G132: Rays 9, Red Sox 1

Red Sox - 000 001 000 - 1  3  1
Rays    - 203 101 20x - 9 12  0

It's a good thing the Red Sox will not be facing the Rays in the postseason. Tampa Bay swept the three-game series, limiting Boston to five runs (only two in the final 22 innings). After knocking out 13 hits in the opening game on Friday, the Red Sox managed only eight over the two weekend contests.

Boston held a season-high 10.5-game lead on the morning of August 19. Since then, the Red Sox have gone 2-6, while the Yankees have gone 6-1 - and the lead has been eroded to six games.

The Rays became the first team to sweep the Red Sox in a series since the Orioles did it on August 25-27, 2017 (!). Also, the Rays had not swept Boston since May 23-25, 2014.

Blake Snell (6-2-1-2-8, 89) lowered his season ERA to 2.05. Over his last 10 starts, he has a 1.25 ERA. Since returning from the disabled list at the start of August, it's 1.04 in five starts.

Snell has faced the Red Sox four times this season - March 30, April 27, May 24 - and has a 1.08 ERA (25 innings, 13 hits, 3 runs, 7 walks, 27 strikeouts).

Boston's offense is easily summarized. Steve Pearce walks to start the second and was thrown out trying to advance on a ball in the dirt. Mookie Betts singled to open the fourth and Snell responded with two strikeouts and a fly to center (Betts stole second before the second out). The Red Sox scored in the sixth when Sandy Leon walked, went to third on Jackie Bradley's double to right, and scored on Betts's sac fly to center. Eduardo Nunez singled with one out in the ninth and was on second when the game ended.

Nathan Eovaldi (4-8-6-0-5, 89) threw the same number of pitches as Snell - and had 10 more strikes. It did not help him, however. The first three Rays in the first inning reached base: Joey Wendle doubled, Matt Duffy singled, and Ji-Man Choi singled. (Boston needed the entire afternoon to equal the number of hits hits in that nine-pitch string.) Jake Bauers made it 2-0 with a sac fly to right.

Three consecutive singles with one out in the third produced another run and Kevin Kiermaier's two-out triple made it 5-0. The Rays scored a run in the fourth on an error by Mitch Moreland, a single from Wendle, a wild pitch, and a sac fly from Duffy.

Right after the Red Sox scored their run, the Rays matched it, with Brandon Lowe reaching on an infield single off Heath Hembree. Lowe stole second and scored on Duffy's double. Matt Barnes allowed two runs in the seventh. Barnes walked the first batter, struck out the next two, then issued another walk. Michael Perez brought both runners in with a double to right.

The top four hitters in the Rays' order went 9-for-18, scoring five runs and knocking in four. ... Tampa Bay has won eight in a row. ... In 27 innings in the series, the Red Sox hit only three-extra base hits (all doubles).

After an off-day tomorrow, the Red Sox host the Marlins for two games before hitting the road to play the White Sox and Atlanta.

Evo / Blake Snell

Mookie, RF
Nunie, 3B
Bogie, SS
Late Lightning, DH
2-Bags, 1B
Bootsie, 2B
Brock Star, LF
Noah, C
JBJ, CF

From The Dept. of Delusion: The New York tabloids seem to think there might be a real race in the AL East: