Ramon Laureano counted Xander Bogaerts as a victim for the second straight night on Tuesday, as the Oakland center fielder made a spectacular play.
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Xander Bogaerts slapped the infield dirt in disgust, speaking for himself and his Red Sox teammates with a simple gesture.
He was called out at third base in the top of the ninth inning on Tuesday, attempting to stretch a one-out double into a triple in a 1-0 loss to the Athletics. Bogaerts came about two feet from smacking the tying solo home run to right-center field at Oakland Coliseum and was retired by about the same margin diving head-first into the bag at third. Boston suffered its first back-to-back shutout defeats since July 2015 and entered Wednesday night’s matchup in the midst of a four-game losing streak for the first time since August 2017.
“We haven’t been playing our best baseball,” Bogaerts said. “We know the type of team we are once we’re going good. We’re so close. Just that one clutch hit, we just haven’t been able to get it.”
Ramon Laureano counted Bogaerts as a victim for the second straight night, as the Oakland center fielder made a spectacular play. He climbed the wall on the deep drive against closer Blake Treinen, fell short of making the catch and gathered himself quickly. Laureano scooped up the ball on the carom, fired a one-hop strike from all of 250 feet away to Matt Chapman at third base and had himself what was effectively a game-ending assist.
“It took a five-star play to get (Bogaerts) out at third,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Just like yesterday, (Laureano) is a game-changer. Since he got here to Oakland, and (Chapman) – they change the game defensively.”
Laureano made his impact early in Monday’s 7-0 win, gunning down Bogaerts at the plate in the second inning. Mitch Moreland’s single to center gave Laureano a chance to race in and come up throwing. Bogaerts appeared to catch the plate before the tag was applied, but the call of out was upheld upon a replay review.
“How can you do that two nights in a row?” Bogaerts said. “The next time I won’t run.”
Jackie Bradley Jr. certainly didn’t enjoy the fact that Laureano was doing this to his team, but the Red Sox' center fielder has a professional’s appreciation for that sort of defense. Bradley was a Gold Glove winner in 2018 and has been known to throw out a baserunner or two over the course of his career. Seeing it happen to Bogaerts and not in a highlight clip against a different opponent was something he could have lived without.
“We have an idea,” Bradley said. “But sometimes we feel like we’ve got to push the envelope a little bit. Everyone’s not perfect. Playing aggressive is how we play.”
Mitch Moreland drew a two-out walk and Brock Holt struck out swinging to end the game against Treinen, an American League All-Star last season who allowed only 5.2 hits per nine innings. Bogaerts was hoping to set up a scenario in which any batter following him could have tied the game with a sacrifice fly or a bloop single. The shortstop’s decision betrayed a bit of desperation from the Red Sox at the moment, as they’re off to a 1-5 start for the first time since a disastrous 2012 campaign.
“We needed some type of energy,” Bogaerts said. “We’ve got guys on third with two outs and we just haven’t been the way we normally are. I think a spark there would have been helpful.”
Said Cora: “You get to third with less than two outs, fly ball, you score. That’s the way the game goes. Right now nothing is going our way. The ball should be out, doesn’t go out, he should be at third and he makes a great throw. You tip your hat to him.”