Red Sox Wrap: Boston’s Offense Not Enough For Sweep Vs. Diamondbacks

The Boston Red Sox dropped their series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 at Chase Field on Sunday night.

The Red Sox fell to 28-25 while the Diamondbacks improved to 30-23.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
It seemed Boston addressed its offensive dry spell, scoring 12 runs in its previous three games entering the series finale in Arizona.

But the same run production shortage, which has haunted the Red Sox throughout the better part of their nine-game road trip, revisited them again. And it costed them a three-game sweep over the Diamondbacks.

This time it was Merrill Kelly who stumped the Red Sox through 6 1/3 innings, mowing down the lineup. While the Diamondbacks bats did their part in giving Kelly four runs of support, the deficit seemed much larger considering the Red Sox looked lost in the batter’s box against Kelly. Even after Kelly after 108 pitches, and with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, the Red Sox tackled their first and only run of the contest.

That was Boston’s best scoring opportunity of the night, and could’ve transferred some momentum had it capitalized.

Kelly’s 10 strikeouts against Boston were the most of any starter this season when facing the Red Sox. In the end, Boston finished with 15 strikeouts (a season-high) against Arizona pitching and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, stranding 10 runners on base.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Kelly ran the show in Arizona, pitching 6 1/3 innings of stellar work, allowing just one earned run off four hits and two walks while tying a season-high 10 strikeouts. The right-hander’s hiccup in the seventh, leaving two runners on with one out — which gave the Red Sox their first run — was the only blemish to his outing.

— Nick Pivetta kept Boston within reach, pitching three scoreless innings of relief after Joely Rodríguez threw a scoreless fifth inning.

— Justin Turner had the biggest swing of the night, delivering a solo home run in the eighth inning to double Boston’s scoring total and cut Arizona’s lead to two. Turner finished 2-for-5, making him one of just three hitters to record a multi-hit performance.

WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Turner going yard at +600. The right-handed hitter cleared those odds after launching his sixth of the season. A $100 wager placed on Turner would’ve resulted in a $700 total payout.

UP NEXT ON NESN
With the road trip concluded, the Red Sox will return to Fenway Park on Tuesday where they’ll begin a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET., and you can catch the game, plus a full hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.