IN
As for the game, the Tampa Bay Rays are making a march toward first place in the AL East and it looks like the Red Sox can't stop them. The motivated Tampa bats pounded Sox starter Martin Perez (7-7, 4.56 ERA) for 6 early runs while Tampa starter Josh Fleming held the Sox bats to just 3 runs in 5 innings. The Rays bullpen shut out the Sox the rest of the way as home runs by Mike Zunino, Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz paced the Rays offense. The Sox are in serious danger of falling out of first place after the Rays beat them 7-3 at Tropicana Field.
Fleming got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez led off with a base hit to left. Alex Verdugo and Xander Bogearts both struck out swinging before JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning. As usual the Sox fell behind right from the start as Perez got tagged in the bottom of the first inning. Randy Arozarena grounded out to third to start before Nelson Cruz grounded out to short. Austin Meadows walked and Yandy Diaz hit a home run all the way to Orlando to put the Rays up for good 4 batters into the game. Wander Franco struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays ahead 2-0.
Once again the Sox rolled over in the top of the second inning as Hunter Renfroe flied out to left to start. Christian Vazquez flied out to center and Bobby Dalbec also flied out to center to end the inning. Somehow Perez kept the Rays off the board in the bottom of the second as Brandon Lowe struck out swinging to start but Bobby Dalbec dropped a pop up by former Sox prospect Manny Margot for an error. Mike Zunino struck out swinging and Ji-Man Choi grounded out to short to end the inning.
The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Somehow Jonathan Arauz got a base hit to left but Hernandez took strike three. Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning. The Rays struck again in the bottom of the third although Arozarena grounded out to short to start. Cruz singled to center but Meadows popped up to first. Diaz singled to center and Franco doubled home both runs to ice the game. Lowe flied out to center to end the inning with the Rays ahead 4-0.
The Sox fought back in the top of the fourth as Bogaerts singled in the hole at second to start. Martinez struck out swinging but Renfroe walked. Vazquez singled to right to score Bogaerts but was thrown out at second trying to stretch. That mistake proved costly as Dalbec ripped a base hit to left that scored Renfroe with another run. Duran singled and Arauz walked to load the bases. Needing a clutch hit to tie the game....Hernandez popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.
The Rays took the rally personally in the bottom of the fourth as Margot flied out to left to start. Zunino hit a home run all the way to Sarasota to increase the lead but Choi grounded out to second. Arozarena then hit a home run into the Atlantic Ocean before Cruz singled to center. Meadows lined out to second to end the inning but the Rays led 6-2. That was it for Perez who got hammered for 6 runs in just 4 innings of work.
The Sox blew another rally in the top of the fifth as Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Bogaerts ripped a base hit off the glove of Choi but Martinez flied out to center. Renfroe doubled to left and needing a clutch hit.....Vazquez grounded out to short to end the inning. Yacksel Rios came in to get tagged in the bottom of the fifth although Diaz grounded out to second to start. Franco tripled to center then scored on a wild pitch to increase the lead. Lowe walked but Margot flied out to left. Zunino struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 7-3.
Ryan Sherriff came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Dalbec grounded out to short to start. Duran took strike three but Arauz singled in the hole at third. A passed ball moved Arauz to second and Hernandez walked, but Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning. Rios returned for the bottom of the sixth and Choi went down hacking to start. Arozarena lined out to left and Cruz grounded out to third to end the inning.
JT Chargois came in to dominate the tip of the seventh as Bogaerts grounded out to short to start. Martinez grounded out to first and Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning. Hiro Sawamura came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Meadows walked to start. Diaz doubled to right but Meadows was thrown out at home by Bogaerts. Diaz moved to third on a grounder to second by Franco and Lowe was intentionally walked. Margot struck out swinging to end the inning.
Louis Head came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Vazquez ripped a base hit to left to start. The rally ended as both Dalbec and Duran went down swinging. Arauz grounded out to second to end the inning. Josh Taylor came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Zunino went down hacking to start. Choi popped up to third but Arozarena singled to left. Cruz grounded into a force to end the inning.
Old pal Jeffrey Springs came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Hernandez lined out to short to start. Verdugo flied out to left and Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the game. The Rays had won it 7-3.
Jackass of the Night is Martin Perez. He got lit up for 6 runs in just 4 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.
Jackass Perez
The Good:
Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.
Hunter Renfroe was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.
Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with an rbi.
Jonathan Arauz was 2 for 3 with a walk.
Hiro Sawamura tossed a scoreless seventh inning.
Josh Taylor tossed a scoreless eighth inning.
The Bad:
Alex Verdugo was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.
JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
The Ugly:
Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.
Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.
Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.
Yacksel Rios allowed a run in 2 innings of work.
Final Thoughts:
Sox fans are a little upset that the Sox have a chance to make it to October but only managed to trade for an injured outfielder and two low level relief pitchers. Still, the Sox only gave up one Top 20 prospect, a lower end prospect and an expendable bat for the new additions. The Sox kept their farm system intact while the Yankees emptied theirs to get Joey Gallo and...surprise....Anthony Rizzo. The biggest move was the Los Angeles Dodgers trading garbage to the Washington Nationals for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. The San Francisco Giants have been on a tear in the first three months and the Dodgers are loading up to try to repeat as champions. As for this game, the Sox got outclassed by the Rays and couldn't get anything going offensively when the game started to slip away. The Sox had 2 men on in back to back innings and couldn't get anybody in. A few more clutch hits here and there and the Sox would have made it interesting. Instead, the Rays walked all over them and are one win away from taking over first place as we head to August. There's still another day to make some trades but it seems unlikely the Sox are going to do anything else. The Sox are going to roll the dice with what they have and its possible that it may not be enough. The loss dropped the Sox to 663-42, just 0.5 games in front of the Rays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow evening the Sox look to rebound with Nathan Eovaldi (9-5) taking on Ryan Yarbrough of the Rays. The game begins at 6:10 PM at Tropicana Field.
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