CHICAGO — Joe Maddon said Sunday’s sixth-inning tantrum directed at the umpires had nothing to do with the Rays’ awful record and silent bats, that he would have been just as enraged if the Rays had won all but one of their games.

But B.J. Upton saw a little more fire than he expected from his manager’s reaction to a puzzling call, especially when Maddon pointed to all four umpires and ejected them from the game with the White Sox, which Tampa Bay eventually lost 6-1 at U.S. Cellular Field.

The Rays dropped to 1-8 after the White Sox reached Jeff Niemann for five runs (three earned) in the first three innings and the Rays’ offense produced its fifth four-hit, one-run game of the season.