Missed Opportunities Haunt Red Sox In Frustrating Loss To A’s
The Boston Red Sox won their series against the Athletics, but it should have been a sweep.
The Red Sox had plenty of opportunities to beat the Athletics in Wednesday’s series finale at Sutter Health Park, but squandered too many of them and ultimately beat themselves, losing 5-4 on Lawrence Butler’s walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth.
Boston missed numerous chances with men on base (especially early on), going just 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position and stranding eight runners.
The Red Sox left a lot of runs on the board. They squandered Jarren Duran’s leadoff double in the top of the first, left two men in scoring position in the second and third, and had a runner thrown out at home in the fourth. Boston failed to break out and put a crooked number on the board, settling for single runs in all four innings where they scored.
Those opportunities dried up in the middle innings, as the Red Sox didn’t have a single baserunner from the fifth through eighth. They finally rallied to tie the game in the top of the ninth, but were unable to take the lead and left two men on base.
Boston paid the price for it in the bottom of the ninth when Aroldis Chapman’s historically dominant run finally ended, as he allowed his first hits and run since July 23.
It was the Red Sox’s first one-run loss since Aug. 19 and their first walk-off loss since Aug. 9, dropping their record in one-run games this year to 20-25.
With the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees also losing on Wednesday, Boston missed a golden opportunity to gain ground in the AL East. The Red Sox will try to bounce back against the Yankees at home this weekend in a series with massive postseason implications.