Red Sox struggle at the plate once again in middle game vs. Rays; lose 7-2

The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays met on Saturday at Fenway Park for the middle game of their final series of the regular season, and Alex Cora's team fell 7-2.

Kutter Crawford got the start for Boston for the final time in 2024, and he wasn't his best. After escaping the first inning, Crawford was eventually tagged for six runs on five hits and four walks while striking out six in 4 1/3 innings total.

Greg Weissert (1 2/3 innings), Lucas Sims (one inning) and Chase Shugart (one inning) all had scoreless outings while Luis Garcia (one inning) gave up one run on three hits in his appearance.

The Red Sox' offense struggled once again, as they totaled just two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out nine times.

Triston Casas (1-for-4) scored one on his solo home run in the first inning, and Jarren Duran (0-for-3) scored the other on a wild pitch from Rays starter Shane Baz in the sixth. Trevor Story (2-for-3) was the only member of their lineup to record multiple hits on the afternoon.

This loss drops them to 80-81 on the season and 37-43 at home. The two teams will play again on Sunday afternoon, and whoever loses will finish in fourth place in the division.

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