G26: Rays 5, Red Sox 1

Rays    - 220 000 100 - 5 11  0
Red Sox - 010 000 000 - 1  7  0

Tampa Bay roughed up Clay Buchholz in the early part of the game, putting three men on base in each of the first three innings. Joey Butler's two-run homer in the second gave the Rays an early 4-0 lead.

However, before the Rays scored any runs, Hanley Ramirez - the team's top hitter (.949 OPS) - suffered a left shoulder sprain and was taken out of the game. With two outs in the top of the first, James Loney lifted a fly towards the line in left. Ramirez sprinted over, snagged the ball on the run, took two steps, and crashed into the padded left field foul wall. The ball was jarred loose and Ramirez was in serious pain. The official scorer first charged Ramirez with an error, which was simply adding insult to injury. The Red Sox challenged the safe call, thinking that Ramirez had possession of the ball long enough to record an out. However, the original call was upheld. And the error was eventually changed to a double. Evan Longoria followed with a double and David DeJesus singled, giving the Rays a 2-0 lead.

Buchholz (6.1-9-5-2-7, 107) recorded the first two outs in both the first and third innings before allowing three baserunners. In the third, he managed to leave the bases loaded.

Boston scored its lone run on back-to-back two-out triples by Brock Holt and Xander Bogaerts. Both were hit into the right field corner and somewhat misplayed by Steven Sousa, Jr.

Mookie Betts doubled to start the third, but was stranded on third base. Holt doubled with two outs in the fourth and was left there when Bogaerts fanned. In the sixth, David Ortiz and Allen Craig (who replaced Ramirez) singled. That seemed promising, but Pablo Sandoval grounded into a first-pitch double play and Mike Napoli flied out.

With the loss - and the Blue Jays' 3-1 victory over the Yankees - the Red Sox tumbled into last place in the AL East. Boston has lost 11 of its last 16 games.

Jake Odorizzi / Clay Buchholz

Betts, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Ramirez, LF
Sandoval, 3B
Napoli, 1B
Holt, RF
Bogaerts, SS
Leon, C

The Red Sox (12-13, 4th place) host the Rays for three games before heading to Toronto and the west coast.

Boston has lost seven of its last 10 games, and 10 of its last 15 games.