BOSTON – David Ortiz sat at his locker, getting dressed for another trip. The final step was to put a protective boot on his aching right foot.

Big Papi needs to take care of that foot for a Red Sox team that needs him back soon.

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John Lackey, who received no support Wednesday from the Boston Red Sox, winces as Ben Zobrist of the Tampa Bay Rays hits an RBI double off the left-field wall with two outs in the seventh inning. Lackey was then removed from the game – a 4-0 victory for the Rays. The Associated Press

David Price could toss underhand to get Adrian Gonzalez on a grounder, but it was his overhand deliveries that stumped the Red Sox the most. The Associated Press

Carl Crawford of the Boston Red Sox just misses a foul ball down the left-field line hit by Desmond Jennings of the Tampa Bay Rays during the Rays’ 4-0 victory at Fenway Park. The Associated Press

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• On Baseball: Three hits, a goof, and another loss

Boston collected just three hits for the third consecutive game Wednesday, losing 4-0 to the Tampa Bay Rays.

“We’ve been hitting so well. It’s frustrating,” Ortiz said. “It’s not a good feeling when you see your teammates struggling and you’re not in the lineup. Hopefully it’s over today.”

This was the first time the Red Sox have collected three or fewer hits in three straight games in their 99-year history in Fenway Park, the club said, citing research by the Elias Sports bureau.

Boston dropped the last two in a two-day, three-game series against Tampa Bay. Next up is an eight-game trip that begins in Kansas City tonight and ends with four games in Texas before the team returns Aug. 26 to Fenway.

The Red Sox went 3-3 on a six-game trip to Minnesota and Seattle before facing the Rays.

“Everybody on this ballclub is a big part of what we have here,” said Ortiz, sidelined with bursitis in his heel. “When anybody is out of the lineup you can feel it.”

And it sure looked Wednesday as if they missed Ortiz.

“He’s been an important bat for us this year,” said left fielder Carl Crawford, who went hitless in nine at-bats in the series, “but we should be able to pick it up.”

Ortiz, who usually hits fifth in the lineup behind Kevin Youkilis, is hitting .300 with 24 homers and 79 RBI.

“That’s just called a baseball season. That happens,” Rays Manager Joe Maddon said. “We were missing (Evan) Longoria the first month of the season and nobody cried for us. That’s called a baseball season and the team with the best depth wins, and the team that can keep grinding through problems wins.”

David Price (11-10) pitched eight crisp innings and Kyle Farnsworth worked a perfect ninth for the Rays. B.J. Upton and Longoria homered.

“It’s August. We’re banged up,” Boston catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said.

Tampa Bay’s combined shutout followed a day-night doubleheader in which James Shields and Jeff Niemann each pitched a complete game. Boston beat Shields in the opener 3-1 but Niemann struck out 10 in a 6-2 victory in the second game.

Boston lost for the fifth time in seven games but remained a half-game behind the New York Yankees for the AL East lead. New York lost 5-4 at Kansas City. Tampa Bay is 7-2 in its last nine games.

Price entered with two wins in his previous nine starts and losses in three of his previous four decisions. He turned that around against a Red Sox team that began the day with a .278 batting average, second in the AL.

Boston had a couple of chances but couldn’t come up with a big hit.

Dustin Pedroia singled with one out in the first and Adrian Gonzalez walked to put runners on first and second. But Price got Kevin Youkilis to ground into a double play.

Jacoby Ellsbury led off the sixth with a triple to deep right-center field. Pedroia struck out and Ellsbury was tagged out in a rundown when Gonzalez tapped back to Price. Gonzalez ended up at second before Youkilis grounded out.

The Rays jumped on the sloppy Red Sox in the first. Johnny Damon hit a one-out single and went to second when right fielder Darnell McDonald let the ball get by him for an error. Damon took third on John Lackey’s wild pitch and scored on a groundout by Ben Zobrist.

Upton hit a leadoff drive to left in the fourth for his 17th homer and Longoria went deep in the fifth, belting a two-out drive to left on a 3-0 pitch for his 19th of the season.

Lackey (11-9) pitched a perfect sixth but was knocked out in the seventh when Zobrist hit a two-out RBI double. Kelly Shoppach, who had been hit by a pitch for the second time in the game, scored on the play. 

NOTES: Damon’s second-inning double was his 2,670th career hit, moving him ahead of Gary Sheffield and into 64th place. … Ellsbury stole his 32nd base in the third and is tied for third place in team history with Carl Yastrzemski at 168. … Tampa Bay is off today before starting a three-game series at home Friday night against the Seattle Mariners. Wade Davis (8-7, 4.60 ERA) will pitch for the Rays against Felix Hernandez (11-10, 3.38 ERA). … Josh Beckett (9-5, 2.40) pitches for the Red Sox tonight. Luke Hochevar (8-9, 4.89) will start for the Royals. Beckett was 6-0 in his career against the Royals before losing his last outing against them July 28. … Lackey was 6-0 in his previous seven starts, the best winning streak of his career. The Red Sox averaged eight runs per game during Lackey’s winning streak.

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