BOSTON _ Things seemed different for the Rays on Thursday.
They got the kind of strong start they'd been lacking, as rookie Yonny Chirinos, stepping in on their second planned bullpen day of the season, worked five strong, scoreless innings.
And they got the kind of clutch hit they'd been missing, Matt Duffy, after failing twice previously, blasting a two-run homer in the eighth.
But they ended up with another loss anyway, 3-2 in 12 innings, and it was even more painful than the five straight that came before it.
First, that closer Alex Colome, pitching for the first time in a week, lost a 2-0 lead in a messy ninth.
Then that rookie Ryan Yarbrough lost the game in the 12th giving up the game-winning single to Hanley Ramirez.
Jackie Bradley Jr. started the winning rally with a leadoff double off Andrew Kittredge, and went to third on a bunt. The Rays intentionally walked Mookie Betts to bring up lefty swinging Andrew Benintendi, and brought in Yarbrough, for his second big-league appearance in a tough spot. Yarbrough walked Benintendi to load the bases, and then Ramirez singled to deep right.
The Rays seemed headed for a rewarding 2-0 win then they summoned Colome, who led the American League with 47 saves last year, for the ninth. But Colome hadn't pitched since the opener a week ago, and that didn't go well.
He allowed the first three to reach, as a Betts single, Benintendi walk and Ramirez single halved the lead.
Colome picked up two outs when J.D. Martinez to hit a grounder to short that Adeiny Hechavarria turned into a double play, but there was more drama to come.
First when Xander Bogaerts hit a hard drive to left that Mallex Smith jumped for at the wall but couldn't catch, allowing the tying run to score.
After Colome intentionally walked Rafael Devers, Eduardo Nunez hit a ground ball off the glove of a diving Matt Duffy to load the bases.
Second baseman Daniel Robertson then made a play on Jackie Bradley Jt.'s grounder up the middle and _ rather than just tag second _ instead threw back to first.
The play at first was close. Bradley was called out by the umpires, and the Red Sox challenged. After a 1:41 review, the replay crew in New York decided the call "stands," which basically means they don't have enough evidence to overturn it.
The Rays had a couple of chances. In the 10th they had the bases loaded but C.J. Cron struck out. And in the 12th they had Joey Wendle at second with one out, but Duffy flied out (though at least moving the runner) and Kevin Kiermaier, off to a 2-for-28 start, struck out.
Though it was again cold _ with a first-pitch temperature of 40 degrees and a feels-like in the mid-30s _ the dry and sunny weather was a welcome change for the Rays after three days of snow and rain in New York. "This is beautiful," manager Kevin Cash said.
Making his first major-league start and second appearance on the Rays second planned "bullpen day" of the season, Chirinos gave the Rays an impressive outing, working five scoreless innings, allowing only three hits with no walks. As impressive, he needed only 54 pitches to do so, compared, for example, to Blake Snell throwing 90 over 31/3 innings on Wednesday.
Chirinos, a 24-year-old Venezuelan, was the Rays 2017 minor-league pitcher of the year for his work at Triple-A Durham and a month at Double-A Montgomery, going 13-5, 2.73.
What sets Chirinos apart is that he is primarily a sinkerball pitcher, which presents a different look than the rest of the Rays staff, and tends to get a different result with more balls hit on the ground.
"We talk about a lot of guys on our staff that are built to throw the fastball at the top of the zone and utilize the carry," Cash said before the game. "He's kind of the opposite of that where he gets a lot of height to his release point but the ball kind of bears down and creates ground balls, in theory."
Though their unusual pitching plan has been the primary topic of conversation, the Rays lack of offense has been an issue. And things didn't look any better through the first seven innings against old friend David Price, as they managed only three hits.
Still, they twice had promising opportunities.
With two on the third after a Daniel Robertson double and Rob Refsnyder walk, Duffy grounded into a fielder's choice, Kiermaier lined out and Carlos Gomez popped out.
Two innings later they got back to back walks from Robertson and Refsnyder, but Duffy took a called third strike and Kiermaier grounded out.
The Rays are off Friday, then resume play against the Red Sox on Saturday, with Jacob Faria on the mound against Boston's Rick Porcello.
