Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Boston Red Sox

Rays Walk On, Walk Off

by

ST. PETE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Richie Palacios produced a two-out, walk-off single in the ninth inning as the Tampa Bay Rays edged the Boston Red Sox 2-1 on Saturday afternoon in Florida to even their final home series of the regular season.

Embed from Getty Images

Against Garrett Whitlock (7-2), Palacios looped a 1-2 sinker into shallow right to score Junior Caminero as the Rays (94-60) hit their third walk-off winner during the nine-game homestand.

Jonathan Aranda homered while Liam Hicks and Chandler Simpson posted two hits apiece as Tampa Bay improved to 7-1 on the homestand.

Bidding for a fifth consecutive win over five starts, Freddy Peralta received no decision after yielding just one run on four hits over 5 2/3 innings that took 97 pitches. He struck out six and walked two.

Caleb Durbin stroked two doubles and scored for the Red Sox (84-71), who lost for the first time in three games.

Starting pitcher Brayan Bello went a season-best eight innings and allowed one run on five hits with a career high-tying 11 strikeouts. The Rays got an out with the infield drawn in and appeared to escape trouble in the third. Then Roman Anthony, who homered and had three RBIs in Friday’s 4-2 win in the opener, remained hot and made it 1-0 with a two-out double that scored Durbin.

Cedric Mullins laid down a bunt single and reached second on Durbin’s throwing error to open the third, but he was picked off and caught trying to steal third on Jorge Mateo’s failed sacrifice bunt.

In the fourth, Aranda tied it 1-all when he rocked his 22nd homer to left field as he took Bello’s 97 m.p.h. four-seam fastball the opposite way.

With Bello still in the game in the seventh, Hicks led off with a single and Simpson dropped one into right with no outs. Following a groundout and a fielder’s choice, Bello ended the threat by whiffing Mullins on a foul tip.

Durbin lined his second double with one out in the ninth, but Hicks tossed him out trying to steal third. Jarren Duran followed with his fifth triple, but Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded out to deep third to end the inning off Bryan Baker (4-2).

–Field Level Media

 

Anthony Does His Job

by

ST. PETERSBURG – (Wire Service Report) – Roman Anthony homered and had three RBIs, Jahmai Jones went deep and the Boston Red Sox cooled off the first-place Tampa Bay Rays with a 4-2 victory on Friday night in Florida.

Embed from Getty Images

The Red Sox (84-70) opened their final road series of the regular season by scoring all of their runs in the first three innings to win for the second consecutive night. Anthony went 2-for-5, while Caleb Durbin was 2-for-3 as the team produced nine hits. Sox starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (8-4) fought control issues but went 5 2/3 innings in earning the win. He allowed one run on three hits while striking out five and walking five.

Junior Caminero doubled, walked twice and drove in a run for Tampa Bay (93-60), but the American League’s top club had only five hits, was a brutal 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and had its six-game winning streak snapped.

Starter Ian Seymour (9-7) was hit hard in the first two innings and finished by allowing four runs on seven hits in five frames. He whiffed five and walked two.

On the third pitch of the game, leadoff hitter Anthony crushed a Statcast-estimated 438-foot blast to center field. It was the left fielder’s fifth homer.

Caminero’s RBI groundout tied it in the bottom half, but Anthony did more damage by ripping a two-out single to right for a 3-1 lead in the second.

Jones made it 4-1 leading off the third by lining Seymour’s changeup out to left for his sixth homer.

Suarez got out of a slight jam in the third after Caminero walked and Ryan Vilade singled, but he retired red-hot Chandler Simpson and Jonny DeLuca to maintain the three-run lead.

The home club put together a strong threat in the sixth after Wyatt Olds relieved Suarez and issued two walks to fill the bases with two outs. However, he battled back in the count against pinch hitter Jake Fraley and struck him out.

In the ninth, Jonathan Aranda’s groundout scored a run, but Erik Miller got Simpson to ground out to second with the bases loaded for his fifth save.

–Field Level Media

Rangers Extend Win Streak vs Sox

by

ARLINGTON – (Wire Service Report) – The Texas Rangers will have plenty to play for when they wrap up a three-game series against the visiting Boston Red Sox on Thursday night in Texas.

A victory would give the Rangers (76-76) a three-game sweep and keep them in at least a tie for first place in the American League West. Their 7-3 victory over Boston on Wednesday, plus Kansas City’s 5-2 win against Houston, left the Rangers and Astros tied at the top of the division standings. Houston will face Kansas City again Thursday.

