The Boston Red Sox and starting pitcher Andrew Cashner got into an early deficit once again Sunday afternoon and would end up dropping the final game of a four game series to the Los Angeles Angels 5-4 in 10 innings at Fenway Park. After dominating wins in the first two games the Sox end up with the series split.
Los Angeles (58-61) for a third straight game took an early 3-0 lead. Albert Pujols grounded into a double play in the top of the first that scored a run, and then Shohei Ohtani grounded a two run single to center field in the second. Cashner was done after just 1.2 innings and had five walks in the short outing. Josh Taylor worked some good relief out of the pen though and got Cashner off the hook as the Sox eventually would rally to tie it and take the lead.
Jackie Bradley Jr. walked with the bases loaded in the home half of the second inning to cut the deficit to a pair. Then in the fourth inning after a Sam Travis opposite field single to right field, Christian Vazquez hit a long homerun deep over the monster in left to tie the score. The homerun was his 18th of the season. The catcher only had 10 homers in the last four seasons combined. He also now has a career high 100 hits on the year. A passed ball with the bases loaded in the fifth gave Boston (62-58) their only lead of the day when Rafael Devers scored. Kole Calhoun tied it up again when he hit a solo homerun to right center to lead off the eighth for the Angels off Matt Barnes. Barnes suffered the blown save. The eighth walk of the day by the Red Sox pitching staff to Calhoun to start the 10th inning led to the winning run. Pinch hitter Anthony Bemboom ended up driving in Calhoun with an RBI single to right with two outs. Andrew Benintendi hit a one out single in the bottom half, but Mookie Betts popped out and Vazquez struck out swinging to end the game. Betts had entered the game as a pinch runner in the eighth replacing Moreland who had replaced Travis. He originally had the day off as Chris Owings was called up from Pawtucket and was the leadoff hitter. Owings went 0-5 with three strikeouts.
Ryan Weber (1-2) ended up being tagged with the loss for Boston allowing the run in the 10th. Cashner allowed three runs on three hits, with the five big walks and one strikeout in his 1.2 inning effort. Taylor was superb in his 2.1 innings of relief, retiring all seven batters he faced with no walks and five strikeouts. Devers and Benintendi each had two hits in the loss. JD Martinez had an infield single to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. Hansel Robles (4-0) picked up the win in relief for Los Angeles firing 1.1 innings of scoreless baseball. Patrick Sandoval went the first 4.2 innings allowing four runs on six hits. Ohtani had three hits, and Luis Rengifo had two to lead the Angels.
The Red Sox begin a three game series against the Cleveland Indians in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday night. The Indians are the current wildcard leader. The scheduled pitching matchup is Eduardo Rodriguez for Boston and Zach Plesac for Cleveland with a 7:10 p.m. first pitch.
Boston third baseman Rafael Devers makes a catch against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night at Fenway Park. Devers had two hits Sunday afternoon in a loss to Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of Delaney Gardner
