BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox managed only five hits and went quietly Sunday, losing 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays before a sold-out crowd of 35,859 at Fenway Park.
Tampa Bay starter Alex Cobb (11-9) got the win, allowing one run on four hits over five innings.
The Rays’ bullpen retired 11 of the final 12 Red Sox batters as Boston’s four-game winning streak ended.
Boston starter Rick Porcello (9-17) pitched well through four innings – one hit, no runs – but gave up two runs on four hits and a walk in a 39-pitch fifth inning.
His teammates offered no support. As usual, the Red Sox were stymied by Cobb, who is 3-0 in four starts against Boston this year.
Boston got its run in the second inning, with help from shaky defense. Mitch Moreland led off with a walk and reached second on Rafael Devers’ groundout as second baseman Brad Miller bobbled the bouncer, preventing a double play.
Christian Vazquez, one of the few Red Sox players who has had success against Cobb (6 for 8), singled to right. Moreland scored, helped by an errant throw by right fielder Mallex Smith that allowed Vazquez to advance to third. Vazquez then tried to score on fly ball to right by Sam Travis but was thrown out by Smith on a controversial play.
Replays appeared to show that Vazquez slid in ahead of the tag, and the Red Sox challenged the call. After a lengthy review, however, the call stood.
“He beat the tag,” Red Sox Manager John Farrell said. “But they said they couldn’t definitively say if his foot reached the plate.
“You think you have a run scored and it’s taken away. Yeah, that’s a missed opportunity.”
Porcello was cruising until Miller led off the fifth with a double and scored on Wilson Ramos’ single to right. Porcello then gave up two more hits, including Evan Longoria’s two-out RBI single to right that put the Rays up 2-1.
“I didn’t do myself any favors by throwing 40 pitches in the fifth and creating a mess for us,” Porcello said.
With Porcello’s pitch count at 95 after the long inning, Farrell called on the bullpen.
But Brandon Workman allowed a home run by Ramos in the sixth, and Robby Scott gave one up to Lucas Duda in the seventh.
Tampa Bay’s bullpen proved more effective. When Cobb began the sixth by yielding a single to Andrew Benintendi and a walk to Mookie Betts, Manager Kevin Cash went to lefty Dan Jennings to face two left-handed batters. Moreland grounded into a double play, and Devers grounded out to second.
NOTES: The Rays (71-73) were originally scheduled to begin a homestand Monday against the Yankees, but the three-game series has been moved from St. Petersburg to the Mets’ Citi Field in New York because of Hurricane Irma. The Rays are supposed to host the Red Sox for three games starting Friday. … When the crowd arrived Sunday, they were greeted by players from the Rays, Florida Panthers, Red Sox and Boston Bruins (including Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara) collecting donations for victims of Irma.
Red Sox infielder Eduardo Nunez, who suffered a knee contusion Saturday, may be back in the lineup Tuesday. … David Price’s comeback try continues. He is scheduled to pitched a three-inning simulated game Wednesday or Thursday. The plan after that is up in the air. … Hanley Ramirez was not in the Red Sox lineup and got a day off. … Reliever Carson Smith has made two appearances so far (two innings, two hits, no runs) but will continue to be eased back in after last year’s Tommy John surgery. For now, he will not make back-to-back appearances.
Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or:
kthomas@pressherald.com
Twitter: ClearTheBases
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