BOSTON – To call the Red Sox ’17 -8 Thursday loss to the Rays a bloodbath would be an understatement.
Tampa Bay fought twice, had 19 hits and scored 16 times in the first six innings as they finished their sweep of the Red Sox’s four game at Fenway Park. The Rays ruined Kyle Hart’s Premier League debut by chasing the Lefty in the third inning and dropped the season to 6-13.
Hart, a former 19th-round pick who performed well at all levels of the minor song, left seven runs (five earned) on even hits in 2+ innings. He was pursued early in a Rays’ third of five runs after allowing six straight baserunners (including back-to-back homers to Hunter Renfroe and Brandon Lowe) and being replaced by Phillips Valdez.
Three Rays – Renfroe, Lowe and Mike Zunino – homered in the blowout, with Renfroe hitting two. Six Rays had multiple hits, with former Red Sox quarterback Manuel Margot going 4-for-6 with an RBI and two runs.
Red Sox reliever Marcus Walden imploded into the sixth inning, recording six deserved runs on five hits without a record. Tampa Bay scored six times in the sixth, with Renfroe and Zunino hitting both homers in the frame.
In the ninth inning, with Tampa Bay up 16-5, Red Sox striker Jose Peraza asked to pitch. Peraza pulled a Lowe comebacker off his knee and was removed from the game after suffering pain in the ground. Catcher Kevin Plawecki then took over when utility manager Tzu-Wei Lin moved to catcher to replace Plawecki. Lin had never taken an inning in the major before.
Boston scored three times in the ninth to make it 17-8. Kevin Pillar and Plawecki had RBI hits.
In the four-game series, the Rays scored 42 runs on 59 hits and outscored the Red Sox by 20 runs.
Devers makes three mistakes
Rafael Devers had a terrible day in the field, committing three throwing errors – two in the fourth inning and one in the seventh. Devers went into the day for the Premier League lead in errors with five and now holds that honor to himself with eight.
Yankees up next
The Red Sox will travel to New York on Thursday night ahead of a four-game, wraparound series with the Yankees in the Bronx. Boston has not named any starters for three of the four matchups, but will field Nathan Eovaldi on Saturday night.
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will begin the series’ opening Friday. New York swept a three-game series at Yankee Stadium from July 31 to August 2, with the Red Sox, 19-10.
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