See if any of these pics match your ghost bugs.
https://www.google.com/search?q=squ....69i57j0l3.18411j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Those pictures (top right corner 3) totally match what I have been finding and smooshing! Pesky things are doing a number on my cucumber plants.
I would vote for squirrel or rat for the tomato disembowelment.
I going to say squirrels then. We have a lot of them and a few chipmunks. We also have an occasional mouse and some voles & moles, but in 10 years I have never seen a rat. And I hope to keep it that way!! The dog and the 2 cats are pretty good at catching mice, voles, moles and an occasional baby rabbit.
Could you plant them, and then put a poly tunnel over them. Agreed, July is the time to start new plants for fall garden... but we're still only a couple weeks past that. I need to get my greens started for the green house.