Confusion reigned in the Red Sox-Rays matchup Wednesday when a series of defensive changes prompted Boston manager Alex Cora to protest the game, due to the placement of subs into Tampa Bay's lineup after the designated hitter was removed.

The eighth-inning lineup switch appeared to leave the umpires bewildered in St. Petersburg, Florida. They stopped the game for almost 15 minutes as they huddled on the mound, staring at their lineup cards.

"It was a total mess," Cora said.

In the top of the eighth inning, Rays reliever Adam Kolarek replaced starter Charlie Morton and retired pinch hitter Sam Travis on a pop fly. The left-hander then shifted to first base when Rays manager Kevin Cash brought in reliever Chaz Roe, who induced a fly ball from Mookie Betts.

"When he brought in the lefty and we saw what was going to happen, when he put him at first I asked [crew chief] Angel [Hernandez] about it and he gave me an answer," Cora said. "I'm like, 'OK, this is about to get interesting.' And it did."

Cora said the Rays kept the DH when they made the substitution.

"They had a pitcher at first base. They had a pitcher on the mound. And they still had the DH," he said. "Hard to explain. ... There's a lot. Illegal substitutions. But we'll see what happens."

After the protest was made and the game resumed, Kolarek got a first-pitch grounder from Rafael Devers.

Hernandez said in the pool report that Cash never specified where Kolarek would hit when moved to first base.

"In case the manager fails or refuses to make the decision, the plate umpire is authorized to decide the necessary batting order," Hernandez said. "The umpire's decision is final."

An unhappy Cora again talked with the umpires after the third out, which delayed the start of the bottom of the eighth.

Despite the long delay, Cash doesn't believe anything wrong took place.

"There appeared to be some confusion, but I'm confident we got it right at the end of the day," Cash said. "Obviously, it's not customary what took place."

The Red Sox lost 3-2, falling back into third place in the AL East behind the first-place Yankees and Rays.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.