ST. PETERSBURG -- The next week is going to determine a lot for the Rays, both in the standings and in what the front office will do as the July 31 Trade Deadline approaches.

The Rays came into Monday’s play just one game behind Oakland for the second Wild Card spot, and the team is in position to stay in the playoff hunt over the next two months. But with the team nine games behind the division-leading Yankees after Monday’s games, it’s also reasonable to wonder just how active they will actually be, if at all.

• Box score

The first big test of the week against the Red Sox started off poorly for the Rays, who dropped Monday’s game 9-3 at Tropicana Field, helping Boston pull to within one game of Tampa Bay in the standings.

Tampa Bay is now 9-10 in July and 23-22 against the American League East on the year, including a record of 10-17 against the Yankees and Red Sox. The Rays are 1-6 in their last seven games and have been outscored 41-17 over that span. It’s also the club’s worst seven-game stretch since June 3-10, 2018.

“Guys are pressing, there’s no doubt,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash. “For good reason because they care a lot. It’s just not going our way right now when we’re coming up to hit.”

Jalen Beeks got his first start of the season and everything went smoothly for the left-hander through the first two innings. The third inning, however, turned out to be a nightmare inning for Beeks, who allowed seven runs and three homers in the frame.

“He was kind of spreading the ball around that [third] inning,” Cash said. “His first two innings, he looked really crisp, in the zone. It seemed like the hit, something changed, I’m not sure. I know he was fighting his mechanics a little bit. His body and trying to get everything in line, in order, but he just wasn’t able to make the adjustments out on the mound.”

The Rays were hoping that, due to a tired bullpen, Beeks would be able to provide the club some length, but that didn’t happen as the left-hander allowed eight runs over just 3 1/3 innings.

“[I] didn’t complete pitches as high of a tick that I wanted to and they’re a good team and when you make a couple of mistakes they turn around and hit three home runs that inning,” Beeks said. “I didn’t really give the team a chance to win and I have to do better on my part and that’s what I’m going to continue to work on.”

The bullpen was so thin on Monday that Cash opted to pitch infielder Mike Brosseau in the ninth inning despite being down just five runs. It was the first career pitching appearance for the Rays rookie.

“Cash kind of asked me there in the 8th inning if I’ve ever pitched before and I told him that I have twice in Low-A,” Brosseau said. “They just asked me to throw strikes and hopefully get outs. Told him I was up for the challenge.”

Cash explained after the game that if the game was a four-run game heading into the ninth, he would’ve gone with Diego Castillo, who had started warming up.

“Basically, the grand slam was the mark,” Cash said. “If we cut it to four, Diego was going to come into the game. We went into the game knowing our pitching had been fairly taxed. They're tough calls, for sure.”

Offensively, the Rays struggled against Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who tossed seven scoreless innings on Monday, but were able to get something going against the Boston bullpen in the eighth inning.

Travis d'Arnaud continued his hot hitting, delivering an RBI double to get the Rays on the board in the eighth, while Austin Meadows extended his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games with an RBI double to drive in d’Arnaud.

Yandy Díaz also recorded an RBI single in the three-run eighth, but left Monday’s game with two outs in the ninth after fouling off a pitch off his left foot. He was assisted off the field by trainers and will undergo X-rays on Tuesday.