ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Manager John Farrell called a team meeting after an embarrassing loss on Monday night. The Red Sox then charged out and thumped the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.

The clubhouse was filled with bold talk about the victory being a sign of good times to come.

“A statement game,’’ third baseman Travis Shaw called it.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Red Sox made statements of a different sort in a dispirited 4-0 loss against the Rays.

With a chance to return home having salvaged something from a tumultuous road trip, the Sox got another poor pitching performance from David Price

The lefthander allowed four runs before coming out of the game in the seventh inning. He started twice on the trip and gave up 10 runs on 21 hits over 8? innings.

“I’ve got to pitch better. It’s nothing else. It’s not bad luck. It’s me. I’ve got to get better,’’ Price said. “It’s been my worst year. It’s unacceptable. I don’t care if I’m a rookie; it’s unacceptable.’’

In the first two months of the season, four runs often represented an acceptable day of work for a Red Sox starter given all the runs the offense provided. But now the output is sporadic.

Less than a day after scoring eight runs, the Sox managed only five hits — all singles — against Matt Moore and two relievers. Only three times did the Red Sox advance a runner beyond first base.

It was the first time in more than two weeks the Rays didn’t give up at least five runs.

David Ortiz, who popped up with the bases loaded in the sixth inning, was almost as self-critical as Price.

“Terrible,’’ he said. “My fault. I don’t know what I was thinking. I can’t go up there and do that. My head was all [messed] up.’’

The Red Sox were 32-20 with a three-game lead in the American League East on May 31. They are 10-16 since with losses in seven of the last 10 games.

The Sox are now 5½ games behind Baltimore and tied with Toronto for second place.

The Sox are off on Thursday and Farrell will need open ocean to escape speculation about his job security.

“Like this team, like our guys, like the way we come in here every day, the effort that we continue to put forth. That’s there,’’ he said. “We’ve got some adjustments and some work to do in certain areas. But this is a group that doesn’t roll over and certainly confident in them.’’

Price, who was signed for seven years and $217 million before the season, is one problem requiring immediate attention.

He somehow leads the AL with 120 strikeouts but has a 4.74 earned run average and has allowed 15 home runs, two fewer than all of last season.

Wednesday was typical of that. Price struck out 10 but also gave up five extra-base hits.

Farrell suggested that Price is perhaps throwing too many strikes.

“Could he be a little bit more sparing to throw some balls off the plate just to keep some guys honest? That’s an adjustment that’s a definite possibility.’’

Price, who was despondent after the game, agreed.

“In some cases, yeah, probably so,’’ he said. “That’s me wanting to get guys out early, quick. I want to go out there and get 27 outs. That’s what I did for a long time.

“The last two years of my career I was pitching extremely deep into baseball games and putting up a lot of zeroes and that’s not the way it’s going right now and I’ve got to make adjustments.’’

Brandon Guyer homered in the second inning, a shot to left-center. Then Price allowed three runs on four hits in the third inning.

Logan Forsythe and Brad Miller singled ahead of Evan Longoria’s RBI double. Desmond Jennings then grounded a ball back to the mound.

Price had a play on the ball and might have been able to throw Miller out at the plate. But the ball went off his glove and the Sox settled for the out at first.

When Guyer doubled down the line in left, Longoria scored and it was 4-0.

Price did not allow another run. But it didn’t matter given how poorly his teammates were swinging the bats.

Moore, who came into the game with a 5.04 ERA, did not allow a hit through five innings.

Hanley Ramirez led off the fifth with a drive to center field that was caught at the wall by Jennings. Jackie Bradley Jr. then drew a walk, as did Bryce Brentz with two outs.

With Christian Vazquez down, 1 and 2, Bradley tried to steal third and left too early. Moore stepped off the rubber and threw him out.

It went as a caught stealing, the first in Bradley’s career. He had been successful in 20 previous attempts.

“Tried to make something happen,’’ Bradley said.

Vazquez broke up the no-hit bid with a single to start the sixth inning. Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts singled to load the bases.

Ortiz had a chance to change the tenor of the game but popped to third when he swung at a fastball on the outside corner.

“I was looking for something else,’’ Ortiz said. “I blame myself for that.’’

Ramirez then hit a weak fly ball to right field.

The Red Sox face the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, the start of a nine-game homestand before the All-Star break.

“It’s been tough. We’ve got to find a way through this,’’ Betts said. “We’re better than this.’’

Box score: Rays 4, Red Sox 0

Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com.