Embed from Getty Images

The Astros own the tiebreaker.

Nathan Eovaldi held Boston scoreless for the final four innings Wednesday to earn the win. The victory stretched Texas’ winning streak to four games.

“We just have to keep playing baseball,” Eovaldi said. “Keep doing the things we’ve been doing. We’ve been playing well lately and I think it’s a combination of everybody stepping up and doing their part.

“Obviously guys are grinding right now, but for us to be able to come out and play well in these first two games against the Red Sox — we have to make sure we’re able to bounce back tomorrow — but I think it just shows the grit that we have in the clubhouse in all the guys.”

Eovaldi surrendered one hit and threw 46 pitches in relief.

“Once it got tied up, just felt like he (Eovaldi) was the guy to take us to the end,” Texas manager Skip Schumaker said. “We didn’t have (Jacob) Latz available. We didn’t have (Robert) Garcia available today. … What he provided was enormous because we were a little bit limited in the back end.”

The game was tied, 3-3, until Texas scored three runs against reliever Erik Miller in the seventh, an inning that featured a walk, a hit batter and two hits.

“They put some good swings on him,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “I don’t know what else to say other than that. He hit the leadoff guy so you put traffic out there, and they got some pitches up in the zone and they hit him hard. He’ll be fine. He’s really good, but they were able to get some good swings on him today.”

Boston (82-70) received a two-run home run from Willson Contreras but was held to three hits. In their 4-2 loss on Thursday, the Red Sox had six hits but struck out 15 times.

“We’re going through it a little bit,” Tracy said. “We didn’t create a ton of opportunities. Obviously Willson with a big swing to give us the lead and only a couple other chances, one of which was a ball that was stung by Izzy (Isiah Kiner-Falefa) on a contact play for a double play. And then we gave ourselves one other chance. … Just not creating a ton of opportunities for ourselves.

“We got some guys going through it. You could see one or two big swings and it could turn completely in the other direction. We just gotta keep plugging away at it.”

The Red Sox have a hold on the second AL wild card, up five games over the third spot.

Boston will send right-hander Sonny Gray (17-5, 2.76 ERA) to the mound Thursday as they attempt to avoid the three-game sweep. Gray is 12-5 with a 2.81 ERA in 20 career appearances (19 starts) against Texas.

Tyler Alexander (5-2, 3.38) is expected to be the opener for the Rangers before giving way to fellow left-hander Cody Bradford (0-5, 4.72) as the bulk reliever. He has a 7.36 ERA in one career start against Boston, that coming in a 7-4 win on Aug. 3, when he gave up three runs on four hits — including two home runs — in 3 2/3 innings. He did not figure into the decision.

Alexander has seven career appearances (one start) against the Red Sox and is 1-0 with a 5.63 ERA. He pitched one scoreless innings of relief in the win on Tuesday.

–Field Level Media

Rangers, deGrom Defeat Red Sox

by

ARLINGTON – (Wire Service Report) – Jacob deGrom struck out eight in five innings, and the Texas Rangers scored four runs in the second inning to defeat the visiting Boston Red Sox 4-2 Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series in Texas.

Embed from Getty Images

DeGrom (11-9), who dealt with groin tightness in his start against Seattle on Thursday, held Boston to two runs on three hits and walked one.

Boston (82-69) had the tying run at the plate after Roman Anthony singled with two outs in the ninth, but Jacob Latz struck out pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones for the game’s final out. Latz pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings to earn his 30th save. He allowed one hit, walked one and struck out three.

Boston starter Patrick Sandoval (1-6) was pulled with two outs in the third. He allowed four runs on four hits and walked two.

Ezequiel Duran and Corey Seager each collected two hits for the Rangers, who have won three in a row. Despite the win, Texas (75-76) remained a game behind division-leading Houston in the American League West standings.

Nick Sogard homered for Boston, which left the bases loaded in the fifth and eighth innings. The Red Sox struck out 15 times, stranded nine baserunners and were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.

The Rangers took the lead for good in the second. After singles by Brandon Nimmo and Duran, Elias Diaz hit a two-run double to open the scoring. Seager later extended the lead to 4-0 with a two-out, two-run single.

Sogard’s two-run home run off deGrom in the third made it 4-2. It was his fifth home run of the season and followed Caleb Durbin’s one-out single to center.

