ST. PETERSBURG -- Willy Adames stood out in the field. And then he didn't.
After making two outstanding defensive plays, the rookie shortstop's throwing error opened the door for the Red Sox to score three times in the ninth as the Rays fell, 4-1, on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field.
The Rays took their third consecutive loss -- scoring a combined five runs in the process -- while dropping to 3-9 on the season against the Red Sox.
Rays closer Alex Colome entered the game in the ninth with the score tied at 1. J.D. Martinez led off the inning and grounded to Adames at short. Playing in just his second Major League game, Adames fielded the ball cleanly then skipped his throw to first baseman C.J. Cron, who couldn't make the pick.
"As soon as you make an error, especially in that inning, there's going to be some trouble," said Adames, who told reporters he was unable to get a good grip on the ball. "You know, I have to take the responsibility. I have to make the routine play. At this level, you have to make the routine play."

Seizing the opportunity, Xander Bogaerts doubled down the left-field line to drive home Martinez. Colome then walked Rafael Devers before uncorking a wild pitch to move the runners to second and third. Eduardo Nunez's sacrifice fly drove home Bogaerts. Jesus Sucre's passed ball then allowed Devers to score, capping Boston's three-run inning and sealing the Rays' fate.
"It's my fault, the [top] of the ninth, making that error," Adames said. "It was a tough night for me making that error and getting the 'L' for the team."

Earlier in the game, Adames served as the relay man when he took a throw from center fielder Johnny Field and sent a strike to Sucre to nail Nunez at the plate. And the next inning, he started a nifty 6-4-3 double play that helped Rays starter Chris Archer escape a jam. Still, what happened in the ninth stung the Rays' No. 2 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
"You have to take the responsibility when you do something good and when you do something bad, too," Adames said. "You have to be a grown man."

Rays manager Kevin Cash didn't sound too worried about Adames turning the page on what happened in the ninth.
"Hopefully he forgets about it, because he's going to be playing tomorrow," Cash said. "I don't say anything. He knows. Whether you're A ball, Double-A, Triple-A, now the big leagues, he carries himself so well. I'm sure he's frustrated, but he'll move past it. That's what makes him special. And he'll be right back out there making plays for us tomorrow."
Adames managed a smile when told of his manager's faith in him.
"Tomorrow, we're going to come back and try to get the win," Adames said. "I'll do my best tomorrow to try to help the team to win."
Neither team could generate any offense in the early going against Red Sox starter David Price or Archer. Both recorded five scoreless innings before each permitted a run in the sixth. Neither returned to pitch the seventh.
The score remained tied at 1 until the Rays' collapse in the ninth. Colome came away with his fifth loss of the season.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Archer encountered trouble in the sixth. Christian Vazquez singled to open the inning before Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi drew walks to load the bases. Archer then got to work limiting the damage. Hanley Ramirez grounded into a 6-4-3 double play that scored Vazquez, and Martinez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Red Sox up 1-0.
"Our margin for errors is very small, so I was thankful to limit the damage," Archer said. "But I would've rather not given up any runs. I threw well, but not well enough."

SOUND SMART
Archer did not surrender a home run for the second consecutive start. He hasn't allowed a homer in four of his last five starts since the start of May.
HE SAID IT
"Alex comes in and Willy goes to his right, makes a pretty good play grabbing it, and then he might have rushed his throw a tick, made it a little challenging. And it unfolded from there." -- Cash, on the ninth inning
UP NEXT
The Rays wrap up their three-game series with the Red Sox at 7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday at Tropicana Field. Left-hander Blake Snell will start for the Rays. He has yielded two runs or fewer in eight starts this season, which trails just Houston's Justin Verlander (10) and Washington's Max Scherzer (9). Rick Porcello will start for the Red Sox.