The Boston Red Sox returned to Fenway Park on Thursday night riding high after their first sweep of the 2026 season, but the Tampa Bay Rays quickly brought them back down to earth with an 8-4 victory. The loss drops Boston to 16-22 on the season, snapping a three-game winning streak in disappointing fashion.
What made this defeat particularly sting was the uncharacteristic performance from the Red Sox bullpen. Entering the night as one of the most reliable relief units in baseball, the relievers struggled to contain a Rays lineup that pounced on every opportunity.
Rookie left-hander Jake Bennett got the start, looking sharp through the first inning before running into trouble in the second. Tampa Bay tagged him for three runs on three hits, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. The Boston offense answered immediately, plating three runs of their own in the bottom half to knot the game at 3-3.
Bennett settled into a rhythm after that rocky second frame, retiring nine of the next ten batters he faced. The turning point came in the sixth inning when Rays star third baseman Junior Caminero led off with a double. After Bennett struck out Jonathan Aranda for the first out, interim manager Chad Tracy turned to reliever Greg Weissert to finish the inning.
That decision proved costly. Weissert has struggled since a strong outing during Boston's Marathon Monday win over the Tigers, and those struggles continued Thursday. He failed to record a single out, allowing two singles and issuing a walk as Tampa Bay grabbed a 5-3 lead. Rookie Tyler Samaniego came on to record the final two outs, but the damage was already done.
The numbers tell a tough story for Weissert. Since that Marathon Monday appearance, he has allowed five of seven inherited runners to score, along with three earned runs of his own on ten hits. After the game, he was brutally honest with reporters, telling MassLive.com's Christopher Smith, "It's not a secret, I'm pitching like [expletive]."
Overall, Weissert has now allowed seven inherited runners to score this season, tying for the most in baseball. For a Red Sox team trying to climb back to .500, finding consistency from the bullpen will be crucial as this homestand continues.