We guess an all-left-handed lineup worked for the Rays.
Tampa Bay toted out a lineup that featured all left-handed batters for the first time in Major League Baseball history against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.
The result? A 11-1 win, snapping Boston’s two-game win streak. And despite amassing 11 hits, the Red Sox only scored once.
Blake Snell was strong for the Rays with five strikeouts through 5 1/3 innings of work. He did not give up a run.
The Red Sox elected to go the opener route, but it was Matt Hall who struggled, giving up four earned runs on six hits in the loss.
With the loss, the Red Sox drop to 16-30, while the Rays climbed to 29-16.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Quiet.
The Red Sox bats struggled with runners in scoring position.
ON THE BUMP
— Andrew Triggs opened the game for Boston and worked around a two-out single and walk to get out of the first unscathed.
— Hall toed the rubber for the second and was welcomed into the game by a Yoshitomo Tsutsugo solo home run to make it 1-0.
Hall returned for the third and surrendered back-to-back singles before a Kevin Kiermaier groundout made it 2-0 Rays.
Things didn’t get any better for Hall in the fourth.
The left-hander gave up a leadoff single before issuing a walk, which allowed Austin Meadows to drive in both runners on a double for the 4-0 lead.
A walk to Joey Wendle was enough to end Hall’s night.
— Phillips Valdez got the final out of the inning.
He returned for the fifth and pitched a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts.
— Domingo Tapia made his Major League Baseball debut in the sixth and he was welcomed to the big leagues by a Nate Lowe solo home run to make it 5-0.
He got out of the inning with a 100 mph strikeout.
— Robinson Leyer had the seventh and surrendered back-to-back walks after getting the first out. A Tsutsugo single made it 6-0 and put runners on the corners.
Things got worse for Leyer when Lowe belted his second homer of the game, this time a three-run shot to open up the game 9-0.
— Robert Stock was tasked with getting the final two outs of the inning and did just that.
Stock ran into trouble in the eighth after a walk, double and another walk led Ji-Man Choi double to make it 10-0.
Tampa Bay made it 11-0 on a Keimaier groundout before the inning ended.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The Red Sox had runners in scoring position in the second, third, sixth and eighth innings, but were unable to capitalize until the ninth.
— Jackie Bradley Jr. and Bobby Dalbec hit back-to-back doubles, with Bradley scoring to make it 11-1.
— Alex Verdugo, Rafael Devers, Bradley Jr. and Dalbec led the way for Boston with two hits apiece, while Xander Bogaerts, Christian Vazquez and Michael Chavis had one.
TWEET OF THE GAME
There was an important Game 7 that began during Friday’s Red Sox-Rays game.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox continue their series with the Rays on Saturday when Nathan Eovaldi makes his return for Boston. First pitch from Tropicana Field is set for 6:40 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Mary Holt/USA TODAY Sports Images
