ST. PETERSBURG -- While the Red Sox have been on the verge of punching their ticket to the postseason for a few days, Sunday provided the most direct formula yet.

A win over the Rays in Sunday’s rubber match of a three-game series would have put Boston in as one of the AL Wild Card teams.

But that plan faltered swiftly, as lefty Patrick Sandoval threw 40 pitches in the first inning and allowed four runs in an eventual 5-1 defeat.

The Sox can still clinch later in the day if the Astros lose to the Braves. That game started 30 minutes after the 1:40 p.m. ET contest between Boston and Tampa Bay.

Barring a collapse of epic proportions -- losing all six games on the final homestand of the season and having someone else in the race go on a tear -- the Sox will be one of the 12 MLB teams in the ‘26 playoffs.

As far as Sunday’s game, Sandoval (seven innings, four hits, five runs, two walks, five strikeouts) did a nice job of settling down after all that first-inning damage, allowing just one hit (a solo homer) the rest of the day. 

The Boston bats, missing Willson Contreras (bruised knuckle on right hand), Ceddanne Rafaela (right quadriceps, injured list) and Wilyer Abreu (rest) couldn't generate much against Griffin Jax or the Rays’ bullpen.