Michael Brosseau lined out to right to start the top of the second but Nate Lowe singled to center. Willy Adames forced Lowe at second and Guillermo Heredia flied out to right to end the inning. Brock "The Hitman" Holt lined out to right to start the bottom of the second and Jackie Bradley Jr popped up to third. Mr. Mookie lined out to left to end the inning.
The Rays struck back in the top of the third although Mike Zunino struck out swinging to begin. Duffy doubled to left but d'Arnaud went down hacking. Meadows tripled over the head of Betts to score Duffy to cut the lead. Garcia struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays down 2-1.
The Sox got the run back in the bottom of the third as Devers singled to center to begin. Bogaerts singled to right to move Devers to third but Martinez went down hacking. Benintendi grounded a base hit to right to score Devers and move Bogaerts to third. Moreland banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.
Brosseau walked to start the top of the fourth and Devers dropped a double play relay throw by Moreland for an error hit by Lowe. Adames took strike three but Heredia hit a seeing eye single to left to load the bases. Zunino took strike three and Duffy whiffed to end the inning. Vazquez doubled to center to begin the bottom of the fourth but Holt flied out to left. JBJ struck out swinging and Mr. Mookie grounded out to third to end the inning.
The Rays pounced on Price in the top of the fifth as d'Arnaud led off with a home run all the way to Saturn to cut the lead. Meadows took strike three but Garcia hit a home run all the way to Jupiter to tie the game. Brosseau singled and Lowe double him to third to chase the incompetent Price from the game. Price lasted just 4 1/3 innings and would be charged with 4 runs. Marcus Walden came in and Eric Sogard pinch hit for Adames. Sogard grounded out to second but Brosseau scored to give the Rays the lead. Heredia flied out to right to end the inning with Tampa ahead 4-3.
The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth as Devers singled to center to start. Bogaerts popped up to second and Martinez lined out to center to chase Morton from the game. Rays manager Kevin Cash wanted Adam Kolarek to pitch to Benintendi and Andrew made him pay by swatting his 11th home run of the year to give the Sox the lead back. Moreland grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-4.
Things fell apart in the top of the sixth although Zunino grounded out to second to start. Duffy grounded out to first but d'Arnaud walked to chase Walden. Josh Taylor was brought in to face Meadows and Austin singled to right. Colten Brewer was brought in to face Garcia and Avisail doubled over the head of Bradley to clear the bases and give the Rays the lead. Brosseau popped up to short to end the inning with the Rays ahead 6-5. The Sox bullpen had three chances to get one out and blew all three of them.
The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the sixth as Vazquez lined out to right to start. Holt grounded out to third and JBJ lined out to left to end the inning.
Darwinzon Hernandez came in for the top of the seventh and Lowe took strike three to start. Sogard took strike three and Heredia grounded out to short to end the inning. Diego Castillo came in for the bottom of the seventh and Mr. Mookie struck out swinging to start. Devers doubled to center but Bogaerts flied out to left. Martinez walked to chase Castillo and Colin Poche came in to face Benintendi. Andrew struck out to end the inning.
Nathan Eovaldi came in for the top of the eighth and Zunino struck out swinging to start. Duffy singled to right but d'Arnaud went down hacking. Meadows walked but Garcia struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the eighth with Chaz Roe now on the mound. Sam Travis pinch hit for Moreland and doubled to center but Vazquez struck out swinging. Oliver Drake came in to pitch to Vazquez and he walked him. JBJ lined out to third and Emilio Pagan came in to face Mr. Mookie. Betts beat out an infield single to load the bases but Devers lined out to left to end the inning. What a waste.
Matt Barnes came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Brosseau struck out swinging to start. Lowe grounded out to third but Sogard walked. Heredia flied out to right to end the inning. Bogaerts flied out to right to begin the bottom of the ninth and Martinez struck out swinging. Benintendi singled to left and Travis singled Benintendi to third to put the tying run 90 feet away. Vazquez flied out to Meadows to end the game. The Rays had held on to win it 6-5.
Jackass of the Night is Colten Brewer. He gave up the double to Garcia that put the Rays up for good.
The Good:
Rafael Devers was 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored.
Andrew Benintendi was 3 for 4 with 3 total rbis, a walk and a 2 run homer.
Mitch Moreland was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.
Sam Travis was 2 for 2 at the plate.
Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a scoreless seventh inning.
Nathan Eovaldi pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
The Bad:
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
David Price was horrible, allowing 4 runs in just 4 1/3 innings in a crucial game.
Marcus Walden was charged with a run in 1 1/3 innings.
Josh Taylor gave up a hit to the only man he faced.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.
Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5.
JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.
Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 5 at the plate.
Brock Holt was 0 for 3 but walked.
Final Thoughts:
All that momentum build up last week gone in just one game. The Sox had a great chance to get back in the AL East race by knocking off the Rays tonight for momentum but couldn't get the clutch hit when it counted. Not only did Price crap the bed in a big game situation but the bullpen failed as well. Walden, Taylor and Brewer all had one out to get and none of them could get it. After that the Sox couldn't drive in a run if their lives depended on it. It all added up to one of the most frustrating games of the season considering the stakes involved. The Sox could have blown past the Rays and gain ground on the New York Yankees if they swept this series but they just dropped the first game. Its nice to see Benintendi contribute and the Sox bullpen in the later innings stepped up, but everything else in the game made Sox fans want to pull their hair out. If the bullpen's misfire doesn't convince Sox GM Dave Dombrowski to make a move for another pitcher before tomorrow's deadline, I don't know what will. The offense has been there all season but the Sox desperately need another pitcher to salvage the season. The loss dropped the Sox to 59-49, 9 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound when "Slick" Rick Porcello (9-7) takes on Ryan Yarbrough of the Rays tomorrow night in the second game of this series. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.
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