Despite exciting finish, all was not rosy for Red Sox

BOSTON — The save opportunity in a baseball game generally belongs to a team’s closer, and Craig Kimbrel has been only too happy to convert them by the dozen since his Red Sox debut in 2016.

The right-hander did pitch in what turned out to be the final inning on this splendid Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park, but it was Boston’s shortstop who rescued a pair of teammates from a rather disappointing finish.

Xander Bogaerts wiped away the differing [...]

BOSTON — The save opportunity in a baseball game generally belongs to a team’s closer, and Craig Kimbrel has been only too happy to convert them by the dozen since his Red Sox debut in 2016.

The right-hander did pitch in what turned out to be the final inning on this splendid Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park, but it was Boston’s shortstop who rescued a pair of teammates from a rather disappointing finish.

Xander Bogaerts wiped away the differing miseries associated with Eduardo Rodriguez and Joe Kelly on one majestic swing. The drive he struck to deep left-center field settled adjacent to the flag pole and ignited a full-throated roar from the 36,390 fans on hand.

The Red Sox secured their second walkoff victory of this remarkable season, a 6-2, 10-inning thriller against the Blue Jays. Jackie Bradley Jr. lined a double to plate Bogaerts in the ninth with the tying run, and Bogaerts did the honors against Tyler Clippard to lessen the pain felt by Rodriguez, Kelly and the rest of the Boston pitching staff.

“We’ve been having a pretty special season as a team,” Bogaerts said. “Maybe that has a lot to do with it. Guys are blending in tremendously, helping out each other.”

So long as we’re recapping the statistics from this one, a pair of assists must also be granted on the game’s critical play. Earl Simmons — the rapper better known by his stage name, DMX — and ballpark music maestro TJ Connelly combined to set the tone for the critical at-bat. ‘X Gon’ Give It To Ya’ rumbled through the speakers and out into the fresh Back Bay air, loosed from the fraternity basements and stale nightclubs in which it has marinated since its 2003 release.

In accordance with the song’s frequently profane commands, Bogaerts rocked, rolled and delivered against Toronto. The mood of the day and the final series ahead of the All-Star break changed for the better, with the Red Sox assured of at least a split heading into Sunday’s finale. The right ankle injury suffered by Rodriguez in the sixth and Kelly’s latest struggle in the top of the seventh were rendered to footnote status for at least the next couple of hours.

Rodriguez extended his scoreless string to 19 innings over his last three outings before pulling up lame. He raced to cover first base on a grounder to the right side by Lourdes Gurriel Jr., reached back for an errant throw by Blake Swihart and attempted to leap over the sliding baserunner. Rodriguez landed awkwardly and left after 5 1/3 innings, accompanied to the clubhouse by members of Boston’s medical staff.

“It looks bad,” Boston manager Alex Cora said, referring to the swelling already visible in Rodriguez’s ankle. “We’ll see. We’ll wait. He’s moving around, which is encouraging, but obviously we’ve got to go through the tests and see what happens.”

Kelly has entered the third act of what feels like a season-long play, and this one veers toward Shakespearean tragedy. A disaster on Opening Day in Tampa was followed by one earned run allowed over his next 24 appearances, with the right-handed reliever enjoying his best Red Sox stretch since his 2014 acquisition from the Cardinals. Then the calendar turned to June, and Kelly has been hammered to the tune of a 9.22 earned-run average over his last 18 games and 13 2/3 innings.

“His breaking stuff is not as sharp as earlier,” Cora said. “It’s either a ball out of the hand or it hangs in the zone. It’s not as sharp. We’ll take a look at it and go from there. He’ll be the first one to tell you that he didn’t do the job.”

Kelly didn’t retire any of the three men he faced on Friday night in an ugly 13-7 loss, and he was on the hook again after coughing up a 1-0 lead in the seventh. Matt Barnes ultimately conceded the go-ahead RBI single to Gurriel, the first of 13 inherited runners he’s allowed to score in 2018, to make it a 2-1 game. But it was Kelly who heard the boos from the crowd when Cora came out to remove him after a walk to No. 9 hitter Luke Maile.

Though not officially on the disabled list as of yet, Rodriguez joins Drew Pomeranz (left biceps tendinitis), Steven Wright (left knee inflammation), Brian Johnson (left hip inflammation), Austin Maddox (right shoulder strain) and Carson Smith (right shoulder surgery) among the ranks of ailing Boston pitchers. Add the Rodriguez injury to a poor two-inning start by Rick Porcello on Friday and the taxed Red Sox relief corps have been forced to record exactly half of the 84 Toronto outs in this series. Three more weren’t required on Saturday thanks to a welcome contribution from their shortstop.

— bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25