Red Sox Notes: Boston Comes Through In ‘Can’t Lose’ Series Opener

The Boston Red Sox on Monday opened another series at Fenway Park and fought to both end a losing streak and hold ground in the American Leauge wild-card race.

The opener against the Texas Rangers, who Boston won a series against earlier this month, definitely stood out as a game the Red Sox had to have after being swept by the Houston Astros.

Boston’s struggling pitching staff got an exceptional start from Brayan Bello with six innings of one-run ball. Bello’s departure led to an unfortunate turn when Corey Seager tied the game in the seventh inning with a two-run homer. The game went to extra innings where the Rangers took a one-run lead heading to the home half of the 10th inning.

Needing a response, Boston answered the call.

The Red Sox rallied for two runs on an RBI ground-rule double from Enmanuel Valdez before Rob Refsnyder tallied the game-winning hit off of Texas lefty Walter Pennington for a 5-4 victory.

For a hitter who’s hit over .300 against left-handed pitching since joining the Red Sox in 2022, Refsnyder just did what he’s always done in Boston.

“I don’t know, it’s like my job depends on it,” Refsnyder shared on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” after the win. “I have a great hitting department. Great staff. They put me in good positions to get some work in in between starts and things like that. Lucky and fortunate to come through right there.”

The Red Sox ended their losing streak in style and reset their momentum.

“We were joking before the game that it wasn’t a must-win, but it was a can’t lose for us,” Refsnyder added. “Fortunate enough to come through. Good team win. A lot of guys really stepped up. We’re pretty banged up right now. A lot of the bench guys have had to play a lot more. A lot of credit to the coaching staff.”

The Red Sox also gained a game in the wild-card standings with the victory and now sit two games out of a playoff spot along with the Seattle Mariners. Boston needs to get in a rhythm, especially with a tough series approaching on the road against the Baltimore Orioles and another clash with the Astros.

“Yeah, it’s getting to mid-August,” Refsnyder said. “It’s kind of go time. We gotta get hot here. We had a really, really good crowd tonight. That helped us a lot.”

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Red Sox Wrap: Quality Start Sparks Boston’s Extra-Innings Win

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Here are more notes from Monday’s Rangers-Red Sox game:

— David Hamilton scored a run and stole his 30th base of the season for the Red Sox. He’s the third rookie and 14th player to do so for Boston, as referenced by the Boston Herald’s Gabrielle Starr.

— Bello allowed three runs or less for the sixth consecutive start.

— Chris Martin pitched a scoreless eighth inning, marking his third straight scoreless outing since returning to the Red Sox from the IL.

— Rangers reliever Andrew Chafin tied an MLB record with four walks in an outing without recording an out, per The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

— Refsnyder tallied his second-career walk-off hit. Both came with the Red Sox at Fenway Park against the Rangers. The previous occasion came in a 9-8 Boston victory on Sept. 1, 2022.

— Mickey Gasper made his MLB debut in extra innings when he pinch-hit for Hamilton and worked a walk.

Gasper started the season in Double-A and surged through the minors to reach the big leagues.

— The Red Sox and Rangers continue their series on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN as part of the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon.