5 games back from the division-leading Rays crew.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Díaz came through with the jaw-dropping moment of the game, flying across the bases on a slow chopper to the outfield, which amounted to an inside-the-park homer. The Rays infielder went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run.
— Alex Verdugo finished 3-for-5 with a trio of extra-base hits — two doubles and one triple. Verdugo also scored twice and was one of just two hitters from Boston’s lineup to record a multi-hit performance at the plate.
— Margot, while not credited for both, was responsible for the at-bat leading to Tampa Bay’s two runs in the fourth inning, which both came off the Yoshida misplay. Margot went 1-for-2 in the batter’s box with a single and a walk.
WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Verdugo recording three-plus hits at +850 entering the division clash. Verdugo needed just three at-bats to get the job done, clearing those odds with three knocks, each for extra bases in his first three trips to the dish. A $100 wager placed on the 27-year-old would’ve resulted in a $950 total payout.
UP NEXT ON NESN
The Red Sox and Rays will wrap up their four-game series on Monday. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, plus a full hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.
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