Bats Go Silent For Rays in 1-0 Shutout Loss to Red Sox in Series Finale

All Tampa Bay could muster were five quiet singles against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night, losing the rubber game of the series 1-0. Zach Littell was the hard-luck loser for the Rays, allowing just one run in six innings.

Tampa Bay's Zack Littell throws a pitch during the first inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

TAMPA, Fla. — How quickly the narrative can change for the Tampa Bay Rays offense. Just two days after setting a franchise record with 14 runs in three innings, the Rays were shut out by four Boston Red Sox pitchers on Wednesday night, losing 1-0 at Steinbrenner Field.

All the Rays could muster were five measly singles, and that was it. No one scored, obviously, but the Rays also never even got a runner to third base all night. Fourteen of their last 15 hitters made outs.

Tampa Bay wound up losing the series despite winning 16-1 on Monday night. They lost 7-4 Tuesday and then dropped the rubber game on Wednesday. The Rays have dropped all three series so far this season against American League teams, and are a combined 2-7 against the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels and the Red Sox.

The Rays are 8-10 so far, three games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East. The Yankees are in Tampa for a four-game series this weekend.

Starting pitcher Zach Littell was the hard-luck loser for the Rays, taking the loss despite allowing just one run in six innings. He's now 0-4 on the season and hasn't been particularly sharp. He's been roughed up twice — allowing five runs in a loss to Texas on April 4 and seven runs to the Angels on April 10 — but this is also the second time he's taken a loss after allowing just one run. He's the only pitcher in baseball that's had to deal with that fate this season.

“He gave us every opportunity,'' Rays manager Kevion Cash said of Littell. "If you're going to give up one run over six innings, you're going to win a lot of games. Just not tonight.”

A lack of run support is nothing new for Littell. According to MLB.com, the Rays have done very little offensively when Littell is on the mound,. They have scored two runs or fewer in 21 of his past 24 starts since last May.

No starter in all of baseball has had less run support in the major leagues during that span. According to the Rays' media relations staff, in 51 career starts, he has received 181 runs of support, an average of 3.71 per game. That's the fourth-lowest run support average in MLB among active pitchers with 50 starts or more.

The Rays' starting pitching has been terrific for much of the season. They've allowed two runs or few in 13 of their 18 starts, and it's happened five of six times in his last run through the rotation, including Joe Boyle's no-hit, no earned runs spot start on Sunday. Shane Baz, Drew Rasmussen and Taj Bradley have been especially sharp.

But the lack of offense has hurt. It was the first time they had been shut out since losing 2-0 to Cleveland on Sept. 15, 2024. And it's the first time they've lost a game while allowing just one run and five hits or fewer since falling 1-0 to Seattle on Sept. 7, 2023.

And now come the Yankees, the Rays' landlords this season at Steinbrenner Field, their temporary home after Tropicana Field was severely damaged by Hurricane Milton last September. The two teams will play night games on Thursday and Friday, and day games on Saturday and Easter Sunday.

Taj Bradley (2-0, 3.71 ERA) gets the call for the Rays on Thursday night. Will Warren (1-0, 5.14 ERA) will start for the Yankees.