The Tampa Bay Rays dropped a twelve-inning thriller against the Boston Red Sox in the second game of the three-game series. With the final score being 6-5, it was mostly a game of bullpens as both starting pitchers had strong outings, with most of the runs coming during the later innings.
Scoring
Christian Arroyo struck first blood in the bottom of the first when he scored on a wild pitch from Tyler Glasnow, making the score 1-0. This would be the only run scored off Tyler Glasnow during his second outing of the season, and the Red Sox would not score again until the bottom of the 8th. The Rays were able to stay ahead for most of the game, thanks to two RBI’s from Manuel Margot, as well as a 2-for-5 performance from Willy Adames. But in the end, J.D. Martinez was the hero, giving Boston a 5-4 victory thanks to his walk-off double in the 12th inning.
Bullpens were the name of the game for each team, as neither starting pitcher went past the sixth inning. The Rays bullpen continued their struggling ways, giving up five of the six runs in the game; three of which being earned.
Standouts
Tyler Glasnow far exceeded his Spring Training performances, as he recorded a well-deserved quality start against the Boston Red Sox. While pitching six innings, he allowed just one earned run while recording nine strikeouts compared to just two base-on-balls. Unfortunately, he did not earn the win due to Tampa Bay’s lacking offense and poor bullpen performance. Manuel Margot was one of the few bright spots in the lineup. Despite going just 1-for-5, he was able to record two RBI’s, making up almost half of the Rays offense in the loss.
Summary and Future
Tuesday’s extra-inning loss against the Red Sox seems to continue the trend of the 2020 season, as their starting pitcher performs while the bullpen struggles, and the offense continues to lack the ability to back the pitchers up. The Rays dip to a record of 2-3 on the season, moving them to last place in the AL East. While it is still extremely early, the name of the game for the Rays continues to be “bullpen.” If they want any shot of earning a playoff spot once again, they will need to be able to hold leads.
The Rays will finish off the three-game series against Boston on April 7th, at 1:10 PM. Nathan Eovaldi will go for Boston while Ryan Yarbrough gets the ball for the Rays.