The Red Sox came into Tropicana Field hoping to get a win and enact some revenge against David Price for his throwing ways in May. Unfortunately the Sox bats weren’t able to get the job done and even though Lester left the mound in life for a win, the Sox bullpen fell apart and the Rays cruised to victory.
The Red Sox got on the scoreboard first when Shane Victorino hit a solo HR off of David Price. Sox 1-0. Jon Lester held the tiny lead until the bottom of the 5th inning when Desmond Jennings hit a 2 run HR to put the Rays in front. Sox 1-2. The Sox were able to grab the lead back in the top of the 6th when Papi hit an RBI single and then Victorino hit the go ahead run with an RBI single to shallow center. Sox 3-2.
Lester was pitching well, but he didn’t have his most efficient outing, so he was done after 6 innings. Lester’s pitching line for the night was 11o pitches, 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB an 7 Ks. Andrew Miller came on in the 7th inning and ended up hitting Molina and then got a K for the first out of the inning. Farrell came to get Miller in favor of Tazawa and that choice would prove to be the Sox’s demise. Tazawa did not look sharp and gave up the game tying single to Zobrist. The bases would end up being loaded when Tazawa gave up a bases clearing double to Evan Longoria. Sox 3-6. The game shifted on the Sox in the span of the time it look the Sox bullpen to not get the 3 outs they needed to get out of the inning. Breslow pitched a scoreless 8th, but the damage had already been done. In the 9th the Sox were able to grab a single run when Holt hit an RBI sac fly to score Bogaerts, but that would be it on their way to the first loss of the series with the Rays.
Red Sox 4 Rays 6 BOXSCORE
WP: Price (11-7) LP: Tazawa (1-2) SV: McGee (10)
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