Red Sox Notes: Could ‘Ironic’ Comeback Attempt Spark Offense?

If the Red Sox don’t end up snagging one of the American League Wild Card spots in 2023, it will be hard not to remember this game.

The Red Sox provided their fans with quite the tease Thursday, chopping an eight-run deficit down to just two runs entering the eighth inning. Boston even had the tying run at the plate in the ninth, but failed to pull another rabbit out of its (collective?) hat in their loss to the Nationals.

It was a wholly disappointing day for Alex Cora’s squad, but one that produced a few positive takeaways, especially if the season doesn’t end after 162 games.

“We didn’t give up, which is the most important thing,” Cora said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “The effort was great, but obviously the result was not the one we wanted. We put better at-bats (together) in the second part of the game. … If there’s a positive, that was the positive from today.”

Boston’s offensive push was nice and all, but only came after it made Washington starter Patrick Corbin look like the ace everyone thought he’d be when he signed a $140 million contract in 2019. They scored just one run off the southpaw in six innings, before going nuclear against the Nationals bullpen.

In choosing to take a positive outlook from that wishy-washy production, perhaps the Red Sox are heating up in time for their upcoming series against the New York Yankees.

“I think (being down by eight runs) we were able to breathe a little bit, ironically enough,” Cora said. “We just put better at-bats when the game went the way it did. Who cares? You just find it, and hopefully, we can gain a little bit of momentum out of that.

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Red Sox Wrap: Walks Prove To Be Difference In Failed Comeback

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Here are more notes from Thursday afternoon’s Red Sox-Nationals game:

— Triston Casas’ third-inning home run was his second to travel more than 430 feet to the opposite field, making him the only player in baseball to accomplish that feat this season, per Red Sox Stats on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Casas became just the third Red Sox ever to reach 25 home runs in 135 games or fewer before his 24th birthday, joining Tony Conigliaro (1964-65) and Ted Williams (1939), per Red Sox statistician J.P. Long.

— Luis Urías belted a grand slam in the seventh inning. It was not only his first career grand slam, but his first round tripper as a member of the Red Sox.

— Chris Sale’s second strikeout of the day was his 900th with Boston, passing Clay Buchholz for 11th most in Red Sox history, per Long.

— The Red Sox will take an old-school approach to their next series, hopping on a train to the Bronx to begin a three-game set with the New York Yankees on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET with the game being broadcast on Apple TV+. The Red Sox will return to NESN for the middle game against the Yankees on Saturday.