With Texas eliminated from playoff contention, Globe Life Park has just a few days left before hosting its final game.
With that in mind, the Rangers and the Boston Red Sox did their very best to keep the lights on as long as possible deep in the heart of Texas. A crazy first inning that saw eight runs and took 49 minutes set the tone for a 12-10 Red Sox victory Tuesday night in a game that took three hours and 59 minutes.
The night was highlighted by Eduardo Rodriguez’s 19th win of the season, but the left-hander produced very little highlights himself in a pretty dismal outing in which he barely escaped as the pitcher of record.
Boston’s offense unloaded with 14 hits. Mookie Betts, however, left with an injury in the third.
The Red Sox now are 82-75, while the Rangers fell to 75-82 after the loss.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Ridiculous.
This was madness from the start.
ON THE BUMP
— Rodriguez sweated through a lamentable five innings to keep him alive for 20 wins, and thanks to the Red Sox offense, he’ll get that chance.
But on Tuesday, the left-hander was rather dreadful, allowing seven runs on 11 hits with three walks and six strikeouts. He surrendered the four-run lead built for him in the top of the first by allowing four in the home half following four hits and two walks.
He flirted with getting the hook in the fifth, giving up a two-run home run to Rougned Odor and then putting two runners on. He was bailed out by Christian Vazquez, who threw out Delino DeShields attempting to steal to end the frame and — mercifully — Rodriguez’s evening. He threw 113 pitches.
— Marcus Walden allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in the sixth.
— Texas made it 12-10 after manufacturing a run off Andrew Cashner in the seventh on one hit.
— Matt Barnes chucked a scoreless eighth after walking the first two batters he faced.
— Brandon Workman tossed a scoreless ninth to earn the save.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— There was a night’s-worth of offense in the first inning, with Boston plating four runs and chasing starter Edinson Volquez (who allowed five hits, walked one and threw two wild pitches) with two outs in the frame and a 4-0 run in hand.
Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez laced back-to-back RBI singles, and Jackie Bradley Jr. piled on with a two-run double to center.
.@JackieBradleyJr caps off a 4-run 1st with a 2-run double! pic.twitter.com/JIaLHhpGS7
— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 25, 2019
— Betts led off the second with a solo homer to dead center to put Boston back in front.
— Mitch Moreland doubled to lead off the third and came around to score when Bradley Jr. reached on a fielding error.
— Rafael Devers drove in another run to make it 7-5 Boston with a double. Xander Bogaerts followed with a sacrifice fly that plated Gorkys Hernandez (who entered for an injured Betts) to make it 8-5.
— Boston broke it back open a bit with four runs in the fifth to make it 12-5. Hernandez drove in a run on a sac fly with the bases loaded. Vazquez then scored on a wild pitch to make it 10-5. Martinez followed with a two-run single.
— Every Red Sox batter scored at least once.
TWEET OF THE DAY
There’s been a lot of Red Sox third basemen, but none of them have hit more doubles in a single season than Devers.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox continue their last road trip of the season on Tuesday with the middle game of a three-game set against the Rangers. First pitch from Globe Life Park is slated for 8:05 p.m. ET.
