Thursday, 4 a.m.
The wasteland that is the season of the Tampa Bay Rays added another bit of evidence Wednesday night.
The Rays, spinning their wheels until the end, squandered so much in their 2-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox. It was the Rays’ 79th loss of the year (against 76 wins).
Along the way, the Rays wasted a solid pitching performance, a 1-0 lead and several scoring opportunities.
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The Rays’ ’ Ryan Pepiot went six innings and allowed just two hits, although one was a solo homer by Trevor Story. The Sox’ other run came when Jarren Duran singled in Story in the eighth.
Pepiot struck out 12 in his effort. In the fifth, Pepiot had an immaculate inning (three strikeouts on nine pitches).
Alas, the Rays have struggled to get runners home all season. The Rays were one-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
In the seventh, the Rays put runners on first and third with no one out. They didn’t score.
In the ninth, the Rays put runners on second and third with two out. They didn’t score.
The Rays got two hits from Taylor Walls, who singled in a run in the second. Josh Lowe and Jonny DeLuca also had two hits.
The Rays and Sox play again today at 6:50 p.m. Zack Littell will pitch for the Rays. The Red Sox have not announced a starter.