Latz was one of four Texas relievers who combined to hold Boston to three hits over the final four innings.

–Field Level Media

Texas Rangers Host Red Sox

by

ARLINGTON – (Wire Service Report) – The Texas Rangers are far from healthy but find themselves one game out of first place in the American League West as they kick off a nine-game homestand with a matchup against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

Texas (74-76) had lost its last eight road series until it beat Arizona 7-6 on Sunday to take two of three games against the Diamondbacks. Sunday’s win moved the Rangers a game behind Houston in the division, although the Astros own the tiebreaker.

Embed from Getty Images

It was a big road series,” Texas manager Skip Schumaker said. “After a tough final game in Seattle, to come here and win two out of three against a really good team (is great). Hopefully we can build that momentum going into a good homestand against some more tough teams. But that was a big win, and a much-needed win.

“We need this off day (Monday), 1,000%, but I’m proud to be part of this team. They are showing fight and resiliency. They are doing whatever they can to get on the field. I’m positive that some of them probably shouldn’t be playing, and they are. And, so, that’s why I think we’re in a really good spot mentally because the guys are playing for each other.”

Third baseman Josh Jung is among those playing at less than 100%. He was activated from the injured list (left calf) before Saturday’s game in Arizona and went 4-for-9 with two RBIs in the final two games of the series, but he was pulled from Sunday’s game in the bottom of the sixth inning.

“It was the first time I’ve had some soreness since I started playing again, but we managed,” Jung said. “It was good enough. And I’m going to play every day. I might be sore. I might be running really slowly. But I’m going to be out there and do the best I can.”

There’s also concern regarding outfielder Joc Pederson, who was hit by a pitch on his left hand Saturday and was wearing a brace Sunday. Schumaker said Pederson was scheduled to see a hand specialist in the coming days.

Pitchers Cal Quantrill (back) and Jacob deGrom (groin) are dealing with injuries as well.

The injury news is better for Boston (82-68), which activated first baseman Willson Contreras from the 10-day injured list Sunday. Contreras, who leads the team with 26 home runs, batted fourth and went 2-for-3 in a 4-1 triumph over the Kansas City Royals.

Contreras was booed by fans at Fenway Park twice in August for failing to run out ground balls while managing a sore hamstring and was placed on the IL on Aug. 31.

“Felt good overall,” Contreras said. “Good game. We won, most important thing. I had to (run the bases). I don’t want to get booed again, so I made sure my hamstring was 100%.”

The Red Sox, who are currently in a position to face the New York Yankees in an American League wild-card series, will start left-hander Patrick Sandoval (1-5, 4.58) on Tuesday. Sandoval is 1-3 with a 3.29 ERA in nine career appearances (eight starts) against the Rangers.

Texas has not announced a probable starter.

–Field Level Media

Immaculate Man

by

FENWAY – (Wire Service Report) – Roman Anthony’s two-out RBI single in the seventh inning snapped a 1-1 tie, lifting the Boston Red Sox to a 4-1 win over the visiting Kansas City Royals in the rain-delayed rubber game of their series on Sunday.

Embed from Getty Images

The Red Sox (82-68) took a 1-0 lead on Caleb Durbin’s solo homer in the second inning before scoring three runs over their final two at-bats.

Willson Contreras, who missed the previous 12 games with a left hamstring strain, and Trevor Story each had two hits. Story had a two-RBI single in the eighth.

Payton Tolle struck out seven and allowed just four hits and one walk over six shutout innings, including an immaculate first. (An immaculate inning is one where the pitcher strikes out three batters with a total of nine pitches). Garrett Whitlock (7-1) was credited with the win in relief while Aroldis Chapman brushed off two walks of his own to strike out the side for his 34th save.

Tolle generated seven swings and misses en route to his immaculate inning, punctuating it with a 98 mph fastball to retire Jac Caglianone swinging. He became only the eighth Red Sox pitcher in franchise history to post the feat and the first since Chris Sale in 2021.

The left-hander struck out each of the first four batters he faced before a one-out infield single to Michael Massey in the second.

Kansas City (66-84) was limited to just five hits, though Noah Cameron tossed one-run ball across six innings.

After Red Sox reliever Erik Miller’s back-to-back walks led to Kansas City’s game-tying run on a Carter Jensen RBI single in the top of the seventh, Craig Kimbrel (1-5) issued one-out free passes to Durbin and Nick Sogard, and Anthony’s line-drive knock into right-center field off Connor Thomas followed two batters later.

