Red Sox Protest 3-2 Loss to Rays After Controversy over Lineup Changes

The Boston Red Sox finished Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays under protest due to a series of defensive substitutions in the eighth inning that resulted in lineup confusion. 

Per MLB.com's Ian Browne, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told the umpires in the eighth inning the game was being played under protest stemming from a move made by Rays manager Kevin Cash:

"The controversy stemmed from Rays manager Kevin Cash moving lefty Adam Kolarek from the mound to first base after getting the first out of the inning, and then bringing him back to the mound to pitch against Rafael Devers with two outs. The confusion was over lineup placement. The official announcement was that Kolarek went into the third spot in the batting order⁠—which was occupied by designated hitter Austin Meadows. And Nate Lowe, who replaced him at first base, was in the ninth spot."

Browne noted the official announcement in the press box said Boston's protest "was due to the placement of the substitutions in the lineup following the removal of the DH."

Per ESPN.com, play was stopped for nearly 15 minutes because the umpires were trying to sort out the Rays' changes while looking at their lineup cards. 

"They had a pitcher at first base," Cora told reporters after the game, via ESPN. "They had a pitcher on the mound. And they still had the DH. Hard to explain...there's a lot. Illegal substitutions. But we'll see what happens."

According to MLB's official rule, "managers can protest a game when they allege the umpires misapplied the rules." The league office will determine if the protested decision was a violation, but a replay of the game will only occur if it's determined the violation "adversely affected the protesting team's chances of winning."

It's rare that MLB determines a game must be replayed because of a protest violation. The last instance occurred in 2014 when an issue with the tarp at Wrigley Field during a 15-minute rain delay left the field unplayable for a game between the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs.