Farrell tells Red Sox they're better than they're showing
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - John Farrell had seen enough.
When another slow start contributed to yet another Red Sox loss Monday night, the Boston manager let his players know they're better than they've performed as a team lately.
A poor outing for starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez was only part of the problem. The defense was sloppy early, too, during a 13-7 loss to the last-place Tampa Bay Rays.
"We can't continue to expect our offense to climb out of holes as we've been," Farrell said after Rodriguez allowed nine runs and 11 hits over 2 1-3 innings. "We've got to set the tone and lead the way from the mound more than we are."
Nick Franklin had his first three hits of the season and drove in a career-high five runs for Tampa Bay, helping the Rays end an 11-game losing streak.
Franklin, recalled from the minors last week, had a two-run single in the first, a RBI single in the third and a two-run homer in the seventh.
Logan Forsythe and Desmond Jennings also homered in support of rookie left-hander Blake Snell (1-2), who allowed four runs and eight hits over 5 1-3 innings to get his first big league win.
The Red Sox have lost six of eight, including three straight. Farrell said he told the team it has to play better to pull out of a funk that's seen the team go 12-18 since May 26.
Boston tied its season high by allowing 13 runs. And Tampa Bay's 18 hits were the most yielded by Red Sox pitching since Aug. 16, 2015 against Seattle.
Forsythe's two-run, third-inning homer gave the Rays a 9-0 lead and chased Rodriguez (1-3), who continued to struggle in his comeback from a stint of the disabled list (right patella subluxation).
"It was disappointing," Farrell said. "The bottom line is, he's capable of more, we're capable of more. We needed to get better, and we had a chance to share that here after the game. We collectively have to get better."
Boston fans sprinkled throughout an announced crowd of 18,024 cheered sarcastically in the third, when the Red Sox finally had a reliever start warming in the bullpen after Franklin's RBI single increased Tampa Bay's lead to 7-0. Forsythe's homer ended the Boston starter's night, giving Snell a nine-run cushion - though not necessarily an easy path to victory.
Bryce Brentz had a two-run double for Boston in the fourth, and the Red Sox loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth. Snell walked David Ortiz, forcing in a run but escaped further damage by striking out Hanley Ramirez. The young lefty yielded another run in the sixth, exiting after throwing 103 pitches.
Ortiz moved ahead of Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson into sole possession of 24th place on the career RBI list with 1,703. His 168 RBIs against the Rays are the most by any Tampa Bay opponent.
HIT CITY
Evan Longoria, Taylor Motter and Oswaldo Arcia joined Franklin and Forsythe in having three hits each for the Rays. Brentz and Marco Hernandez had three hits for the Red Sox, who finished with 12 overall.
SLOW STARTERS
Red Sox pitchers have a 6.28 ERA in the first inning this season. And in 15 games since June 12, the team has been outscored 22-0 in the first inning.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: RHP Rick Porcello (8-2, 3.93 ERA) seeks his ninth victory of the season. In addition to being tied for seventh in the AL in victories, he hasn't allowed more than two walks in any of his past 19 starts, the longest such stretch for a Red Sox pitcher since Curt Schilling did it over 33 starts from Sept. 20, 2005 to Sept. 20, 2006.
Rays: RHP Chris Archer (4-10, 4.70) has gone from an All-Star a year ago to leading the majors in losses. He's 1-7 with a 5.67 ERA in 12 career starts against Boston, his most losses against any opponent.