We knew going in this series would tell us a lot about both the Red Sox and Rays.
For Boston this week was an opportunity to prove it could hold its own against a real contender. For Tampa Bay it was a chance to show its hot start wasn’t just a flash in the pan.
Well, we sure know where the teams stand now.
Facing their first big test against a playoff-proven division rival, the Red Sox got splattered like a bug on a windshield. The Rays completed the four-game sweep Thursday afternoon, riding a seven-run fifth inning to a 9-3 victory.
The Rays are now 13-0, matching the 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers for the best start in MLB history, while the Red Sox limp home last in the AL East and facing serious questions.
“Right now they’re playing great baseball, playing good defense, running the bases, pitching well, they are who they are right now,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “Obviously disappointing for us to come here and get swept but we’ve got to turn the page and be ready for tomorrow.”
What should we take away from this?
First, the Rays are a certifiable wagon. Losing a series on the road to a team that’s unbeaten through two weeks shouldn’t necessarily be cause for panic. Whether it’s pitching, hitting, base running, defense, the Rays can do it all and are just relentless.
The problem is watching this series hammered home just how big a gap exists between the Red Sox and their main competitors.
Injuries or not, this club just isn’t close right now.
Offensively the Red Sox had their moments but in key spots couldn’t come through. Overall the lineup went 5 for 28 (.178) with runners in scoring position over the four games, including 1 for 8 on Thursday.
That, combined with the defensive miscues that plagued the club throughout the week, helped give Tampa Bay too many chances and the Rays seemingly took advantage every time.
Thursday was particularly frustrating because the Red Sox finally gained the upper hand and seemed primed to finish the series on a high note. Boston led 3-1 thanks to a solo shot by Rob Refsnyder, an RBI groundout by Kiké Hernández and an RBI single by Justin Turner, but then in the bottom of the fifth the Rays flipped the game on its head.
After a strong start to the game, Corey Kluber (4.2 innings, 4 earned runs, 7 strikeouts) got into trouble and left the game with two outs and runners at the corners. Richard Bleier, summoned to protect a 3-2 lead and face the lefty Brandon Lowe, immediately allowed the game-tying RBI single on the first pitch.
Lowe wound up being the first of five consecutive Rays batters to reach, all on weak contact or low-probability plays. Yet no matter how they got it done, the result was a seven-run inning and an 8-3 lead. The Red Sox never seriously threatened again.
“That’s what they do, they put the ball in play,” Cora said. “They hit the ball hard throughout the series but that inning they made sure to put the ball in play and good things happened.”
Frustrating as the series was, the good news is it’s a long season and the Red Sox do have reinforcements coming. Masataka Yoshida (hamstring tightness) should return to the lineup in the next day or two, Brayan Bello will likely be activated over the weekend and James Paxton shouldn’t be more than a couple of weeks away.
The Red Sox also have what should be a festive weekend at Fenway Park to look forward to. The club will host Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels while marking both Jackie Robinson Day and Patriots Day, as well as the 10-year anniversaries of the 2013 marathon bombings and that fall’s World Series championship.
Tanner Houck (2-0, 4.50 ERA) will face Los Angeles Angels starter Patrick Sandoval (1-0, 1.64) in the series opener. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
Though the extent of Zack Kelly’s elbow injury won’t be known until he’s evaluated in Boston on Friday, the rookie right-hander’s condition is serious enough that the Red Sox immediately placed him on the 15-day injured list Thursday. Officially, Kelly is being shut down due to right elbow inflammation and second-year righty Kutter Crawford has been called up to fill his spot on the roster.
Kelly’s injury is a blow to the Red Sox bullpen and an unfortunate setback for a pitcher who has already overcome lots of adversity just to reach the big leagues. A former Division 2 pitcher, Kelly has already torn his ulnar collateral ligament once but was able to avoid Tommy John surgery, instead undergoing internal bracing surgery in May 2020, the same surgery Trevor Story had this offseason. Upon his return he signed with the Red Sox as a minor league free agent and rose through the ranks, eventually making his MLB debut last fall.
Through the first two weeks Kelly had posted a 3.68 ERA in six appearances, primarily being used as the first man out of the bullpen when the starting pitcher has run into trouble.