Red Sox Recap: Bullpen gives it up in 4-3 loss

Wade Miley went an impressive 6.2 innings, but the Red Sox bullpen gave back the lead and the game in a sweep preventing 4-3 Tampa win at Fenway Park. The Red Sox mini three game winning streak ends and the potential for a new losing streak begins.

This home stand has featured a new and intriguing dimension to the frustration the Red Sox can pour on their fans – giving the opposition a first inning lead and today was no exception. This time around it was the first batter, one Brandon Guyer, putting one out to put Tampa ahead 1-0.

The Red Sox jumped right back off Tampa’s Jake Odorizzi in the bottom with a single to right by Xander Bogaerts. Bogaerts stole his seventh base on a David Ortiz strikeout and then trotted home on a Hanley Ramirez shot off the wall in left-center. They were not done.

Mike Napoli, suddenly finding his post trading deadline bat, shot a single into left and Hanley motored in to give the Sox a 2-1. However, Nap finished the inning attempting to get to second on a passed ball. Hint: You will not see Nap running the final leg of America’s 4 X 400-Meter relay in the Olympics. That out put the first inning into the books.

Another run was added to the Red Sox score book in the bottom part of the third. Bogaerts, with five hits in his last six at bats, got plunked. Ortiz then drove a wall ball double for the RBI and a Red Sox 3-1 advantage.

Miley was cruising along until two were out in the fourth. Asdrubal Cabrera punched a hit to right and James Loney jumped on a 3-2 fastball to right that gave Rusney Castillo some exercise and Loney a double and an RBI. The good news was Miley was in a rare no walking mode with zero free passes issued through four innings, but had managed to go 3-2 five times.

Miley opened the top of the seventh with 107 pitches on his chart, but after two quick outs up came fellow lefty Kevin Kiermaier and the speedy Kiermaier whacked his 11th triple of the season to right and that was it for Miley. Enter Robbie Ross for a hit batter and a walk to load up the bases for Joey Butler. On 1-2 Ross went breaking ball and Butler went fishing. Strikeout for Ross.

Odoizzi (6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, BB, 5 K) put in his six workman like innings and was replaced by Xavier Cedeno. Cedeno has an interesting Tampa history as he was sold to the Dodgers in late April. The Blue then went DFA on Cedeno and two days later sold him back to the Rays. Sold twice in five days.

The Red Sox went to the usual suspects in the bullpen to close out the game. In came Junichi Tazawa and it was sayonara to the lead. Evan Longoria led off with a double and with one out Cabrera put a ground rule double over Castillo’s head. Game tied – at least for one pitch – as Loney blooped a single to center and the Rays now had a 4-3 advantage. Now it was Tampa’s turn for either bullpen heroics or failure.

Jake McGee, who Napoli wrecked Friday night, was first out of the ‘pen to do set-up duty and capture an all important hold on the stat chart. This time around McGee tossed Nap a nasty curve on 1-2 and Napoli had whiff number 95 for the season. Travis Shaw (2-4) then got a 98 MPH heater as McGee had a K and a H.

Brad Boxberger closed out for the Rays with a three strike out ninth for his 26th save. Steve Geltz (2-5), making a league leading 50th appearance, received the victory for one-third of an inning effort.

The Red Sox travel to New York to face the Yankees and right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (7-4, 3.80). The Red Sox announced that Henry Owens will start his first MLB game at The Stadium.

Game Notes and other detritus

* Pablo Sandoval struck out pinch hitting.

* Ramirez left n the 8th with a twisted knee. No report on the injury.

* Entering the game Boston had scored 51 runs in the last seven games hitting .332 in the process.

* Today in 1901 Cy Young won his 20th game of the year against 5 losses.

* Chris Archer is 1-6 lifetime against Boston.

* Yesterday’s win put Boston 27-27 at home.

* Rays’ Nate Karns leads all AL rookie pitchers in starts (20) and K’s (106).

* Travis Shaw became the first Red Sox rookie since Walt Dropo to score five runs in a game.

* Today marked the 1,000 game at third for Longoria. Longoria has recorded 92 errors in that span. Brooks Robinson allowed 96 in his first 1,000 games at third.

B. . Game Ball. Wade Miley. STARTING PITCHING

Today it was the Good Miley that took the mound for Boston with two runs and five hits allowed in 6.2 innings. Miley did have six 3-2 counts and that explains 120 pitches tossed. Miley also bagged four K’s.

D-. . Game Ball. Robbie Ross. RELIEF PITCHING

Tazawa (2-4) gave up the game in his one inning of work and took the loss. Ross and

Koji Uehara

both put runners on and escaped without damage. Give the game ball to Ross for a bases loaded K.

POSITION PLAYER . D+. . Game Ball. Travis Shaw

RISP was 2-7 and Red Sox left six runners on base. Ramirez and Shaw had two hits each. Ortiz a double. RBI territory – Napoli, Ortiz and Ramirez. Napoli also had three strikeouts.

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