Rays 3, Red Sox 4 11 innings
Record: 14 - 8
Attendance: 18,740
Apparently eager to match his friend Diego Castillo in last-inning losses, Jose Alvarado allowed the 11th inning run that put the Red Sox ahead and secured for himself his second consecutive loss. That's four in a row split evenly between the tag-team relievers. And it's the Rays' third extra-inning loss without a win.
The reliever futility wasted another comeback highlighted by Tommy Pham's 8th inning home run that tied the game at three. In all three games against the Red Sox, the Rays put up a good fight only to be thwarted in the end. Their comebacks didn't make it all the way back. Maybe it was because they struck out 17 times on the night and left 15 men on base. Just a thought.
Tyler Glasnow was barely able to contain his anger at being pulled after five and a third innings in which he gave up a single run (Mitch Moreland's homer in the fourth) and struck out five with 76 pitches. And he had the lead. "In the moment," he said, "I'm definitely frustrated"--even though he supported his manager's decision, he said. After the game, Mgr. Cash sounded like he regretted replacing Glasnow. He called it "a really tough decision on my end," one he added that was "pretty challenging."
Part of the challenge was working his mix and match reliever magic--six pitchers in all: Kolarek (pitched to one batter who came in to score), Roe (two-thirds of an inning, one hit, two walks, and a blown save), Stanek (one inning, two hits), Pagan (back up from Durham for a clean inning), Castillo (a clean two innings with one hit, one walk, and five Ks), and Alvarado (one hit, one run, and the loss). Winning the game would have made Cash look like a pitcher-managing genius; losing it merely opened him up to a fourth straight game of second guesses. Regrets? He had a few.
But as bad as a three-game sweep is by Boston in the Trop, which was overrun again by red-breasted bullies, it wasn't the worst news of the night. That honor goes to Austin Meadows, little less than spectacular in his first month with the Rays, who was put on the 10-day IL for a right thumb sprain that everyone is praying is not a torn ligament that requires surgery.
This was a lost weekend every way you look at it. There is nothing to do at this point but write the Red Sox series off as an anomaly. Those three days were a mere market correction they will set to rights starting tomorrow night when the Kansas City Royals come to town. At least there won't be thousands of fans rooting against them.
Why not show up in force Rays fans? Reclaim the Trop for the hometown boys in Blue.
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