The Boston Red Sox couldn’t quite come back from a 9-1 sixth inning deficit on Thursday evening, dropping the rubber game of a three game series 10-7 to the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in the nations capital.
The teams swapped a run each over the first four innings as Triston Casas hit a solo homerun for Boston in the third, and Jeter Downs for Washington (55-67) scored on an error by Rafael Devers in the last of the frame. Things fell apart for the Red Sox in the bottom of the fifth, as starter Chris Sale walked the first two batters and after recording the first out he would he lifted from the game for Josh Winckowski. Joey Meneses greeted the reliever with a two-run double. Stone Garrett also added an RBI double, and Riley Adams made it 6-1 Nats with a two-run single. Meneses and Garrett were at it again in the sixth, as Meneses made it back to back innings with a two-run double and Garrett had a sacrifice fly as Washington was on cruise control up 9-1. Boston began their comeback attempt in the seventh. Adam Duvall led off with a single, and then with one out Pablo Reyes singled and Casas walked to load the bases. After Connor Wong struckout looking for the second out, Luis Urias took a 1-1 pitch over the fence in centerfield for a grandslam. The inning didn’t end there as Rob Refsnyder worked a walk, followed by a 453 foot two-run homer by Devers to right centerfield to all of a sudden slice the margin to 9-7. The Nationals added a big insurance run in the bottom of the eighth as CJ Abrams was hit by a pitch, stole second and third base, and then scored on a two out single by Garrett. The Sox tried to put together another rally in the ninth against closer Kyle Finnegan. Alex Verdugo singled and Jarren Duran doubled to start things off, but pinch hitter Reese McGuire grounded out to first, Devers struckout, and Trevor Story lined out to second baseman Michael Chavis to end it.
Sale (5-3) took the loss after being charged with three runs (two earned) on two hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Masataka Yoshida and Urias had two hits each, with Urias driving in four with his grandslam and Devers driving in two. Keibert Ruiz had three hits for Washington, with Meneses, Garrett, and Adams adding two a piece. Meneses drove in five runs and Garrett had three. Patrick Corbin (8-11) pitched fantastic in picking up the win allowing just one run on four hits with no walks and six strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work. Finnegan got his 19th save. Boston (63-58) will now head to Yankee Stadium to open up a three game series with the New York Yankees on Friday night at 7:05. Righthander Brayan Bello (8-7, 3.81 ERA) takes to the mound in the opener for the Sox, while the Yankees haven’t yet announced a starter. Boston will begin play on Friday 3.5 games behind Toronto for the third and final American League wildcard playoff spot.
Story by Chris Lessner
