Alex Cora protested the Boston Red Sox's loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday due to the placement of subs into Rays' lineup after the designated hitter was removed.

The eighth-inning lineup switch appeared to leave the umpires confused. 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 Charlie Morton and retired Sam Travis. The left-hander then shifted to first base when Kevin Cash brought in reliever Chaz Roe.

"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."