Somehow Price kept the Rays off the board in the top of the first inning. Matt Duffy belted a leadoff double but Rafael Devers made a heads up play on a ground ball hit by CJ Cron to tag Duffy before firing to first for the double play. Price froze Carlos Gomez to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time scoring against starter Yonny Chirinos. Mookie Betts was plunked and Andrew Benintendi singled. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position and Hanley Ramirez walked to load the bases with no one out. The miserable 2017 offense returned as JD Martinez struck out and the returning Xander Bogaerts could only muster a sac fly to score Betts. Devers whiffed to end the inning with the Sox holding a measly 1-0 lead.
The lead evaporated in almost record time in the top of the second inning. Wilson Ramos doubled but Daniel Robertson flied out to right. Denard Span then hit a routine single to center but Jackie Bradley Jr decided to jump out of the way of the ball, letting it roll to the centerfield wall for an inside the park home run to give the Rays the lead. Adeiny Hechavarria walked but Rob Refsnyder took strike three. Johnny Field struck out to end the inning with the Rays up 2-1.
The Sox got the run right back but the offensive misery continued in the bottom of the second inning. Eduardo Nunez and Jackie Bradley Jr stroked back to back singles before a wild pitch moved Nunez to third. Sure enough Christian Vazquez banged into a double play although Nunez scored to tie the game. Betts whiffed to end the inning but it was 2-2.
The Rays wasted no time getting the lead back in the top of the third. Duffy watched strike three go by but Cron doubled. Gomez whiffed but Ramos swatted a 950 foot home run to give the Rays the lead back. Robertson grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was 4-2 Rays.
Once again the Sox answered but this time the squander proved fatal in the bottom of the third. Benintendi led off with a double and Ramirez singled him to third. Martinez walked to load the bases and Bogaerts singled in Benny to cut the lead to one run. That was it for Chirinos as Ryan Yarbrough came in and stoned the Sox cold. With the bases loaded and no one out, Devers looked at strike three, Nunez lined out to short and JBJ whiffed to end the inning. Once again the Sox had the bases loaded and no one out twice and only managed one lousy run, leading to a 4-3 Rays lead.
Somehow Price kept the Rays off the board in the top of the fourth inning. Span walked but Hechavarria lined out to right. Refsnsyder grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth. Vazquez flied out to center but Betts doubled. Benitendi advanced Betts to third with a groundout and Ramirez singled Mookie home to tie the game. Martinez whiffed to end the inning but it was tied 4-4.
Suddenly Betts keeled over grabbing his leg and passed out, getting hauled off on a gurney headed for Mass General. Blake Swihart took his place while playing left with Benintendi moving to center and JBJ moving to right. Field flied out to center but Duffy singled. Duffy was erased on the Cron force and Price was one out away from keeping the game tied. It didn't happen as Gomez singled and Ramos walked to load the bases. Robertson walked to drive in a run and give the Rays the lead. Span lined out to short to end the inning but it was 5-4 Tampa.
The lead lasted 30 seconds in the bottom of the fifth although Bogaerts popped up to short to start. Devers then launched a solo home run to tie the game. Nunez grounded out to first and JBJ whiffed but the game was tied 5-5.
Price came back for the top of the sixth and Hechavarria singled to start. Refsnyder flied out to right and a passed ball allowed Hechavarria to advance to second. Field grounded out to short and Price was again one out away from keeping the game tied. He didn't get the chance as he was curiously lifted by Sox manager Alex Cora after 5 2/3 innings. Heath Hembree came in and induced a ground ball by Duffy to second. Nunez fielded it but then turned around and fired the ball 100 feet into the third base seats for an error that scored Hechavarria with the go-ahead run. Cron lined out to center to end the inning but the Rays had got the lead back 6-5.
This time the Sox could not respond in the bottom of the sixth as Vazquez whiffed, Swihart flied out to center and Benintendi whiffed to end the inning.
Hembree vomited up his intestines in the top of the seventh as Gomez blasted a 5,713 foot home run to increase the lead. Ramos singled for the 900th time and because he had been running the bases so much this series, he finally passed out. Jesus Sucre ran for Ramos and Robertson walked to chase Heath. Matt Barnes came in and blew away Span. Hechavarria grounded out and Brad Miller pinch hit for Refsnyder only to strike out to end the inning with the Rays up 7-5.
Chaz Roe came on to pitch the bottom of the seventh as Ramirez grounded out to second to start. Duffy booted a ball hit by Martinez but Bogaerts whiffed. Jose Alvarez replaced Roe and Devers singled to put the tying run on first. Naturally Nunez whiffed to end the inning.
The relentless Rays attacked again in the top of the eighth inning with Brian Johnson now on the mound. Ramirez lost a pop up hit by Field and it landed in fair territory for a single. Duffy singled to right and the Nunez fell down after catching the relay throw, but Cron struck out. Gomez lined out to left but Sucre doubled home Field. Robertson grounded out to third to end the inning but it was now 8-5 Rays, thanks a lot Ramirez and Nunez.
The Sox went quietly as JBJ grounded out to second, Vazquez grounded back to the mound and Swihart whiffed to end the inning.
Johnson was left out to dry in the top of the ninth inning. Span and Hechavarria singled in about 5 seconds before Miller singled in Span. Field then swatted a 25,000 foot bomb into the Charles River to ice the game. Duffy whiffed and Cron flied out to right before Gomez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rays up 12-5.
The Sox refused to go quietly in the bottom of the ninth despite being down 7 runs. Sergio Romo came in to pitch and Benintendi greeted him with a double. Ramirez walked but Martinez earned a hat trick with his third strikeout. Bogaerts flied out to center but a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Devers whacked a single to left to score Benintendi and cut the lead. Devers made it to second on defensive indifference but Nunez whiffed to end the game. The Rays had won their 8th in a row with a 12-6 beatdown.
Jackass of the Night is David Price. The supposed ace only lasted 5 2/3 innings and gave up 6 runs. A good start by Price and the Sox may have won the game.
The Good:
Mookie Betts was 1 for 2 with a hit by pitch and 2 runs scored before being hauled off on a gurney.
Andrew Benintendi was 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored.
Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 3 with 2 walks and an rbi.
Rafael Devers was 3 for 5 with 2 total rbis and a solo home run.
Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless inning.
The Bad:
Blake Swihart was 0 for 2 with a strikeout at the plate.
Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Heath Hembree allowed a run in just 1/3 of an inning while allowing an inherited to score.
Brian Johnson gave up 5 runs in 2 innings of work.
The Ugly:
JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.
Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs.
Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.
Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4.
Final Thoughts:
The Rays and the Red Sox swapped places it seems. Last week the Sox won 8 in a row while hitting everything out of the park and now its the Rays doing the same. The Rays are a lot more surprising considering they don't have the pitching or offense theoretically to get it done. Nobody could get anyone out as the Rays pounded out 18 hits and 5 walks against the Sox pitching. Johnson had to get lit up in the ninth to save everyone else for tomorrow's game with Joe Kelly suspended. Its only one game but that was alarming to see Price get lit up again. Now not only is Holt hobbled but so is Betts as well. You would think these guys that run for a living are in good enough shape to not suffer so many hamstring tears. Tomorrow the Rays look for the series sweep with Matt Andriese on the mound taking on Rick Porcello (4-0) at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.
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