BOSTON — To think, it might only get tougher from here.
The Red Sox concluded a nine-game homestand Wednesday with a 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Boston now will embark on a 10-game road trip that includes seven contests on the West Coast.
The Red Sox, who sit two games under .500 (13-15), need to turn things around in a hurry, as they’ve fallen behind the pack in the American League East. The club certainly had its chances Wednesday, but the offense continues to struggle with runners in scoring position.
Let’s dive into some notes from Wednesday.
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— Justin Masterson suffered his first loss of the season in wild fashion.
The right-hander yielded seven hits, walked six, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch while allowing four runs over 4 1/3 innings. It was the sixth time in Masterson’s career he walked at least six batters in a game.
“Rotated a little bit more. Looked at video. Ever so slight, but then again, some of them I was just slightly missing,” Masterson said of his mechanical issues. “The sinker was taking off. Just over-rotating as if I was trying to create more because I felt so good, which is never a good thing when I’m already a rotational guy. To add more rotation to it is not good.”
Masterson even referenced the movie “Major League” while breaking down his erratic night.
— Red Sox pitchers walked nine batters. That’s Boston’s highest total since May 26, 2014.
— Blake Swihart, who nabbed 46 percent of the runners who tried to steal against him last season between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket, threw out his first runner at the major league level.
Swihart was a bit lucky, as Kevin Kiermaier’s head-first dive took him past second base. But hey, you have to start somewhere, right?
— Swihart also recorded his first career extra-base hit and his first RBI. He drilled a double into the left-center field gap in the third inning to plate shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
— Mookie Betts smoked a solo home run in the eighth inning, marking the first time in his career he’s homered in consecutive games.
Betts (22 years, 211 days) is the youngest Red Sox player to hit three homers in a span of two days since Joe Lahoud hit three homers in one game on June 11, 1969, at 22 years, 58 days old.
— Dustin Pedroia passed Mike Greenwell and moved into sole possession of 11th place on Boston’s all-time hit list with his 1,401st career knock.
Pedroia has reached base in 12 consecutive games. He’s batting .351 (13-for-37) over his last 10 games.
— Luis Jimenez made his Red Sox debut.
Jimenez, who was claimed off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this week, pinch ran for David Ortiz in the eighth inning. He then hit a dribbler in front of home plate for the game’s final out.
Jimenez represented the tying run when he entered the game but never scored. Red Sox manager John Farrell obviously gambled by inserting him into the game for Ortiz, and it completely backfired when Boston was left without its most feared slugger in a clutch spot in the ninth inning.
Jimenez is 1-for-16 this season split between Boston and Milwaukee.
— Hanley Ramirez (shoulder) continues to improve, according to Farrell. He’s still day to day.
— Shane Victorino (hamstring) still is expected to begin a rehab stint Friday with Portland. He could join the Red Sox as soon as Monday in Oakland.
— Rusney Castillo is working with no restrictions at Pawtucket. The Red Sox are monitoring both his consistency and his production, but the Cuban outfielder is completely over his shoulder injury.
— Home cookin’ hasn’t tasted so great this season. The Red Sox are a disappointing 7-9 at Fenway Park.
— The Red Sox are 7-12 during their current 22-game stretch against AL East opponents.
Thumbnail photo via Elise Amendola/Associated Press
