When both teams are struggling as much as the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays are at the moment, both teams look to use those games to break out of their slump and build some momentum. Entering last nights game, the Rays had lost 11 straight games, and the Red Sox were 9-14 on the month.
Both teams were simply not playing their best baseball, as the Red Sox pitching staff has been atrocious, while the Rays offense has been one of the worst in baseball.
On Monday night, the Rays dominated from the first pitch, and snapped their 11 game skid to defeat the Red Sox 13-7. The Rays offense got to Eduardo Rodriguez early and efficiently, slamming on nine runs against the southpaw in just 2.2 innings.
After the game, Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket, making an already slim Red Sox rotation even slimmer. Also after the game, John Farrell and the Red Sox held a team meeting, looking to turn around the teams' struggles.
David Price was one of the players to be vocal about looking to turn things around, tweeting, "Times like this is what makes winning so special!! We will get through this...this is the time we need your support the most! #unity."
The first opportunity to get back in the win column is on Tuesday night against the Rays. Rick Porcello (8-2, 3.93 ERA) and Chris Archer (4-10, 4.70 ERA) will get the nods for their respective teams. The game starts at 7:10 PM et at Tropicana Field.
Rays offense looks to build off Monday's terrific showing
On Monday, the Rays offense looked like a completely different group compared to their past 11 games. They tacked on 13 runs, their highest amount of the season. Nick Franklin had a tremendous game, tacking on three hits and five RBIs, including a home run in the seventh. He was one of five players to record three hits, tallying a total of 18 hits.
On Tuesday, they will get a bit of a tougher matchup with Rick Porcello. Porcello has had an interesting season, as he had a terrific April going 5-0 with a 2.76 ERA, but has had a 4.57 ERA ever since. In his last start against the Chicago White Sox, he allowed four runs in 5.1 innings.
The Rays faced Porcello on April 20, as he tossed seven innings yielding six hits, three runs, one walk, and struck out nine. Current Rays hitters are hitting .281 against the right-hander. Brad Miller has had success facing Porcello, as he has two home runs in just five at-bats.
The Rays offense as a whole has not been great this season. Their 308 runs are the third-worst in the American League, and it was the worst before their 13 run performance on Monday. Evan Longoria has been the star of the offense, hitting .275 with 18 homers and 45 RBIs, all leading the team.
With Porcello, it will be difficult for the Rays to hit three home runs as they did last night. Porcello is not expected to be the ace of the Red Sox staff, but will need to fill in as one as they look to end a skid.
Chris Archer looks to keep Red Sox offense silent
Chris Archer had huge expectations entering this season, but he has not quite lived up to them to begin the year. The 27-year-old is 4-10 this season, and does not have a pretty ERA to show for it at 4.70. He still is getting his usual high amount of strikeouts at 108, but it has not been enough to keep his ERA down where it was in 2015 at 3.23.
The Red Sox offense began the season as the best in baseball, but has not been the same in June. They have scored just 118 runs in June after scoring an incredible 182 in May.
Players such as Travis Shaw and Jackie Bradley Jr. have not been the same, and it has hurt the Red Sox.
The Red Sox relied on their offense heavily when they were winning games in April and May, and to look to get by Archer and the Rays on Tuesday, they will need a big performance to get them back in the win column.