In the eighth, the Red Sox tagged Nate Pearson for three straight one-out hits to add insurance to their lead. Story drove home Contreras and Adley Rutschman, who singled and doubled, respectively.

An inning after Cameron got out of a two-on, two-out jam in the first, Durbin vaulted the Red Sox into the lead with a blast into the Green Monster seats in left-center field.

Massey’s knock was Kansas City’s lone hit until the fifth, when Tolle stranded Luke Maile and Tyler Tolbert following back-to-back singles with two outs. In the sixth, Tolle allowed a leadoff single to Bobby Witt Jr. and hit Caglianone before two inning-ending strikeouts kept Boston in front.

The Royals finally broke through in the seventh. After Isaac Collins — who drew the first of back-to-back walks from Miller — was out on a force play at third, Jensen grounded a pinch-hit single past diving first baseman Contreras to plate pinch runner John Rave with the tying run. Whitlock escaped that jam with back-to-back outs thereafter.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Move Start Time for Sunday

by

BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official Team News Release) – The Red Sox have moved the start time of their game to be played on Sunday, September 13, against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park from 1:35 p.m. to 3:05 p.m.

Embed from Getty Images

The change was made in consultation with Major League Baseball due to a forecast for an extended period of rain throughout the morning and early afternoon.

The 3:05 p.m. start time corresponds with a projected window of improved weather conditions later in the afternoon and provides the best opportunity to play the game on Sunday.  The game will be televised on NESN and will be broadcast in English on WEEI 93.7 FM and in Spanish on WESX 1230 AM/WCCM 1490 AM.

Suarez Tosses a Gem vs. KC

by

FENWAY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Ranger Suarez tossed his second straight seven-inning start and the Red Sox scored in their final three at-bats en route to a 5-1 win over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Saturday afternoon in Boston.

Embed from Getty Images

Suarez (7-4) struck out eight, scattered five hits and allowed one run while completing his seven frames in 96 pitches as Boston (81-68) snapped its three-game losing streak.

Roman Anthony, Adley Rutschman and Nick Sogard each had multiple hits while Wilyer Abreu hit a two-run double that gave the Red Sox a sixth-inning lead they would not relinquish.

Carter Jensen’s 24th home run of the season marked the only scoring for Kansas City (66-83), which opened the series with a win Friday.

The Red Sox took the lead with two runs on three straight hits in the sixth. After Mickey Gasper and Rutschman knocked back-to-back singles to right to chase Royals starter Randy Dobnak (3-4), Abreu drove them home with a two-out double to deep center off reliever Anthony Gose.

The lead grew in each of the next two frames, beginning with Sogard hitting a leadoff double and scoring on Caleb Durbin’s RBI single off the Green Monster in the seventh.

After Garrett Whitlock struck out the side in the Royals’ eighth, Trevor Story and Sogard posted back-to-back doubles to plate another run.

Aroldis Chapman followed with a scoreless ninth to tab Suarez with the victory.

The teams plowed through three scoreless innings with just one baserunner: Bobby Witt Jr.’s one-out single in Kansas City’s opening frame. Suarez stranded him on third after recording back-to-back outs, including an inning-ending strikeout of Vinnie Pasquantino.

Suarez retired the Royals 1-2-3 on 10 pitches in the second and third innings while Dobnak faced the minimum, striking out three batters through the first third of the game.

In the fourth, Anthony turned a leadoff single through the right side into the opening run. After moving to second on Gasper’s grounder, Anthony scored when Rutschman knocked a single into center.

After finishing the fourth around Pasquantino’s two-out double, Suarez retired five straight before Jensen’s one-out solo homer inside Pesky’s Pole in the sixth. The southpaw stranded runners in the next two frames, including back-to-back strikeouts to cap the seventh.

–Field Level Media

Royals Take First of Three vs. Sox

by

FENWAY – (Wire Service Report) – Kansas City scored three runs over the first three innings and let its pitching do the rest as the Royals held on to beat the host Boston Red Sox 3-2 in their three-game series opener on Friday night.

Embed from Getty Images

Carter Jensen (two doubles) and Salvador Perez each went 2-for-4 with an RBI to lead the Royals (66-82), who were just 3-7 in their previous 10 games.

