ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Was it the eternal sunshine of the spotless mind that inspired Terry Francona to instruct his closer, Jonathan Papelbon, to begin warming up at the start of the eighth inning last night even though the Red Sox were down by five runs to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays?
Of course not. Francona's not that good, nor that optimistic. Papelbon just needed the work on a night the Sox' offense broke down again, as the 14 runners left on base reminded one and all after a 5-2 loss.
''It seemed like we had 'em on the ropes every single inning," third baseman Mike Lowell said on a night the Sox managed only to tie themselves into knots with their inability to hit when it counted.
The Sox went just 2 for 19 with runners in scoring position on a night Tampa Bay teased them with nine walks and two hit batsmen, much the way the Devil Rays tormented the Yankees two nights earlier by holding the Bombers to two runs despite 14 walks. The game against the Yankees was historic; the 1954 Giants are the only other team in modern times to issue 14 walks and hold the opposition to two runs in a win.
''Check if the '54 Giants did the same thing with nine walks," cracked Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, whose team came away with a win even though three-quarters of its starting infield is on the disabled list along with their Rhode Island import, outfielder Rocco Baldelli.
The rallies have been few and far between on this trip, which now stands at 2-5 with two more in the Trop and the Yankees arriving for their first visit Monday. The Sox, held to three or fewer runs for the 10th time in 23 games, are batting .159 (13 for 82) with runners in scoring position.
Second baseman Mark Loretta came to the plate with six runners on base and did not get the ball out of the infield in five at-bats. Wily Mo Peña also had a chance to knock in six runners, and he, too, managed just three ground balls and a whiff.
David Ortiz, who faced a variety of shifts last night, including one in which third baseman Sean Burroughs looked like someone dropping into punt formation, backpedaling into left field, grounded out with two on in the seventh and popped out with two on in the eighth.
Most frustrating game to date? ''Probably," catcher Jason Varitek said. ''Definitely.
''That repeated a lot tonight. I think this team can hit a lot better than we are right now and I think we're going to.
''This team is still a work in progress, still figuring each other out, figuring out their approaches, trying to make adjustments. The guys in here are working real hard. That's the good thing."
