BOSTON — The Red Sox picked up an 8-4 win over the Rangers in extras, but they didn’t win in ideal fashion.
After Rafael Devers’ leadoff single, with two outs Alex Verdugo blasted a two-run homer over the Red Sox’ bullpen to give the Sox the 1-0 lead in the second inning.
Sloppy defense put the Rangers on the board in the fifth, as an error by third baseman Rafael Devers put two on with nobody out. After a sac bunt, a ground ball to the shortstop Xander Bogaerts scored Jason Martin, to go along with an E3 as first baseman Bobby Dalbec blatantly missed a catch. However, a double play would retire the side.
Hunter Renfroe padded Boston’s lead in the sixth, with a solo big fly over the center field wall to make it 3-1.
Nathan Eovaldi was electric, hurling seven innings allowing just the one run mentioned before. The Rangers were able to get just four hits off of him while they struck out seven times.
Adam Ottavino hurled a scoreless eighth despite allowing a hit, as well as a walk.
Matt Barnes came on for the save, and summoned base hits to the first two hitters before Bogaerts tried to flip it to second baseman Christian Arroyo, but dropped it as he tried to bare hand it but it fell out of his hand to load the bases with one out.
Andy Ibanez then proceeded to tie the ballgame up, with a ground rule double that bounced into the bullpen to tie the game up.
Garrett Whitlock came on with one out to stop the bleeding, as he struck out two to retire the side, despite loading the bases after hitting a batter.
The Sox were blanked in the ninth, and it wen to the 10th as Whitlock remained on the mound with the runner starting on second (extra innings rule).
A weak grounder off the bat of Nathaniel Lowe made it by Bogaerts to make it 4-3.
Christian Arroyo started the inning at second, and a sac fly moved him over the third. Bogaerts, with the infield in, hit a ground ball to short and Arroyo was thrown out at home. Rafael Devers, facing an 0-2 count, scorched one into center that hit off the glove of DJ Peters. Bogaerts, who was at first, came around to score, and Devers picked up a clutch, game-tying RBI double. Renfroe would strike out swinging though to retire the side, and send it to the 11th.
Whitlock 1-2-3’d Texas in the 11th, and Christian Vazquez sac bunted to move Renfroe over to third but was safe after the first baseman, Lowe, was unable to catch it but did keep it in front of him. That put runners on first and second, and they intentionally walked Verdugo to load the bases for Travis Shaw.
Travis Shaw worked a 3-2 count, and blasted a grand slam over the bullpen to give the Red Sox an 8-4 win over Texas.
(Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)