Facing the hardest remaining schedule of any playoff contender, the Red Sox should make the most of the few alternatives they’ve left in opposition to weaker competitors in the event that they hope to achieve the postseason.
This week’s tilt in opposition to the last-place Washington Nationals was a golden alternative, however the Red Sox let it slip away.
Though they made issues attention-grabbing late, the Red Sox couldn’t erase an eight-run deficit and wound up shedding 10-7 after being dominated in each aspect through the early innings. Boston was doomed by two early errors and a few uncharacteristically poor pitching performances, and the end result was a second straight loss to lose the sequence.
The Red Sox trailed by as a lot as 9-1 after Washington scored 5 runs within the fifth and three within the sixth, however within the high of the seventh Boston’s bats lastly got here to life. Luis Urias hit a grand slam and Rafael Devers crushed a two-run residence run to make it a two-run ballgame, however whereas the Red Sox acquired the tying run to the plate within the ninth, they couldn’t recover from the hump.
Triston Casas kicked issues off with a towering solo residence run to left discipline within the high of the third. The reverse discipline bomb was the rookie’s twentieth residence run of the season, and based on the Red Sox communications workers, it additionally made him the third participant in franchise historical past age 23 or youthful to achieve 25 profession homers in his first 135 video games. The others have been Tony Conigliaro and Ted Williams.
Crucially, it was additionally a breakthrough for Casas in opposition to left-handed pitching. The 23-year-old has performed sparingly in opposition to lefties and solely three of his homers have come in opposition to them, however with Justin Turner restricted to DH obligation because of his bruised heel Casas is getting extra alternatives.
For some time that was the sport’s solely constructive takeaway.
The Red Sox shot themselves within the foot a pair occasions within the backside of the third, committing two errors to permit the Nationals to tie the sport at 1-1. Former Red Sox prospect Jeter Downs walked, stole second and reached third after Connor Wong’s throw sailed into middle discipline, after which he scored after Rafael Devers bobbled a line drive by Joey Meneses.
Then within the fifth issues began getting ugly.
Chris Sale’s second begin again from the IL wasn’t nearly as good as his first. He was charged with three runs (two earned) over 4.1 innings and left after 65 pitches when he walked two within the high of the fifth. Josh Winckowski got here on and endured one among his worst outings of the season, permitting 4 hits to attain each of Sale’s inherited runners plus three extra.
Chris Murphy got here within the sixth however wasn’t any higher, permitting three runs on three hits and a stroll, and Mauricio Llovera allowed yet another run within the eighth.
Meneses led the onslaught with a pair of two-run doubles, Kiley Adams had a two-run single and Stone Garrett went 2 for 4 with three RBI, together with a run-scoring single within the backside of the eighth that stretched Washington’s result in 10-7.
Alex Verdugo led off the ninth with a single and Jarren Duran doubled to place two on with no outs, however Nationals nearer Kyle Finnegan shut the door from there, forcing a Reese McGuire groundout, placing out Devers and getting Trevor Story to line out to second to finish the sport.
The setback places Boston 3.5 video games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the final American League Wild Card spot, a tough place given how a lot more durable the highway is about to get for the Red Sox and Toronto’s gentle upcoming slate. Boston (63-58) now heads to the Bronx to open a three-game sequence in opposition to the New York Yankees.
Source: www.bostonherald.com