ST. PETERSBURG — The Tampa Bay Rays squandered nine walks and left 12 runners on base Friday night at Tropicana Field, falling to the Boston Red Sox 4-2 before a crowd of 23,342 and ending a six-game winning streak that had carried them deep into the American League East race.
The loss, combined with the New York Yankees’ 9-2 win at Arizona the same night, trimmed Tampa Bay’s AL East lead to four games with nine remaining in the regular season. The Rays went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position — one of only two such performances all year — after entering the game leading the majors with a .284 average in those situations.
“We’ve been so good at that all season long. We just came up short,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Credit their guys. They made some big pitches.”
The Rays had chances late. They loaded the bases in the sixth inning with Jake Fraley, returning from a four-month absence, at the plate as a pinch-hitter. In the ninth, trailing by three, Ryan Vilade reached on a wild pitch with two outs to load the bases again for Chandler Simpson. Neither opportunity produced a run. Fraley struck out against reliever Wyatt Olds, and Simpson grounded out to end the game.
“We always think something’s going to happen to get a win,” Simpson said. “I mean, a lot of things were going our way right there, and it just didn’t happen.”
The only comparable collapse this season came July 19, the final game of a four-game Boston sweep at Fenway Park, when Tampa Bay went 0-for-15 with runners in scoring position in a 6-1 defeat. The Rays’ .268 average with two outs and runners on also leads the majors.
Starter Ian Seymour absorbed the damage early, surrendering four runs on solo home runs by Roman Anthony — who also drove in two more on a single in the second inning — and Jahmai Jones. Seymour has now allowed 21 home runs in 19 appearances since moving into a starting role, 17 of them with nobody on base.
“You’ve just got to credit the offense for constantly putting pressure on other teams. You know we’re never really out of a game,” Seymour said. “I’ve just got to do a little better job limiting runs.”
“Sometimes they’re going to make the pitches, and sometimes we’re going to get the hits,” Fraley said. “Tonight, that just wasn’t the case for us.”
“Everybody on this team wanted to capitalize on those opportunities,” first baseman Yandy Díaz said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “But it’s baseball. They just didn’t go our way and we missed a few, and ultimately they stacked up.”
The Rays host Boston for two more games this weekend before a four-game series at Yankee Stadium next week that figures to determine the AL East title.