Pomeranz got off on the wrong foot in the top of the first inning. Steven Souza Jr lined out to start the game but Corey Dickerson tripled over the head of Jackie Bradley Jr. Evan Longoria scored Dickerson with a sac fly to give the Rays a quick lead. Logan Morrison singled but was erased on the Rickie Weeks Jr force to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the first inning against Tampa starter Matt Andriese. Mr. Mookie Betts worked a lead-off walk and swiped second. Dustin Pedroia grounded out but Xander Bogaerts doubled home Betts to tie the game. Andrew Benintendi grounded out but Bogaerts moved to third. Hanley Ramirez struck out to end the inning but it was now 1-1.
Pomeranz struggled in the top of the second, walking Brad Miller and Tim Beckham back to back. Kevin Kiermaier dropped down a bunt that forced Beckham at second but advanced Miller to third. Jesus Sucre scored Miller with a sac fly to give Tampa the lead. Souza Jr struck out to end the inning but the Rays were up 2-1. This time the Sox did not come back in the bottom of the second inning. Mitch Moreland and Christian Vazquez struck out and Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to end the inning.
Pomeranz returned for the top of the third and struck out Dickerson. Longoria walked but Morrison flied out. Weeks Jr singled but Miller looked at strike three to end the inning. The Sox mustered nothing in the bottom of the third as Deven Marrero struck out and Mr. Mookie popped up. Pedroia walked but Bogaerts struck out to end the inning.
Pomeranz came out for the fourth inning....annnnnnd he's gone. Drew left the game with forearm tightness and forced rookie Ben Taylor into action. For someone with his injury history, the Sox really screwed the pooch by trading for him.
Beckham flied out but Kiermaier stroked a ground rule double into the left field bleachers. Sucre slammed a single to score Kiermaier to increase the lead. Souza Jr flied out and Dickerson struck out but the Rays now led 3-1. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Benny The Kid popped up, Ramirez grounded out and Moreland also grounded out to end the inning.
Taylor kept the Rays off the board in the top of the fifth inning. Longoria flied out to right, Morrison flied out to center and Weeks Jr struck out to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fifth inning. Vazquez singled but JBJ flied out. Marrero hit a ground rule double into the bullpen but Vazquez was thrown out at home on a ground ball by Mr. Mookie. Pedroia stepped up to single home Marrero and Bogaerts walked. Benny The Kid lined out to end the inning but the Sox only trailed 3-2.
Fernando Abad replaced Taylor in the top of the sixth inning and struck out Miller. Beckham singled but JBJ made a lunging catch to rob Kiermaier of a hit. That was it for Abad as Matt Barnes came in and retired Sucre on a line out to right to end the inning. The Sox wasted a golden chance to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth. Longoria threw wide of first allowing Ramirez to reach on an error and Moreland walked to chase Andriese. Erasmo Ramirez came in and got Vazquez to fly out but Ramirez moved to third. All they needed was a sac fly but JBJ couldn't even make contact, striking out on a full count. At least Bradley swung, Marrero didn't even do that as he looked at strike three to end the inning.
Right on cue the Rays tacked it on in the top of the seventh inning. Souza Jr walked, Dickerson singled and Longoria singled home Souza to increase the lead. Barnes recovered to strike out Morrison and Weeks but that was it for him, Robbie Ross Jr was brought in for relief. Miller struck out to end the inning with the Rays up 4-2. Ramirez shut down the Sox in the bottom of the seventh as Mr. Mookie and Pedroia struck out then Bogaerts grounded out to end the inning.
Ross got some help from his defense in the top of the eighth inning. Beckham was plunked and moved to second on a wild pitch, although Kiermaier struck out. Sucre walked but Souza Jr banged into a double play to end the inning. Jose Alvarado came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth and got Benny The Kid to ground out. Ramirez beat out an infield single despite a challenge call by Rays manager Kevin Cash. That was it for Alvarado as Ryan Stanek came in to pitch to pinch-hitter Chris Young....only for Young to line out. Vazquez singled and Cash made ANOTHER pitching change, bringing in Alex Colome to pitch to Bradley. As usual, JBJ struck out again to end the inning.
The Rays iced the game with a huge, boring 9th inning rally with Josh Rutledge now playing first base. Dickerson and Longoria stroked back to back singles but Morrison struck out. Weeks Jr singled home Dickerson to increase the lead although Miller flied out. Just one out away from keeping the game in reach, Sox manager John Farrell brought in Heath Hembree. The out didn't come as Beckham singled home Longoria, the runners advancing as Benintendi kicked the ball back to the infield rather than throw it for an error. Kiermaier and Sucre hit back to back singles then Souza Jr cleared the bases with a 3 run blast to left to make it 11-2. Dickerson doubled but Longoria grounded out to end the inning. 7 runs scored and the Rays now had an 11-2 lead, absolutely bawful.
Mercifully the game ended in the bottom of the ninth with Danny Farquhar on the mound. Marrero grounded out, Mr. Mookie flied ot and Pedroia popped up to end the game. The Rays had taken the game and the series 11-2, dropping the Sox to .500.
Jackass of the Night is Jackie Bradley Jr. He came up twice with a chance to tie the game and failed both times before the game got out of hand.
The Good:
Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.
Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4.
Fernando Abad got the first two outs of the 6th inning.
The Bad:
Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 with an error.
Chris Young failed to reach in his only plate appearance.
Drew Pomeranz lasted just 3 innings and left trailing 2-1 with an injury.
Matt Barnes gave up a run in an inning of work.
Robbie Ross Jr gave up 3 runs in 2 innings.
Heath Hembree gave up 4 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was 0 for 4 but walked, stole a base and scored.
Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in a run.
Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4.
Mitch Moreland was 0 for 2 but walked.
Deven Marrero was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.
Ben Taylor gave up a run but pitched 2 innings after Pomeranz left the game.
Honorable Mention:
Josh Rutledge played first base in the ninth inning.
Final Thoughts:
That was painful to watch. As if the season couldn't get any worse, the Sox just lost 2 out of 3 to the Rays at home without scoring that many runs in the final two games. What happened to the Red Sox offense? Obviously they weren't going to replace David Ortiz' 37 home runs from last year but you'd think SOMEBODY would step up in his absence. Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez both hit 30 last year and they've done diddly squat this year. Bogaerts has zero home runs and now the relief arms are getting tired. Between Kyle Kendrick, Pomeranz, Steven Wright and even Rick Porcello getting hammered, the relief corps is throwing more innings than they should. This is not a recipe for success. The Sox have an off-day tomorrow and return to action Tuesday night in St. Louis to play National League rules with the Cardinals. Eduardo Rodriguez (1-1) gets the start opposite Lance Lynn at 8:05 PM.
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