Coming off the first sweep of the season, the Red Sox seemed to have some momentum and a chance to win over some fans with a home series against the Tampa Bay Rays. While the Rays’ roster isn’t full of superstars, they’ve played really good baseball over the first month of the season, making them a good measuring stick for the Chad Tracy-led Red Sox.
The Red Sox ultimately lost the game 4-1, and for the most part, it felt like a game that would have been played with Alex Cora at the helm. The offense
just wasn’t there, runners were left on base, and the pitching couldn’t keep the Rays entirely off the board. An error by Trevor Story in the third inning was uncharacteristic of this Red Sox team and allowed a run to score, but that wasn’t the difference in the game. The team left nine runners on base and only scored one run. It’s been an issue for the entire year, and there’s not a ton of reason to think it will change. Willson Contreras left the game early after getting hit with a pitch, too, which will only accentuate that issue.
The Red Sox dropped two of three to the Rays and fall 17-23 on the season. There’s still plenty of time to make a run in a largely mediocre American League. They get the Phillies next, who are 7-3 in their last 10 after a rough start to the season. Fortunately, we’ll miss Christopher Sanchez, who went on Sunday for the Phillies and is certifiably nasty on the mound.
Three Studs
Mickey Gasper
The Bryant University alum (go Bulldogs) was most of the offense for the Red Sox today, registering three hits, including two doubles. I haven’t watched much Worcester Red Sox this season, but the minor league numbers show he’s put together very competitive at-bats. Good start for Mickey in Roman Anthony’s absence.
Payton Tolle
Five innings and three runs don’t jump off the page, but I think it’s an important development for Tolle. The ability to go out there and grind through innings is important. It’s not the dominating performance he had against the Yankees, but it was a solid start nonetheless. Five innings is on the shorter side, but I’m all for protecting his arm. It’s easy to forget he’s only been a professional for a short time.
Moms
Shoutout to Moms. They’re pretty sick.
Three Duds
Ceddanne Rafaela (0-4)
Caleb Durbin (0-3)
Zack Kelly (0.1 IP, 1 ER)
