Connelly Early Starts 1-1 Against Tampa Bay in Red Sox Vs Rays
Connelly Early took the ball for red sox vs rays on June 8, and Boston opened a road series in Tampa Bay with a starter who had already gone 1-1 against the Rays in his career. The Red Sox entered at 27-36, while Tampa Bay was 37-25 and tied for first in the American League.
Early’s Tampa Bay Track Record
Early came in with a 5-3 record and a 3.26 ERA, plus 12 strikeouts in 11 innings against Tampa Bay across two career appearances. His last outing against the Rays was even sharper: on May 8, he struck out eight and did not allow a run in seven innings of a 2-0 Red Sox win.
That history gave Boston a starting point in a matchup that had already tilted once this season. The Red Sox took two of three games from the Rays in early May at Fenway Park, and Early was part of the reason the series never turned into a sweep for Tampa Bay.
Rays Reach Back To Seymour
Tampa Bay answered with Ian Seymour as the opener before Mason Englert took over, a setup that fit a club that had dropped 10 of its last 13 games. Seymour entered with a 3-0 record and a 5.23 ERA, while Englert had no decision in seven career appearances and 12 innings against Boston.
The Rays also came in on the heels of a 4-1 loss to the Marlins on Sunday. Kevin Cash did not hide the state of the lineup after that game, saying, “We got some guys who are going through it right now” and “We got them on the pitching side, on the offensive side and we’re just not clicking for whatever reason, but we’ll continue to work to get going.”
Boston’s Offense Still Missing
The Red Sox were not exactly rolling either. They had failed to score more than three runs in 35 of 63 games and had been limited to 10 total runs in their last five losses, while also ranking last in the majors with 48 home runs.
Even so, Boston had one edge that traveled: it was 25-0 when leading after seven innings. Texas was the only other club without a loss when leading after seven, at 27-0, so any early lead in this series carried real weight.
Sunday sharpened the contrast entering the matchup. Boston lost to the Yankees 6-1 after beating them on Friday and seeing Saturday’s game rained out and moved to Aug. 29, while Tampa Bay stayed 10 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox despite its recent slide.
For Boston, Early’s line was the cleanest path back into the series. For Tampa Bay, a lineup led by Yandy Díaz and a club carrying a 21-game on-base streak from him had to stop the skid before the standings gap started to feel even smaller.
