This one was tight from start to finish.
The Red Sox and Rangers traded leads several times throughout Saturday’s game at Globe Life Field, but Texas ultimately topped Boston 8-6 in Game 3 of the four-game series.
The Rangers outhit the Sox 13-12 as Boston left 10 men on base and failed to capitalize on two different bases-loaded situations.
The Red Sox fell to 17-11 while the Rangers improved to 12-16. Texas now owns a 2-1 series lead entering the final game of the set.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Seesaw.
Need we say more?
ON THE BUMP
— Rodriguez was solid in his first two innings but ran into some trouble in the third.
The southpaw allowed three of the first four batters to hit singles, the third of which drove in the Rangers’ first run of the game. He loaded up the bases two batters later before another single (this time from Nate Lowe) drove in two more. And just like that, the Rangers had a 3-2 lead.
Rodriguez calmed down for a 1-2-3 fourth. He had plenty of time to rest between innings after Boston’s bats boosted their lead back to two, but the lefty gave up a leadoff home run to Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the fifth that made it a one-run game once again.
In the end, Rodriguez gave up four earned runs on eight hits in five innings. He struck out five and walked one.
— Matt Andriese came in for the sixth, and the Rangers lit him up quickly.
Willie Calhoun wrapped a two-run dinger around the right field foul pole with one out in the inning to give the lead back to the Rangers. Kiner-Falefa tripled later in the inning to make it 7-5.
Andriese finished the inning, but the damage was done.
— Josh Taylor tossed a hitless seventh inning.
— Hirokazu Sawamura ran into a little trouble in the eighth. He gave up two doubles in the inning, one of which drove in Texas’ eighth run of the game.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Hunter Renfroe got the scoring going in the second with a massive two-run blast that landed in the second row of seats.
— In the third inning, Bobby Dalbec drove home Rafael Devers from third to tie the game 3-3.
— J.D. Martinez gave Boston its lead back in the fifth with an RBI single that scored Christian Arroyo from second.
Xander Bogaerts tacked on another run with a single of his own one batter later that plated Alex Verdugo from third.
Boston left the bases loaded to end the inning.
— Christian Vazquez trimmed the Rangers’ lead to one in the seventh inning with a sacrifice fly to right field that plated Bogaerts.
— The Red Sox loaded up the bases once again with two out in the eighth, but Bogaerts grounded out to end the inning.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Is that good?
UP NEXT
Boston will try to split the series when it wraps up the four-game set with Texas on Sunday afternoon. First pitch from Globe Life Field set for 2:35 p.m. ET.
