ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The opportunity was there. But as they did with so many of the pitches thrown by Tyler Glasnow Tuesday night, the Red Sox missed it.
With two teams in front of them losing, the Red Sox could have returned to Boston having made up ground. Instead, they had a feeble offensive showing and dropped their second straight to the Tampa Bay Rays, 3-1.
The Red Sox were unable to get much done offensively all night, and in particular, against Glasnow, who tied a career-high with 14 strikeouts over six innings. In all, the Sox fanned 17 times.
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In all the Sox managed just five hits, including only two over the final six innings — a two-out, pinch-hit double by Ceddanne Rafaela in the eighth inning that was, ultimately, wasted, and a single by Triston Casas with one down in the ninth.
In all, the Red Sox produced just three baserunners the Red Sox managed after the third inning. The other was the result of a leadoff walk by Trevor Story to start the fifth.
Once more, the Sox exhibited some poor situational hitting, going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. In the third, they had a baserunner on third and two outs, but the next three hitters failed to deliver the run.
Tied at 1-1, the Rays notched solo runs off starter Nick Pivetta in both the fourth and fifth.
Isaac Paredes hammered a four-seamer into the left field seats with two out in the fourth for the second homer by the Rays in as many innings.
In the fifth, Pivetta’s control deserted him and he paid for it. After issuing consecutive walks to Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe to start the inning, Pivetta got Randy Arozarena to hit into a double-play as Diaz advanced to third.
That left Pivetta an out away from getting out of the jam, but an aggressive Harold Ramirez jumped on a first-pitch fastball and hit it to straightaway center, off the wall. That was all for Pivetta, who gave way to Brennan Bernardino.
The Red Sox insisted in the aftermath of their excruciating 11-inning loss Tuesday that they would be able to put the defeat behind them, and indeed, they got on the scoreboard first.
Enmanuel Valdez led off the third with a single to left and was driven home when Connor Wong drove a ball the other way to the warning track in right. Tampa outfielder Luke Raley allowed the carom to get away, and Wong wound up on third with a run-scoring triple.
It didn’t take long for the Rays to counter, however. In the bottom of the inning, with two out, Brandon Lowe connected on a first-pitch fastball from Pivetta and drove it out to right for his second homer in as many nights against the Sox.
Heading home
The Red Sox are off on Thursday before beginning a seven-game homestand Friday with the first of three with the first-place Baltimore Orioles. After that, the Sox host the New York Yankees in a four-game series to conclude their second-to-last homestand of the season.
