They needed something to ignite them -- an energy shift from what had been a deflating few days.

Maybe the ignitor was Martín Pérez, who gave the Red Sox the type of performance (5 innings, 4 hits, 0 ER, 4 K’s) they’ve lacked so often from the mound this season in guiding the club to a 5-0 victory over the Rays on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. The win snapped a four-game losing skid.

Or maybe it was Alex Verdugo providing his team what it has hardly ever had this season -- an early lead. Verdugo did so with a two-run shot to right field, marking his first home run in a Boston uniform and perhaps a signal that he is one of many hitters ready to heat up after a slow start.

• Box score

Perhaps it was Michael Chavis who provided the biggest moment -- a two-run rocket to left that went a Statcast-projected 421 feet in the sixth to make it 5-0.

The fact that the Red Sox could have so many important events to choose from on one night was a satisfying way to close out a 3-4 road trip that ran their overall record to 4-8.

“I think it’s huge,” Verdugo said. “We’ve had a lot of games having to come back, fighting a little bit, trying to get the adrenaline going and stuff like that. Today, just to come out there and get the early lead and to hold it the whole game -- great job by our pitching staff. They did what they had to do. I know Pérez was in a couple of jams and made really big pitches and got out of it. So today I think was just the defense, the offense, the pitching, everybody. We were all firing on the right cylinders.”

Manager Ron Roenicke’s team is now 20 percent of the way through an unprecedented 60-game season for MLB. Wednesday offered hope that the next 80 percent could be good enough to keep the Red Sox competitive in an increased playoff field that will have eight teams in each league.

“I just think we need to stay on the same page, and we’re going to have nights like tonight,” said Pérez.

In baseball, it so often starts with the starter. And that’s why it was so big for Pérez to put five straight goose eggs on the board en route to Boston’s first shutout of 2020.

“Whenever you spend less time on the field than you do in the dugout, that’s obviously a lot better. You’re off your feet and everybody feels better physically,” said Chavis. “The way he was attacking the zone tonight, he doesn’t really let up. He didn’t really show any fear. Just bringing that momentum into the dugout every inning was great. It just helps get the momentum going.”

But the first surge of momentum the dugout truly felt was after Verdugo finished rounding the bases.

“That was big,” said Roenicke. “It doesn't seem like we have leads at all. He was pretty happy.”

Coming over as the biggest piece in the trade that sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers is pressure enough for Verdugo. But he also had the added element of coming back from the stress fracture in his back that ended his 2019 season in August. It shouldn’t be particularly surprising that he managed just a .550 OPS heading into Wednesday’s game.

Nor should it surprise anyone if he starts to heat up now that he’s getting his legs under him.

“I was just late, starting late, everything like that. The speed, like the pitches, everything was speeding up on me,” Verdugo said. “You know, I just kind of went to being a little bit calmer and starting a little bit earlier. I’m starting to see the ball better, I’m starting to put better swings on the ball.”

With a bundle of energy and a dynamic skill set, Verdugo has the chance to have a big impact on the Boston lineup.

“I mean, we need that guy. He’s got amazing talent, and I think he just needed to believe more in himself, and good things are coming,” said Pérez. “I know it’s hard when you’re not hitting good and you’re not pitching good, but I think when hard times come is when you need to believe a little bit more, and he’s getting there. As soon as he gets hot, we’re going to be fine.”

Chavis was another one off to a slow start, as evidenced by his .468 OPS entering the finale at Tropicana Field. But Roenicke has continued to plug him in there against lefties, even though Mitch Moreland has been red-hot in his half of the first-base platoon.

“It’s kind of a weird situation,” Chavis said. “I know the numbers showed up today and the results were there. But I felt a lot better than the results have been lately. I know when I pinch-hit the other night [Tuesday], I had two groundouts, but I felt like I put good swings on them. I hit the barrel. I’m trying to stay focused on the process, and I feel good about how things are going.”

If Wednesday’s well-rounded win can serve as a momentum-starter, the Red Sox will soon feel a lot better about how things are going.

Up next
The Red Sox will return home on Friday night at Fenway Park, where they kick off a seven-game homestand. Righty Ryan Weber, who didn't make it out of the fourth inning in his first two starts, will try to have a rebound performance against the Blue Jays. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, live on MLB.TV.