Normally a well-oiled baseball machine, the Tampa Bay Rays had been uncharacteristically sloppy on Tuesday, at instances virtually daring the Red Sox to steal the sport away.
But simply when it regarded just like the Red Sox would possibly pull it off, the Rays swiped it proper again.
Trailing 5-2 getting into the sixth inning, the Red Sox scored three unanswered runs down the stretch to pressure extras and pulled forward within the prime of the eleventh. But within the blink of a watch the sport slipped away, with Brandon Lowe hitting a three-run walk-off house run off Kenley Jansen to win it 8-6.
Adam Duvall had simply thrown out the potential game-winner on the plate to assist Boston escape a dangerous backside of the tenth, and Luis Urias drove within the go-ahead run within the prime of the eleventh on a blooper to shallow proper area.
Along the best way the Red Sox additionally benefitted from two Tampa Bay errors and quite a lot of different miscues on protection and the basepaths, which almost offset the quite a few errors Boston made itself.
In the tip, it wasn’t sufficient.
“It was a good game, we battled our (butts) off tonight and played good baseball against a team that they’re really good at what they do, but we’re good, too,” Red Sox supervisor Alex Cora informed reporters afterwards. “Just happened that we were short tonight.”
With 5 rookies within the beginning lineup, Tuesday supplied a window into the promise, and likewise the rising pains, followers can count on from the Red Sox current call-ups.
In the primary inning shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela singled however was caught stealing after over-sliding second base, then within the backside of the body he booted a routine grounder. Both had been uncharacteristic errors for a participant who has 36 stolen bases within the minors this season and who’s broadly considered an elite defensive expertise.
Then within the second, outfielder Wilyer Abreu misplaced a Jonathan Aranda fly ball in Tropicana Field’s drab roof, permitting it to fall in for an RBI triple. That ought to have been the ultimate out of the inning, however as an alternative Kutter Crawford wound up throwing one other 16 pitches and gave up a two-run house run to Rene Pinto to place the Red Sox in an early 3-0 gap.
Crawford wasn’t with out fault both. He walked Vidal Brujan after getting two fast outs and likewise walked Yandy Diaz following the Pinto homer. He in the end walked 4 and threw a career-high 96 pitches to get by means of 3.2 innings, departing within the backside of the fourth after strolling Diaz once more to load the bases.
Left-hander Joe Jacques, one more rookie, then hit back-to-back batters to attain two of Crawford’s inherited runners earlier than drawing a flyout to flee the jam with the Red Sox trailing 5-2.
Fortunately, Boston’s kids additionally helped the Red Sox get again into the sport.
Second baseman Enmanuel Valdez instantly answered Tampa Bay’s three-run second inning with a two-run house run of his personal, launching a towering 389-foot shot into the appropriate area stands.
Masataka Yoshida, technically additionally an MLB rookie, made top-of-the-line defensive performs of his Red Sox profession, grabbing a deep fly ball in opposition to the left area wall within the backside of the third.
In a wierd twist, the ball truly appeared to graze the outfield wall earlier than bouncing into Yoshida’s glove, however the Rays didn’t discover instantly and by the point supervisor Kevin Cash went out to talk to the umpires, the time to concern a problem had already expired.
Rafaela and Valdez later sparked what wound up being two of Boston’s finest scoring alternatives. Leading off the highest of the sixth along with his second single, Rafaela finally got here round to attain on Turner’s RBI infield single, which chased Tampa Bay starter Zach Eflin from the sport. Triston Casas adopted that with a stroll to load the bases with no outs, however Rays relievers Colin Poche and Kevin Kelly despatched down the following three Red Sox hitters to maintain it a 5-3 recreation.
Then within the seventh Valdez singled and Rafaela reached on en error to place two males on with one out. That set the stage once more for Turner, who lately appears to at all times ship in clutch spots. His second RBI single was a scorched liner off the shortstop’s glove, giving the 38-year-old a career-high 91 RBI on the season.
Then, in very uncharacteristic trend, the Rays dedicated a 3rd defensive blunder to permit Boston to tie the sport. Casas hit a pop-up into no-man’s land and three converging Rays gamers had been unable to make the play. Officially, it was dominated an RBI double, making an attempt the sport up at 5-5, and it additionally made Casas the tenth rookie in franchise historical past to tally 60 RBI and 60 walks.
He and Andrew Benintendi are additionally the one two Red Sox rookies to perform that feat since Fred Lynn’s MVP season in 1975.
Tampa Bay later ran itself out of the eighth inning after Yoshida made an awesome sliding seize in left and threw out Jonathan Aranda for the inning-ending double play, and John Schreiber pitched an ideal ninth to ship the sport to extras.
Once there, the Red Sox failed to attain within the prime of the tenth and shortly discovered themselves in dire straits after Jose Siri reached on a bunt that crossed up Boston’s infield. That put the ghost runner Josh Lowe at third, however the Red Sox fought their manner out of bother after Schreiber bought a strikeout after which drew a flyout to shallow proper. Lowe tried to attain what would have been the game-winning run, however Duvall gunned him down on the plate to finish the inning.
In the tip, it solely extended the inevitable.
His error apart, Rafaela loved a robust efficiency, going 3 for six with two runs scored. Valdez, Devers and Turner every had two hits as properly, whereas Brandon Lowe completed with 4 RBI to guide Tampa Bay.
Following the sport Cora mentioned the Red Sox missed out on a chance to achieve extra floor within the playoff hunt.
“We have a chance, a lot of people don’t feel that way but you win and look around, it was a wasted quote-unquote opportunity tonight because we know what’s going on in other places,” Cora mentioned, referring to Wild Card rival Texas’ newest loss. “It is what it is, we just have to keep playing hard, keep going and we’re going to be OK.”
The Red Sox will look to bounce again in Wednesday’s sequence finale. Nick Pivetta will get the ball for Boston, first pitch is scheduled for six:40 p.m.
Source: www.bostonherald.com