Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays wrapped up this series the way the board expected: Griffin Jax against a diminished Boston lineup, with Tampa Bay's playoff spot long since banked and nothing riding on the outcome beyond the standings sheet.

FINAL

Spread

WIN

Total

Red Sox

(84-71)

LWWLL

1

+1.5-170+127o8.5+133

Rays

(94-60)

WLWWW

5

-1.5+143-153u8.5-158

Tampa Bay's four-run first inning off Patrick Sandoval decided this one almost immediately, and Griffin Jax made it stand up with another scoreless outing in a game that meant plenty to Boston's wild-card push and nothing to a Rays club already through to October.

Red Sox

• +Story's 9th-inning solo homer broke up the shutout
• +Anthony's double was the lineup's lone extra-base threat
• −Sandoval allowed all 5 runs, most in the first inning
• −No offense at all before the 9th
• −Lineup missing Contreras managed only 4 hits

Rays

• +Jax extended his scoreless streak to a third straight start
• +DeLuca's double and Simpson's single built a 4-run first
• +Mesa Jr.'s 4th-inning homer added insurance
• −Offense went quiet after the 4th inning
• −Bullpen never truly tested behind a big early lead

Jax didn't need his best stuff to keep the streak going. He worked 5 shutout innings, and by the time he handed the ball off, Junior DeLuca's double and Cesar Simpson's two-run single in the first inning had already done the damage.

Patrick Sandoval

(1-7)·5.15 ERA

Sep 15 @ Rangers

L

2.2IP

4ER

5K

2BB

68P

09/20 Lineup

Griffin Jax

(8-10)·3.62 ERA

Sep 15 vs Athletics

ND

5.0IP

0ER

7K

0BB

67P

09/20 Lineup

Patrick Sandoval never got the game under control. He allowed all 5 Tampa Bay runs, with Victor Mesa Jr. tacking on a solo homer in the 4th, and Boston's shorthanded lineup — playing without Willson Contreras — had no answer until a Trevor Story solo shot in the 9th broke up the shutout.

That homer was the only extra-base damage Boston could scrape together against a Rays pitching staff that barely had to sweat once the first-inning lead was in hand. Roman Anthony's double was the only other real threat, and it went nowhere.

Boston Red Sox

(15)

• Day-To-DayWillson Contreras (1B) — Contreras (hand) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.09/20
• Day-To-DayAroldis Chapman (RP) — Chapman (lat) will not pitch this weekend but is expected to return during the team's final homestand next week, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.09/19
• 10-Day-ILCeddanne Rafaela (CF) — Rafaela (quadriceps) is with Triple-A Worcester on Thursday and will do some hitting off their Trajekt machine, Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports.09/17
• 10-Day-ILCurtis Mead (3B) — Mead (wrist) will begin hitting off a tee Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.09/15
• 10-Day-ILAnthony Seigler (2B) — The Red Sox placed Seigler on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to right wrist inflammation.09/13
• 10-Day-ILEli White (CF) — Boston placed White on the 10-day injured list with a right foot ligament injury Friday, retroactive to Sept. 9.09/11
• 10-Day-ILMasataka Yoshida (DH) — Interim manager Chad Tracy revealed Tuesday that Yoshida has a "significant" left hamstring injury that will keep him out until close to the end of the season, at minimum, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.08/18
• 15-Day-ILJustin Slaten (RP) — Interim manager Chad Tracy said Tuesday that Slaten (elbow) will not return from the injured list this season, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.09/15
• 60-Day-ILGarrett Crochet (SP) — Crochet (shoulder) threw a two-inning side session Saturday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.09/20
• 60-Day-ILTanner Houck (SP) — Houck (elbow) allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits while striking two over 3.1 innings for Triple-A Worcester on Saturday.09/20
• 60-Day-ILJohan Oviedo (SP) — Ovideo (elbow) allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out four for Triple-A Worcester on Thursday.09/18
• 60-Day-ILKutter Crawford (SP) — Crawford (forearm) is expected to remain on the injured list for the rest of the season, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.09/07
• 60-Day-ILEduardo Rivera (SP) — The Red Sox recalled Rivera from Triple-A Worcester and placed him on the 60-day injured list Tuesday due to a lumbar strain.09/01
• 60-Day-ILTriston Casas (1B) — Casas (abdomen/knee) underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left wrist Thursday.08/06
• 60-Day-ILZack Kelly (RP) — The Red Sox recalled Kelly (elbow) from Triple-A Worcester and placed him on the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.07/21

Tampa Bay Rays

(8)

• 15-Day-ILGarrett Cleavinger (RP) — Cleavinger (forearm) is expected to resume mound work Saturday, MLB.com reports.09/19
• 15-Day-ILTyler Wells (RP) — The Rays placed Wells on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with right forearm tightness.09/15
• 15-Day-ILShane McClanahan (SP) — Rays manager Kevin Cash said recently that McClanahan (forearm) has resumed playing catch but still has "a long way to go" before returning to the active roster, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.09/15
• 15-Day-ILManuel Rodriguez (RP) — Rodriguez (back) is expected to join Triple-A Durham for a rehab assignment Sunday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.09/12
• 60-Day-ILGavin Lux (LF) — Lux (shoulder) has resumed full baseball activity, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.09/11
• 60-Day-ILEdwin Uceta (RP) — Uceta (shoulder) is playing catch from 75 feet, per MLB.com.08/15
• 60-Day-ILJonathan Heasley (RP) — Heasley was returned to the major-league roster and placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow stress reaction.06/08
• 60-Day-ILRyan Pepiot (SP) — Pepiot will undergo surgery on his right hip May 13 and miss the rest of the 2026 season, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.05/08

None of Boston's bullpen issues ever came into play in a game decided before the fourth inning, and Tampa Bay's own injured relievers stayed on the shelf without being missed. The Rays close out the regular season with the best record in baseball and the freedom to treat weekends like this one as tune-ups rather than tests.