The Rangers scored three times against Boston relievers after Chris Sale turned in yet another gem. Elvis Andrus slapped a base hit up the middle in the top of the 11th inning to finally finish this one off, as Texas scrapped to a 4-3 victory.
BOSTON -- There was a baseball game to play on Monday night at Fenway Park despite the disturbing off-field events of the previous evening.
The season rumbled on for the Red Sox, even with one of their former stars en route to the city via medical air transport. David Ortiz was on his way to Massachusetts General Hospital after being shot in the Dominican Republic in a stunning act of violence on Sunday.
A routine victory would have been the perfect way to move forward, but nothing has come easily for Boston this season. The latest reminder came courtesy of Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier and the much-maligned Red Sox bullpen.
The Rangers scored three times against Boston relievers after Chris Sale turned in yet another gem. Elvis Andrus slapped a base hit up the middle in the top of the 11th inning to finally finish this one off, as Texas scrapped to a 4-3 victory.
Danny Santana lined a leadoff double to the corner in right and Andrus finally put the Rangers ahead to stay with a sharp one-hopper to center. Jackie Bradley Jr. came up throwing but was too late, as Santana cruised toward the plate with the winning run.
Both bullpens suffered through a meltdown in the ninth, forcing a pair of extra frames. Matt Barnes was first to give up the lead, as Santana singled to left and Andrus sent a soft liner to the corner in left to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. Nomar Mazara worked the count to 3-and-1 before sawing off a curveball in on the hands to the opposite field, giving the Rangers a 3-2 cushion.
The Red Sox struck back against Shawn Kelley, as J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts opened with back-to-back singles. Rafael Devers bounced into an unconventional 4-3-6-3 double play, but Brock Holt fisted a pinch-hit RBI single into left-center to make it 3-3. Boston’s own potential winning run was thrown out at the plate, as Marco Hernandez’s bloop double down the line in right set up Holt to be retired by a good 15 feet.
The Red Sox squandered a chance to walk it off in the 10th. Boston loaded the bases on a Sandy Leon single and a pair of walks, bringing up Bogaerts with two outs. Bogaerts could only fly to right-center, and Delino DeShields made a comfortable running catch to extend the game.
Sale turned in a three-hit shutout on Wednesday against the Royals and was nearly as good on this occasion. Santana’s two-out RBI single was the lone run Texas was able to nick off the left-hander, and it was unearned. Brandon Workman was all business in a 1-2-3 eighth before Barnes wobbled in the ninth.
The Rangers went down in order in each of the first three innings and didn’t muster a threat until the top of the sixth. Rougned Odor drew a leadoff walk, the only one issued by Sale on the night. Odor stole second, reached third on a throwing error by Leon and scored when Santana sent an RBI liner into left.
Sale reached 10 strikeouts for the third straight start and the eighth in his last 10 – no other pitcher in the big leagues this season has recorded more than back-to-back games with double-digit strikeouts. It was also the eighth time in his last 10 games Sale has surrendered two earned runs or less. That Boston is only 4-6 in that stretch is more to blame on its wasteful offense than a pitcher who has a 2.17 earned-run average since April 23.
The Red Sox required only two batters to take a 2-0 lead. Mookie Betts drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first and Andrew Benintendi sent a second-pitch fastball to deep left-center. The towering drive settled into the Monster Seats out by the second light tower to put Boston on the board.
It was the first home run in June for Benintendi, and the Red Sox couldn’t produce anything else despite a pair of good chances. Bogaerts left runners at the corners in the third when he grounded to second and Boston failed to score Bradley from third with one out in the fifth. Betts struck out swinging and Benintendi bounced to second, allowing Mike Minor to escape yet again.