Seth Lugo (7-8) scattered seven hits and struck out seven across five innings of two-run ball for the victory. Steven Cruz finished off his seventh save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Mickey Gasper hit his ninth homer of the season and Wilyer Abreu went 2-for-4 with an RBI double for the Red Sox (80-68), who were held to just one hit over the final four innings. They have lost three straight since a five-game winning streak.

The Royals jumped ahead with a pair of first-inning hits off Sonny Gray (17-5), who went six frames. After Jensen crushed a leadoff double off the wall in deep center field, Perez knocked a two-out RBI single inside the third base line to open the scoring.

After Gray responded with a 1-2-3 second, Isaac Collins and Jensen started the third with back-to-back doubles, extending Kansas City’s lead to 2-0. Jensen’s wall-ball double high off the Green Monster brought in the run. Two batters later, Vinnie Pasquantino’s single through the right side made it a three-run game before a double play ended the inning.

After Adley Rutschman walked immediately following the homer, Wilyer Abreu’s RBI double high off the Monster brought the hosts within 3-2. Lugo stopped the threat there, striking out back-to-back batters.

Nolan Hoffman and Connor Thomas relieved Lugo with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings, and Nate Pearson stranded Trevor Story on second base following a one-out double in the eighth. Story eluded second baseman Michael Massey’s tag to reach safely.

The Royals had a chance to extend their lead after Perez and Massey started the eighth with back-to-back singles, with Rutschman catching pinch runner Tyler Tolbert stealing second in between. Jovani Moran stranded two to end the inning before striking out two in the ninth.

–Field Level Media

Rested, Sox Face Royal Challenge

by

BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Following back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Angels and a much-needed day off from their American League playoff race, the Boston Red Sox look to right the ship with Sonny Gray on the mound in their three-game series opener against the visiting Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

Embed from Getty Images

Boston (80-67) won five straight to reach a season-high 15 games above .500 before dropping the series to the lowly Angels, concluding a stretch of 14 games in 13 days with a 6-4 loss in Wednesday’s rubber game.

“We talked about two other gauntlets, with this being the last one where you can finally reach the three off-days over the next 10 days,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “It’s helpful from the standpoint of rest for everybody that’s active and also for the guys we’re trying to get back.”

The Red Sox allowed six runs and double-digit hits in their last two losses and seven of their last 12 games. Outfielders Ceddanne Rafaela and Eli White and catcher Adley Rutschman have been sidelined in recent days, while others are on the way back from injury.

Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu homered to highlight Wednesday’s game for Boston, but three home runs off starter Jake Bennett helped Los Angeles build a 6-0 lead that was too much to overcome.

Anthony’s two-run shot was his third since returning from injury on Aug. 30. Abreu is tied for the American League lead with 13 since the All-Star break.

“I’m very proud of myself for what I’ve been doing,” Abreu said. “Hopefully I can hit a couple more before the season ends.”

Gray (17-4, 2.69 ERA) has pitched scoreless ball in three of his last six starts, including seven innings of three-hit ball last Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles.

Gray defeated the Royals on May 18 — striking out nine and allowing one run over six innings — to improve to 10-2 with a 1.74 ERA in his career against them. The Red Sox swept that three-game set in Kansas City.

The Royals (65-82) are just 3-7 in their last 10 games, but they bounced back from a pair of extra-inning losses for a 5-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, avoiding their 11th series sweep this season.

Bobby Witt Jr. hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the fifth inning to provide the winning runs. Before going deep twice on Kansas City’s recent nine-game home stand, the three-time All-Star was homerless in 50 straight at-bats.

“Three-pointers are nice,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I know he’s felt like he’s left some runs out there, and he feels a lot of responsibility for that. That was a huge swing of the bat for him and for us.”

“Hunt the pitches and be able to do damage on the ones you’re looking for. And not miss them,” Witt added. “Take it one pitch at a time, and once you get those pitches, be able to capitalize on them.”

Carter Jensen hit his 23rd homer, tying Jac Caglianone for the team lead and marking the second-most ever by a Royals rookie. The catcher is on a 14-game on-base streak, and each of his last nine hits have gone for extra bases.

Seth Lugo (6-8, 5.04) gets the ball on Friday in search of his first win in his fifth career start against the Red Sox. He is 0-5 with a 5.61 ERA in seven head-to-head appearances, but allowed just two runs over six innings in his May 18 clash with Gray.

Lugo has allowed 12 runs on 17 hits over his last two starts (8 2/3 innings), though his five-inning appearance Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays was his eighth out of the last 10 without allowing a homer.

–Field Level Media