BOSTON — The Rays went into the postseason feeling confident they were experienced enough, talented enough and, more than anything, good enough to make another long run through October to a World Series that could stretch into November.
Instead, they now are facing the stunning possibility of going home as soon as Monday night.
The Rays’ 6-4, 13-inning walkoff loss to the Red Sox on Sunday left them down two games to one in the best-of-five American League Division Series, meaning they need to win Monday night at Fenway Park, then again in a Game 5 on Wednesday at Tropicana Field, just to get to the second round.
Monday will be challenging enough, as the Rays don’t have a true starting pitcher, planning a bullpen day ensemble the day after using nine pitchers, including Luis Patino, who was expected to handle the bulk of the innings in Game 4. Collin McHugh and Michael Wacha are now the most likely to get the work.
Christian Vazquez hit a two-run walk-off homer in the 13th after Hunter Renfroe led off with a walk off Patino.
Also an issue is the frustration of how they lost, rallying for two runs in the eighth inning to tie, then wasting chances in the 10th and 11th.
Worse, getting a bad break on what would have been a run-scoring hit by Kevin Kiermaier in the 13th that would have scored Yandy Diaz from first had it not bounced over the rightfield wall, after first bouncing off rightfielder Hunter Renfroe. Instead, after an umpires’ huddle and replay review, Diaz was sent back to third and Kiermaier to second, and Mike Zunino struck out.
The Rays’ problems for most of Game 3 were two-fold: They made some mistakes on the mound, beginning with starter Drew Rasmussen failing to record an out in the third, and they didn’t hit much, getting two runs in the first, then nothing else until Wander Franco’s leadoff homer in the eighth that started their game-tying rally.
Coming off Friday’s Game 2 drubbing, the Rays got off to a promising start Sunday against top Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi. Franco singled with one out. Then Austin Meadows — the 27-homer, 106 RBI-man limited to one pinch-hit appearance in the first two games as the Sox started lefties — laced a home run to right.
The Sox came right back to halve the lead, as leadoff man Kyle Schwarber homered on the second pitch from Rays starter Drew Rasmussen, who was not overly sharp. Nor did he stick around long, pulled after allowing three straight singles, and the tying run, to start the third.
The Rays turned next to Josh Fleming, the lone lefty in their bullpen was just converted to a relief role last month, and that didn’t work, as he allowed an RBI single to lefty Rafael Devers.
Manager Kevin Cash used his relievers for short outings. Pete Fairbanks started his poorly, allowing a homer to Enrique Hernandez, whose eight hits over the last two games are a postseason record, that made it 4-2.
The Rays couldn’t do much else against Eovaldi, who worked the first five innings. From Meadows’ homer in the first until Joey Wendle’s double with one out in the fifth, they went 0-for-13 with seven strikeouts, one walk and one hitter, Brandon Lowe, reaching on an error.
But they rallied to tie it in the eighth off reliever Hansel Robles. Wander Franco, the 20-year-old rookie, got them started with a leadoff homer, his first of the postseason. Meadows followed with a double, and moved to third on Nelson Cruz’s weak ground out. With two outs, Randy Arozarena came up big again, lacing a ball to the left of center, scoring pinch-runner Manuel Margot.
Arozarena fell between first after a slight collision with first baseman Schwarber Cash went out to ask the umpires presumably about an interference call that would advance Arozarena to third, but there was no change. After Kiermaier was intentionally walked, Zunino struck out to end the inning.
