Red Sox Wrap: Boston Stops Shutout But Falls Short In White Sox Opener

The Boston Red Sox fell to the Chicago White Sox, 4-3, in the first game of a three-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday.

With the loss, Boston dropped to 80-63. The White Sox improved to 81-60.

View the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
It would have been easy to take a quick look at the television and think that the Red Sox were getting outplayed, but it was more a case of the White Sox getting lucky. The Red Sox didn’t get a baserunner until the third inning, the same frame that saw Chicago get on the board via a three-run home run. After that, Boston got at least one baserunner, finally blowing it open in the seventh.

Chalk this one up to coming out of an off day to a road trip and some (major) COVID issues and late injuries, and try again Saturday.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Bobby Dalbec gave the Red Sox hope with his fifth-inning blast, a solo shot to left that made it 4-1 Chicago — then was the catalyst for a seventh-inning rally courtesy of a leadoff triple. Overall, he was 2-for-4 with two runs and two strikeouts.

— Xander Bogaerts had a healthy return from the COVID-19 related injured list. He was the only Red Sox player besides Dalbec and Christian Vázquez to record multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and a walk.

— José Abreu got the White Sox on the board with his three-run home run in the bottom of the third.

WAGER WATCH
The White Sox were a consensus +125 to cover the -1.5 run line, but hopefully fans who bet the spread stuck around for the entire game. If they turned the television off after six innings, things looked pretty good, and their potential $100 bet could have turned into $125.

But things changed after as the Red Sox rallied, and getting things within one meant that anyone who took them at -145 to cover +1.5 (via DraftKings) was back in business.

ON DECK AT NESN
The series continues Saturday at 7:10 p.m. ET, and you can watch it live on NESN.