ST. PETERSBURG -- A late flurry led by a three-run homer by Ceddanne Rafaela in the top of the eighth inning that brought a five-run deficit down to one only made you wonder how the day might have wound up for the Red Sox if not for Drew Rasmussen’s utter shutdown of the visitors during his seven-inning performance.
Rasmussen, who had a lights-out afternoon of pitching for the Rays en route to his team’s 7-5 victory that capped a three-game sweep of the reeling Red Sox, made sure there was zero production during his seven scoreless innings. The righty allowed two hits and one walk while punching out 13.
The way the Red Sox are built right now offensively, the quartet at the top of the order needs to set the tone.
Thanks to Rasmussen, who mastered Boston as his team built a 5-0 lead, there was no tone to be set.
For Boston’s top four hitters of Jarren Duran, Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Willson Contreras, it was a historically tough day. The quartet went 0-for-11 with 11 strikeouts the first three times through the order. Contreras did manage to reach in the fifth inning when he was hit by a pitch.
Duran, Rafaela and Abreu became the first trio of starters in top three spots in the order to each strike out in their first three plate appearances since at least 1900, per the Elias Sports Bureau. And the 11 strikeouts for the first four spots in the batting order tied a team record (done three times before) for a nine-inning game.
For a road trip that started with promise via a 5-3 victory at Yankee Stadium, it ended in a dead end, with the Sox losing the final four games on their journey while being outscored by 10 runs (20-10).
Lefty Jake Bennett, recalled from Triple-A Worcester to replace the recently optioned Brayan Bello in the rotation, held his own in the first four innings, allowing just one small-ball run in the bottom of the third.
But in the fifth, the Rays generated a rally in the way they often do. After a leadoff double by Nick Fortes, Taylor Walls reached on a one-out bunt single. When Yandy Díaz hit a high chopper to short, shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa looked like he got a little flat-footed, then bobbled the ball, and everyone was safe. It was ruled an infield hit to put runners on first and third as one run scored.
Then, something even more Rays-esque happened. Austin Slater hit a hard grounder off Bennett’s foot, and it kicked into no man’s land in left and turned into an RBI double. Ryan Vilade capped the scoring in the three-run bottom of the fifth with a sacrifice fly.
Over five innings, Bennett allowed seven hits and four runs while walking one and striking out four.