BOSTON — Joe Kelly cannot catch a break.
The Red Sox right-hander tossed seven solid innings Wednesday night at Fenway Park but — for the eighth time in nine starts this season — left without a win as Boston dropped a 2-1 decision to the Texas Rangers.
GAME IN A WORD
Wasteful.
Kelly has allowed three total runs in 16 1/3 innings over his last two starts but received just two runs of support. (Boston’s winning run in Kelly’s last outing came after he’d been lifted.)
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
The Red Sox put two men on in the ninth but could not score against Rangers reliever Scott Tolleson.
Mookie Betts stroked a one-out double, and David Ortiz was intentionally walked with two down, but Hanley Ramirez grounded out to second to end the game and give Tolleson his first career save.
ON THE BUMP
— Kelly, whose lone win of the season came in his very first start, tossed a perfect first inning before running into some trouble in the second.
Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland led off the inning with consecutive singles. Betts made a nice diving play in center field to prevent Moreland’s hit from rolling into the triangle, thus forcing Beltre to pull up at third. Beltre didn’t stay there for long, though, as Elvis Andrus lifted a sacrifice fly to right to score the third baseman with the game’s first run.
A grounder back to the mound and catcher Blake Swihart’s pickoff of Leonys Martin at first helped limit the damage to one run in the frame.
Robinson Chirinos made it 2-0 Rangers with a leadoff home run in the third. It was the the sixth time in his last seven starts that Kelly had allowed a homer.
It took another four innings for the Rangers to put a man in scoring position, which they did with one out in the seventh. Martin doubled off the Green Monster, then took third when Ramirez’s relay throw landed behind him after apparently slipping out of his hand.
Kelly recovered, though, blowing fastballs by Chirinos and Tommy Field to retire the side and conclude his outing. All told, it was a solid one, as he allowed two runs on seven hits while striking out seven and walking one in seven innings of work.
— Tommy Layne came on to begin the eighth but lasted just a third of an inning, allowing a double and walking a batter before giving way to Junichi Tazawa. Texas executed a double steal against Tazawa, but the right-hander struck out Beltre and Moreland to escape the jam.
— Matt Barnes pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The Red Sox’s bats did not get off to the best start against a Rangers pitcher in Phil Klein who was making the first start of his major league career. Klein held Boston scoreless through the first four innings before Xander Bogaerts finally put the home team on the board with a leadoff home run in the fifth.
That homer, which cleared the Monster seats, cut Texas’ lead to 2-1.
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— What was encouraging were the contributions of Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava, both of whom have struggled mightily at the plate this season. Napoli singled in his first two at-bats after going 2-for-4 with a homer Tuesday night, and Nava bounced a ground-rule double into the Texas bullpen in the fourth inning.
It was the right fielder’s first extra-base hit since April 11 and just his second of the season.
— Shane Victorino pinch-hit for Nava in the sixth with lefty reliever Alex Claudio on the mound. After a 10-pitch at-bat that included a few 67-mph sliders from the southpaw, Victorino singled into left field, loading the bases with one out. The Sox failed to score in the inning, though. Brock Holt struck out, and Bogaerts lined out to center.
Victorino also singled in the eighth to finish 2-for-2 on the night. He’s gone 8-for-19 with three walks since returning from the disabled list May 11.
— Boston threatened again one inning later, with Betts singling and advancing on a wild pitch and Ortiz drawing an intentional walk. But again, neither could score, as Ramirez lined out to a perfectly positioned Field at second to end the inning.
— The Red Sox left 12 men on base for the second consecutive game. Holt left seven, and Ramirez left five.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Ouch.
[tweet https://twitter.com/PeteAbe/status/601206969844785152 align=’center’]
UP NEXT
The Sox and Rangers wrap up their three-game set Thursday night. Clay Buchholz vs. Wandy Rodriguez will be the pitching matchup for that one.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
