BOSTON — The Red Sox kept battling. They simply ran out of gas.
The Red Sox rallied from a seven-run deficit, including a two-run hole in the ninth inning, to send Sunday’s game against the Seattle Mariners into extra frames. Boston couldn’t take advantage of its second wind, though, and Seattle pulled out a 10-8 win in 12 innings.
GAME IN A WORD
Respectable.
The Red Sox have played with a ton of energy in honor of John Farrell since learning Friday of their manager’s lymphoma diagnosis. A loss is a loss — they all stink, of course — but the fight Boston showed in Sunday’s series finale still was admirable.
The Red Sox could have packed it in after the Mariners jumped out to a 7-0 lead through three innings. And they could have done so again in the ninth when down to their final strike. But they didn’t.
That counts for something at this stage.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
The Mariners struck for two runs in the 12th inning.
Austin Jackson and Mark Trumbo began the inning with back-to-back singles off Craig Breslow, who came back out for a third inning of work. Logan Morrison then dropped down a bunt that Breslow couldn’t field cleanly, allowing the Mariners to load the bases with no outs.
Mike Zunino knocked Breslow from the game and broke an 8-8 tie with a single into left field. Kyle Seager singled off Robbie Ross Jr.,who replaced Breslow, to give the Mariners a 10-8 advantage.
Boston’s 12th-inning implosion came on the heels of a dramatic ninth inning in which the Red Sox rallied from a two-run deficit to tie the game 8-8.
Jackie Bradley Jr. kicked off the ninth-inning comeback with a leadoff walk. Brock Holt sent Bradley racing from first to third with a one-out single into right field.
Xander Bogaerts trimmed the deficit to one run with a soft ground ball to second base. The Mariners recorded an out, but the ball was hit so softly that Holt scampered into second base without a problem.
Mariners closer Carson Smith intentionally walked David Ortiz with first base open to pitch to Rusney Castillo. Castillo hit a dribbler to third base that resulted in an infield single to load the bases.
Travis Shaw tied the game 8-8 with a single into left field. Third base coach Brian Butterfield aggressively sent Ortiz in the hopes of stealing a win, but Big Papi was nailed at the plate.
The decision to send Ortiz was questionable, as he seemingly had no chance to score. It’s also somewhat surprising the Red Sox didn’t pinch-run for Ortiz, who represented the winning run, once he advanced to second base on Castillo’s infield single. Alejandro De Aza never entered the game.
ON THE BUMP
— Henry Owens (kind of) salvaged a horrendous start to the game.
The Mariners scored seven runs off Owens in the first three innings. Franklin Gutierrez crushed two home runs — a solo homer in the first and a three-run homer in the third — and Robinson Cano hit one. Seattle totaled six hits and a walk in that span.
Owens fell back into some trouble in the fourth and fifth innings but prevented Seattle from inflicting any more damage. The left-hander made it through six innings, allowing seven runs on 10 hits and a walk. He struck out 10 and threw 99 pitches (63 strikes).
— Alexi Ogando surrendered a solo homer to Nelson Cruz in the seventh inning.
— Jean Machi pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
— Junichi Tazawa held the Mariners scoreless in the ninth inning despite surrendering a triple and issuing a walk with two outs.
— Craig Breslow pitched two scoreless innings but struggled in the 12th. He didn’t help his cause, either, by botching Morrison’s bunt.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Bogaerts snapped a lengthy home run drought with a solo blast in the third inning. It was his first home run since June 15, which is rather amazing given how well he’s performed.
Bogaerts finished 2-for-5 with a walk after recording four hits in Saturday’s middle game. He had three RBIs, as a pair of RBI groundouts helped Boston’s offensive cause in addition to his solo homer.
— Castillo launched a home run in the fourth inning. The moon shot over the Green Monster in left field marked his fourth homer of the season.
— Bradley followed his historic performance with a 1-for-5 effort. He also walked in the ninth inning to bring the tying run to the plate.
— Holt had three hits, including a double, and reached base four times. He scored three runs, including the game-tying run in the ninth inning.
— Shaw singled into left field with two outs in the ninth inning to tie the game 8-8. It was one of three hits for Shaw, who also walked in the 12th inning.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Bad odds for the Red Sox.
[tweet https://twitter.com/TVTEDDY/status/633018711209836544Â align=’center’%5D
UP NEXT
The Red Sox will welcome the Cleveland Indians to town for three games starting Monday night. Matt Barnes will start for Boston in the series opener, marking his first major league start. He’ll face Danny Salazar, who’s worth monitoring in case the Indians make him, among others, available this offseason.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
