The Boston Red Sox appeared to bounce back in the middle game of interleague play with St. Louis but the Cardinals had a different idea, rallying for the 4-3 win on Saturday at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox fell to 22-18 on the season after dropping the second straight game to the Cardinals. St. Louis improved to 15-25 on the campaign.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
For the second straight game the Red Sox got brilliant pitching from their starting pitcher, that the bullpen spoiled.
Chris Sale pitched eight complete innings giving up just one run before handing the ball over to Kenley Jansen, who had the blown save in Friday night's loss to the Cardinals.
Jansen couldn't find a rhythm, or the strike zone walking three of the six batters he faced. The Cardinals tagged the closer for three runs and the 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth. The Red Sox were looking for an explanation when Jansen was called for three pitch clock violations, even though there appeared to be time left on count.
STARS OF THE GAME
-- Sale was the first starting pitcher for Boston to record at least an out in the eighth inning. Sale did better, he recorded all three outs. The southpaw threw 110 pitches, 77 for strikes.
-- Rob Refsnyder was solid at the plate going 3-for-4 with two singles and a double, his 14th of the season, to go along with two RBIs.
-- Nolan Arenado scored the lone run for St. Louis when he launched his fifth home run of the season off Sale in the seventh inning.
WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds that Sale would have 8-plus strikeouts at +240. With nine strikeouts over eight innings, the left-hander earned $100 bettors a payout of $340.
ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox look avoid the sweep when they take the field against the Cardinals on Sunday night. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN. Boston will play the Seattle Mariners on Monday, and first pitch for that matchup is scheduled at 7:10 p.m. on NESN.
