And just like that, the Rays look like deadline sellers: White Sox 11, Rays 9.

No matter how well everyone else does their job, two shaky pitchers throwing two terrible innings can lose a game for you.

Englert, Boyle, and Baker were all just fine, covering 5.1 innings and allowing just one run.

The Rays offense managed nine runs. That’s a lot of runs! It should be enough for a win. In fact it should be enough for TWO wins.

But Taj Bradley, after throwing a clean first inning, could not get out of the second. Three straight singles followed by a home run, and the four run lead the Rays had gained in the first, thanks to 2-run homers by Diaz and Caminero, was gone.

The Rays did manage to regain the lead in the fifth inning. They loaded the bases, and Josh Lowe — whose July slump has been one reason the team has struggled — came through with a single to score one run. Then Jake Mangum hit a shallow bloop, the Sox left fielder had to run a bit to get it but he was there and then just whiffed on the ball. The bloop dropped and another run scored.

It looked like the Rays would have yet another run one batter later; Jansen struck out but the pitch skipped to the backdrop. Jansen ran to first and Junior, at third, dashed home (to the extent that he can dash). He was called safe but Chicago challenged and the call was overturned. From the replays I saw, it was very unclear whether the pitcher, who was covering, got the tag down on time but apparently the folks in NY thought there was a clear enough view to overturn. (The White Sox would get another call questionably overturned in the bottom of the ninth, too). That made the score 6-4, and by the end of the seventh it was 7-5.

Then came Kevin Kelly. Kelly was a bright spot in last year’s pen and started off this year strong. July has been a mess, but I don’t recall any mess as big as the one he made today. His line tonight? Six runs (five earned, thanks Jose Caballero) in one-third of an inning. I mean, he really couldn’t get anyone out. The Rays started the eighth inning with a two run lead, and when the top of the inning was over they had a four run deficit.

Yes Kevin Cash did finally pull him in favor of Ian Seymour (who actually allowed one of the runs to score) but not pulling him sooner was puzzling to me — he clearly didn’t have it, we’ve seen position players pitch to better results.

The Rays got two runs back later that inning thanks to the poor command of White Sox pitchers Steven Wilson and Tyler Gilbert. But that just made it more frustrating that the top of the inning had gotten so far out of control.

As for Taj Bradley: He’s just 24 and we know he has talent. But…what the hell Taj? It’s hard to understand how someone who rose quickly through the system and had some impressive moments in his debut season seems to have at best plateaued and at worst regressed in his development. I know consistency is hard, but to pitch in the majors you need to learn from your mistakes and then….not make them again.

But Taj has shown no upward trajectory. Today is the first day that I’ve seen him less as a young talent who just needs to put it all together and more as someone who may never reach his potential.