The Red Sox were in line for a series sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night, but they fell short in the finale.
Despite a ninth-inning rally, Boston fell to the Rays 6-3 at Tropicana Field, snapping a four-game win streak.
Although Rick Porcello has put together a mostly solid campaign, he was torched in Thursday’s loss as his record slipped to 6-2. But even with Porcello’s strife, the Sox offense struggled mightily to figure out Rays starter Blake Snell, who struck out eight while allowing three hits over six scoreless innings.
The Red Sox fall to 34-16 with the loss, while the Rays climb to 23-25.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Rough.
It was a rough outing for Porcello, and things weren’t much better for the offense.
ON THE BUMP
— Thursday arguably was Porcello’s worst start of the season. The righty was tagged for six runs (four earned) over 3 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits and two walks with a hit batter, as well as a pair of strikeouts.
Porcello found himself in immediate trouble. The bases quickly loaded with no outs after the Rays put runners on via a double, walk and single. It looked like the Sox were going to catch a break, as Wilson Ramos hit a soft, short chopper that Porcello was able to corral, but catcher Sandy Leon couldn’t handle the throw, which allowed the first run of the game to score as all the runners reached safely.
The next at-bat, Brad Miller plated another run with a sacrifice fly to center field. The bases then loaded again as Daniel Robertson singled to left field, but Porcello escaped the inning having allowed just two runs after inducing a 1-2-3 double play from Mallex Smith.
All said, it was a 33-pitch first inning that resulted in reliever Steven Wright getting loose during the frame, but the damage could have been far worse.
Issues with command then continued to plague Porcello in the second inning, as he loaded the bases due in part to a walk and hitting a batter. With two outs and the bases juiced, two runs came across on a Ramos single to right. But on the throw from Mookie Betts to the infield, Eduardo Nunez misplayed it and was lackadaisical in trying to retrieve it, which allowed a third run to score, making it 5-0. Porcello ended the inning the next at-bat.
The righty logged 62 pitches in the first two innings alone.
Porcello settled down with a 1-2-3 third inning, but was tagged for one more run in the fourth inning before being lifted with two outs and runners on first and second.
— Brian Johnson relieved Porcello with two on and two out, but managed to strike out Miller to end the frame. He then went on to hold the Rays scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings.
— Hector Velazquez pitched a scoreless, hitless seventh inning, allowing one walk.
— Wright struck out one and walked one in a hitless, scoreless eighth.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The Red Sox finally got on the board in the top of the seventh. Nunez clubbed a double to left-center field, and scored the following at-bat on a Rafael Devers groundout. Nunez took third on Devers’ groundout, but as Miller tried to throw him out at third base, the ball got past Matt Duffy, which allowed Nunez to score.
— With the Sox down by five in the final frame, Mitch Moreland crushed a solo home run to deep right field. Then with two outs, Nunez singled to left and moved to second on defensive indifference. The second baseman then crossed home after Devers laced a double to right field, cutting the lead to three and forcing Rays manager Kevin Cash to bring in closer Alex Colome.
— Leon and Nunez each had a pair of hits, while Betts, Moreland and Devers had one apiece.
TWEET OF THE NIGHT
If only.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox will head home and begin a three-game set with the Atlanta Braves on Friday. First pitch from Fenway Park is set for 7:10 p.m. ET, with Eduardo Rodriguez expected to get the ball and be opposed by Julio Teheran.
