Sunday, 4 a.m.
It keeps getting worse for the slumping Tampa Bay Rays. This time, however, they can’t pin it on their house-afire bullpen.
The Rays were smothered, 1-0, by Boston’s Garrett Crochet Saturday afternoon. Crochet allowed only three hits in the shutout and struck out nine.
Crochet, 10-4, baffled the Rays’ hitters in throwing his firstcareer shutout and complete game.
The Rays have now lost 10 of 13 and are 2-7 on their 10-game road trip.
Shane Baz was also very good for the Rays, giving up just five hits and one run in the fourth inning in his 6 1/3 innings.
The closest the Rays came to scoring came in the sixth inning when Taylor Walls tried to score on a squeeze bunt by Ha-Seong Kim but was out at the plate. Walls and Yandy Diaz both had hits in the inning, but the Rays had only one other hit on the day.
Boston’s run came in the fourth when Carlos Narvaez singled in Roman Anthony.
The Red Sox have now won nine in a row.
The Rays and Red Sox play today at 1:35 p.m. at Fenway Park. Ryan Pepiot will start for the Rays against Brayan Bello.