Finale loss caps frustrating season at The Trop

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Red Sox rode into Tropicana Field on Labor Day riding a five-game winning streak.

Were their postseason hopes realistic at that point? Probably not.

Could they at least have made things interesting by turning that five-game winning streak into a 10- or 11-game run? They thought so.

But something all too familiar happened instead. The Red Sox got stopped in their tracks against an American League East club, enduring a three-game sweep at the hands of the Rays, capped by Wednesday night's thoroughly frustrating 1-0 defeat at Tropicana Field.

Now, it’s on to Baltimore, where the Sox will rest up during an off-day on Thursday and then open up a three-game series against the surprising Orioles on Friday night.

The reality has set in for a 67-71 club that arrived in Florida 7 1/2 games back in the Wild Card race and leaves staring at a 10-game deficit.

“Let’s keep grinding, keep going, that’s all we can do,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

At Tropicana Field all season, the Sox have arrived with high hopes, only to see them grind to a halt.

Boston played the Rays for the first time this season on April 22, and came away with a 4-3 road win which was capped off by a spectacular play from Trevor Story.

It would be the only win for the Red Sox all season at Tropicana Field, as Wednesday’s nailbiter was their ninth straight defeat in St. Petersburg.

The Sox will hope for a better result when they get back under that roof on April 10, 2023.

The series finale was there for the taking. But Boston went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 on base.

“We didn’t put the ball in play, we didn’t hit the ball hard with men in scoring position, and they do what they do. They’re really good at what they do. We’ve seen it before,” said Cora.

Cora couldn’t help but point out that when the Rays had their best opportunity of the night in the bottom of the fifth, with a runner at third and one out, Taylor Walls slapped an infield hit to bring home their only run of the game.

“Man at third, less than two outs, 3-2 count, put the ball in play, [score] one run,” Cora said. “And that’s what they did. That was enough for them. Their pitching staff did an amazing job against us and we weren’t able to score runs.”

It sure seemed like the Red Sox had a great chance to score in the top of the eighth, when Tommy Pham singled and Alex Verdugo walked to open the frame. Story’s fielder’s-choice grounder pushed Pham to third. Things looked even more promising when Story stole second, putting two runners in scoring position with one out for J.D. Martinez.

Martinez has made a living driving in runs in situations just like that. But the 35-year-old slugger, who studies the craft of hitting meticulously, has fallen into a brutal slump that has gone on for more than two months.

Instead of a game-tying sacrifice fly, a two-run single or a three-run homer, Martinez lofted a 216-foot flyout to right that wasn’t nearly deep enough to bring Pham home.

“Yeah, doing my best,” said Martinez. “That’s all you can do. I just didn’t get it in. It happens.”

In truth, the at-bat was lost on a 1-1 pitch from Jason Adam that Martinez swung through.

“He missed his pitch in that at-bat,” Cora said. “I don’t know if he expanded at the end, but it’s about getting your pitch and hitting it. I think he got some pitches to hit throughout the night and he wasn’t able to hit it hard. The one he hit hard, Walls made a great play.”

The loss gave the Red Sox an 18-39 record against their AL East brethren, which is as big a reason as any the club appears destined for a last-place finish.

Of the nine losses the Sox have endured at Tropicana Field, five came by just a single run.

“Offensively, we haven’t done enough against them, or I feel like the whole division,” said Cora. “There have been games that are out of hand, but we haven’t been able to finish games. Obviously the record is the record.”