There would be no Mothers Day Miracle this season at Fenway. Just the opposite, in fact.
The Red Sox fell to the Rays in miserable fashion Sunday, an embarrassing 11-2 beating. The Sox joined the 14-22 Marlins as the only MLB teams limited to two runs in multiple home games of 2017.
Sunday’s marked just the 10th time ever that Boston has allowed 11 Rays runs at Fenway. It was the first time the Rays belted 16+ hits at Fenway since collecting 19 hits there on April 11, 2011.
No Relief
With starter Drew Pomeranz out of the game with left triceps tightness after just 57 pitches (3.0 IP), it would be up to the bullpen to keep the Sox within striking distance in a game that was, to that point, just 2-1 in favor of the Rays.
Save for Ben Taylor, who allowed one earned run over 2.0 IP, and Fernando Abad, who got through two-thirds of an inning cleanly, the rest of the relief staff offered no relief.
In short order, Matt Barnes (1.0 IP) gave up one earned run. Robbie Ross (2.0 IP) allowed three. And Heath Hembree, who seems to have lost his ability to fool anyone, was, in the space of just one-third of an inning, touched for four earned runs, including a three-run home run by Steven Souza.
Never Ending Affair
At times, particularly in the top of the ninth, it seemed as though it would never end. Tampa Bay plated seven runs by 11 batters on 44 Red Sox pitches in that inning. The ninth tied the Rays club record for most scored in that inning.
In all, the game took four hours, 32 minutes, Boston’s longest 9-inning game since September 13, 2007 against the Yankees and the ninth longest nine-inning game in Major League history.
More importantly, Sundays’ loss means that the Red Sox passed on an opportunity for a series win against an otherwise weak opponent. Indeed, the Rays haven’t won the rubber game of a series since their very first series on April 5 against New York.
Instead, the Red Sox have now lost in back-to-back series for the second time this season, falling to 4-2-2 in home series, 6-5-2 overall.
The Sox remain the club with the fewest strikeouts in the majors (238), but whiffed 10 times on Sunday for the eighth time this season.