With the offense suddenly feeling the absence of David Ortiz, close games consistently ending in the opposition’s favor and the Tampa Bay Rays playing better than they ever have before, the Red Sox understand that their margin for error at the moment is virtually zero. That point was driven home once again last night at Tropicana Field, where a few mistakes that would have been inconsequential in past weeks came back to floor the Sox, sending them to a 3-1 loss to the for-real, first-place Rays.Tim Wakefield (5-6) extended his quality start streak to seven games by allowing only one earned run in seven innings but paid the price for two wild pitches and a walk, as the second-place Red Sox saw their losing streak extended to four games for the first time since May 11-14. Wakefield, 2-3 with a 1.98 ERA in his last seven starts, was charged with a run-scoring wild pitch in the first inning. A second wild pitch in the fourth allowed a runner to advance into scoring position and eventually score the run that put Tampa Bay ahead to stay.
Matt Garza (7-4), J.P. Howell and Grant Balfour combined to allow only six hits and an unearned run to improve Tampa Bay to 13-4 in their last 17 games, while sending the Sox to their seventh defeat in the last 11. Rays pitching stranded eight baserunners and allowed only one hit in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position. The Rays improved to a major league-best 51-32, while expanding their AL East lead to 2 games over the Red Sox. A loss tonight would mark the second time in as many three-game series that the Sox, whose largest division deficit in 2008 was three games (April 9), have been swept by the Rays at Tropicana Field and the first time that they have trailed by 3 games in the AL East since the end of 2006.
Nation Notes: The Red Sox won’t tip their hand until it’s time to make a roster move, but there’s a good reason Clay Buchholz was pulled from Pawtucket’s game Monday night after pitching five scoreless innings while throwing just 50 pitches. Buchholz appears primed to return to the Sox rotation, possibly as soon as Saturday afternoon against the Yankees in the Bronx. Buchholz is 4-1 with a 1.63 ERA in eight starts since the Sox sent him to Pawtucket to work on his fastball. In his last four starts, he is 4-0 with a 0.40 ERA, allowing just one earned run in 22 2/3 innings. Justin Masterson is scheduled to start Saturday and the rookie righthander is worthy of staying in the rotation, going 4-2 with a 3.75 ERA in eight starts while demonstrating considerable poise to go with his above-average stuff. But Masterson also has walked nine batters over 12 innings in his last two starts. The Sox are also very close to promoting another top pitching prospect, righthander Michael Bowden, from Double A Portland to Pawtucket, with an eye to a possible promotion to the big leagues in August, following the same career path as Jonathan Papelbon in 2005.
