Red Sox Wrap: Ugly Seventh Inning Plagues Boston In 7-4 Loss To Cubs

A series of blunders hurt the Boston Red Sox, as they fell 7-4 to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park.

Boston held a 4-3 lead heading into the seventh inning, but Chicago capitalized on two Red Sox errors to score three runs in the frame.

Home runs were a theme in Saturday’s contest, as the two clubs combined for five long balls. Hanley Ramirez and Andrew Benintendi went deep for the Sox, while Anthony Rizzo, Miguel Montero and Ben Zobrist rounded the bases for the Cubs.

With the loss, Boston falls to 12-11, while Chicago improves to 12-11.

Here’s how it all went down.

GAME IN A WORD
Sloppy.

The Red Sox were in good shape, and then came the seventh inning. The Sox committed two errors and allowed three runs in the frame, which was all the Cubs needed.

IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Chicago closer Wade Davis earned his sixth save of the season. After allowing a leadoff single to Dustin Pedroia, Davis sat down the following three batters.

ON THE BUMP
— Steven Wright didn’t have his best stuff Saturday afternoon. In 6 1/3 innings of work, the knuckleballer allowed four runs on seven hits and walked one. Home runs plagued Wright, as he allowed a two-run blast to Rizzo in the fourth inning and a solo shot to Montero in the seventh. After Jon Jay doubled with one out in the seventh inning, Red Sox manager John Farrell opted to tap into his bullpen.

–Robby Scott was brought in to face Kyle Schwarber, but the lefty reliever couldn’t get the job done. Schwarber notched a single to bring in Jay, giving the Cubs a 5-4 lead.

–Ben Taylor followed and nearly got the Sox out of danger. The right-hander got Rizzo to ground to first base for a potential inning-ending double play. Unfortunately for Boston, Xander Bogaerts sailed his return throw to first, which allowed Schwarber to score. Taylor induced a Ben Zobrist pop up to finally get out of the frame.

Taylor returned for the eighth inning and loaded the bases after sitting down the first two batters in the frame. He made it out of the inning unscathed, though, as he got Schwarber to fly out to left field.

–Taylor notched one out in the ninth inning before giving way to Fernando Abad. They lefty retired Rizzo on a pop fly, but Zobrist followed with a deep shot over the Green Monster. Abad then sat down Jason Heyward to end the inning.

IN THE BATTER’S BOX
–Ramirez crushed the longest home run hit in the majors this season when he parked a 469 blast over the Green Monster in the third inning.

–Benintendi crushed a home run for the second consecutive game. The 22-year-old outfielder also logged a sacrifice fly.

–Pedroia was the only Red Sox hitter to record a multi-hit game with three singles. One of the base knocks was a laser shot off the left-field wall, but Pedroia was cut down trying to extend it to a double.

–Bogaerts nearly took John Lackey deep when he sent a deep shot to right field in the third inning. The Red Sox shortstop one-hopped the wall and scooted into third base for a triple.

–Christian Vazquez laced a single up the middle in the fourth inning, extending his hitting streak to six games.

–Marco Hernandez ripped a double off the Green Monster in the fourth.

–Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. both singled in the contest.

TWEET OF THE DAY
Weird, but true.

UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Cubs will close out their series Sunday night at Fenway Park. Eduardo Rodriguez is scheduled to get the ball for Boston, and he’ll be countered by Chicago’s Kyle Hendricks. First pitch is set for 8 p.m. ET.

Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images