BOSTON- Kike Hernandez hit a two-run single in a six run seventh inning at Fenway Park Thursday night, to put the Boston Red Sox ahead for good in a 10-6 victory over the Texas Rangers in the finale of a three game series. Boston takes two out of three over Texas, and now are only three games out in the race for the third wildcard spot in the American League with the lowly Oakland Athletics coming to town over the weekend to cap off the first half of the season.
Former Boston pitcher Nathan Eovaldi was back at Fenway for the first time since leaving the team for Texas in the offseason and got the start on the mound for the Rangers. The teams swapped a pair of runs in the first two innings. Rafael Devers had an RBI groundout in the bottom of the first, and Jonah Heim an RBI single off Kutter Crawford to make it 1-1 in the top of the second. Texas left the bases loaded with one out in that frame, as Crawford escaped any further damage when he struckout Leody Taveras and got Marcus Semien to flyout to centerfield. The Sox would take a 3-1 advantage in the third on an RBI double by Devers off the green monster, and a sacrifice fly by Adam Duvall. The guests tied it right back up in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by Robbie Grossman and an RBI single by Taveras. Crawford exited the game after four, and Joe Jacques came out of the bullpen. After two quick outs against Jacques in the fifth, Texas took their first lead of the night. Adolis Garcia drew a walk, and Josh Jung followed with a double to left. A throwing error by Masataka Yoshida into second base allowed Garcia to come around and score. Heim then made it 5-3 when he doubled into the right centerfield gap past the outstretched glove of a diving Alex Verdugo. Boston cut it to 5-4 in the sixth when Triston Casas led off with a walk, and then a throwing error by Semien on a doubleplay ball hit by Hernandez advanced him to second with one out. Rob Refsnyder pinch hit, and singled in Hernandez off Brock Burke who had come in to relieve Eovaldi. The Rangers (51-37) had another big chance to extend their lead in the top of the seventh inning. Corey Seager led off with a single, and then Nathaniel Lowe doubled down the leftfield line to put runners at second and third with no outs. Josh Winckowski then came on to pitch and kept the visitors off the scoreboard. Garcia grounded out and Jung struckout and after an intentional walk to Heim, Winckowski got Ezequiel Duran to also groundout to end the threat. The bats then came alive for the hometown team in the bottom of the inning to make the difference in the game. Devers drew a one out walk, and then Duvall doubled and Casas walked to load the bases. Hernandez was next up and would fight off a sinker by Grant Anderson, looping a 1-2 pitch into shallow left to score two to regain the lead for good 6-5. Duvall made a great read on the hit, scoring from second on the shallow single as the throw to home was off line by Grossman allowing the runners to advance. The Sox weren’t done though as Christian Arroyo had the eventual game winner with an RBI single, and Connor Wong, Justin Turner, and Yoshida also singled in runs to push the lead out to 10-5. Seager ended the scoring with a solo homerun over the monster against Justin Garza to start off the ninth. After Garcia walked, Chris Martin took to the hill and finished off the victory by getting Jung to ground into a doubleplay to end it.
Winckowski (3-1) picked up the pitching win only allowing one baserunner on a walk in his 2.0 innings of work. Crawford with a no-decision gave up three runs on seven hits in 4.0 innings. Wong had three hits, while Turner, Yoshida, and Devers had two each. Turner has at least one RBI in six straight games, and also has 11 hits and has scored seven runs in the same span. Josh Sborz (4-4) was tagged in the loss for Texas. Eovaldi allowed four runs on five hits in his start that covered 5.1 innings. Seager had three hits for the Rangers, while Jung, Heim, and Duran had two a piece. Boston (45-43) starts up that final series before the All-Star break Friday night at 7:10 against Oakland (25-64). Lefthander Brennan Bernardino (1-0, 2.70 ERA) will serve as the opener in a bullpen game for the Sox, to be opposed by righty Luis Medina (2-7, 6.37) for the Athletics. Brandon Walter is expected to cover a majority of the innings after Bernardino. Boston will begin the night Friday just three games behind both Toronto and the NY Yankees for that third wildcard.
Recap/videos/photos by Chris Lessner who was in attendance at Fenway Park for Thursday’s Red Sox-Rangers matchup
