BOSTON — The combination of some suspect defense and an inability to produce a hit with runners in scoring position proved too much for the Red Sox to overcome Wednesday. They dropped a 4-3 decision to the Tampa Bay Rays, who erupted for three runs in the sixth to take the lead for good.
Tanner Houck had limited the Rays to just one run over the first five, but left with two runners on and two outs in the sixth before the Sox came unglued. Boston made two errors, resulting in three of the runs scored against them to be unearned.
The loss was the 13th in the last 16 head-to-head meetings for the Red Sox against Tampa Bay since the start of last season.
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It was something of a surprise that Houck returned for the top of the sixth, with his pitch count already at 95 pitches. After yielding consecutive out-out singles, Houck struck out Ben Rortvedt for the second out before being lifted after throwing a career-high 112 pitches.
Greg Weissert relieved him and gave up consecutive singles to Jose Siri (one run) and Yandy Diaz (two runs). Before Wednesday, Weissert had stranded seven of nine inherited runners this season, but not on this night as the Rays stretched their lead to 4-2.
A solo homer from Rafael Devers in the bottom of the sixth pulled the Red Sox to within a run, but they could get no closer.
Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth The Red Sox got a leadoff homer into the visitor’s bullpen from Wilyer Abreu. It was Abreu’s fourth of the season.
Houck was in command in the early innings, working around a two-out hit batsman in the second and a leadoff walk and single in the third.
In the fourth, however, the Rays got to Houck — with some help from some porous defense from the Red Sox. With Jonathan Aranda on first with a one-out walk, Devers couldn’t come up with a slow roller along the third base line by Isaac Paredes.
Richie Palacios pulled a ball to the right side that hopped over the glove of Garrett Cooper and past a diving David Hamilton behind him, for a run-scoring single to right. Houck escaped further damage when he fanned Jose Caballero and retired Ben Rortvedt to strand two baserunners in scoring position.
It didn’t take long for the Red Sox to grab an early lead. In the bottom of the first, Jarren Duran cranked a double to left field, and after moving up to third on a deep fly ball to center by Abreu, trotted home when Connor Wong hit a deep fly ball to the warning track in center, scoring Duran easily with a sacrifice fly.
FINALE ON TAP
The two teams will wrap up their four-game series Thursday night at Fenway, with the Red Sox sending RHP Cooper Criswell (2-1, 2.10) to the mound against RHP Zack Littell (2-2, 3.02) at 7:10 p.m. From there, the Red Sox leave for a six-game road trip with three games in St. Louis over the weekend, followed by another matchup with the Rays.
