ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays didn’t get what mattered most Thursday, which would have been a win over the Red Sox to stop their first losing streak in more than a month.
Instead, they lost for the third straight time and fourth in five games, 4-3 at Tropicana Field.
But the Rays might have found some consolation in getting big hits from three key players who have been in major extended slumps — Austin Meadows, Brandon Lowe and Hunter Renfroe.
After losses to the last-place Nationals and now the Red Sox, Tampa Bay saw its American League-best record drop to 28-16 and its lead in the East Division reduced to 3½ games over the idle Blue Jays.
Rookie Josh Fleming put the Rays in a 2-0 hole, allowing a two-run homer to Rafael Devers with two outs in the third.
But the Rays pulled even in the fourth, in a loud, and welcome, way.
First Renfroe, who was in a 1-for-15 and 2-for-25 slump, led off with a homer to the deep part of the park, left of center. It was his seventh home run of the season.
Then Brandon Lowe, 2-for-his-last-30 and 6-for-55, drove the next pitch over the fence in straightaway center. That was his 11th homer of the season but first since Aug. 26. Put another way, it was his second in his past 15 games after hitting seven in his previous 12.
The Sox took the lead in the fifth, when rookie smash Bobby Dalbec went deep off Fleming, his sixth homer in his first 10 games since his Aug. 30 debut.
But the Rays pulled even again. And this time it was Meadows, who was on a career-worst-matching 0-for-18 and 2-for-28 stretch, with the big hit.
Manuel Margot led off with a single and stole second, then Meadows laced a double down the leftfield line that hopped the short wall.
Fleming got off to a good start in his bid to become the first Rays pitcher to start his career with wins in his first four appearances.
He zipped through the first two innings, allowing only an infield single, then got two quick outs to start the third, striking out five of the first eight Red Sox.
He was a strike away from getting out of it but suddenly got in trouble, allowing a single to Alex Verdugo, then a homer just inside the rightfield foul pole to Devers. The inning cost Fleming pitches also as he needed 30 to get the three outs.
Fleming started the fourth with a walk, but he got a fielder’s choice grounder, then a double play to get through with eight pitches.
He didn’t make it out of the fifth, however, allowing the leadoff homer to Dalbec, then two more singles before being replaced by Ryan Thompson.
For the night, Fleming went 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts, throwing 75 pitches, 47 for strikes.
The Rays got the tying run to third in the ninth, but Meadows took a called third strike he didn’t agree with to end it.
"lose" - Google News
September 11, 2020 at 09:16AM
https://ift.tt/3ileoQe
Rays lose third straight, 4-3 to Red Sox, but there is some good - Tampa Bay Times
"lose" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3fa3ADu https://ift.tt/2VWImBB
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Rays lose third straight, 4-3 to Red Sox, but there is some good - Tampa Bay Times"
Post a Comment