Rangers - 200 000 010 - 3 5 0 Red Sox - 101 010 001 - 4 10 1A ground-rule double, a single, and two walks - the second free pass coming to Mookie Betts with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth of a 3-3 game - gave the Red Sox a true walk-off victory on Wednesday evening.
Christian Vázquez doubled off Jesse Chavez, who had entered the game in the previous inning, coming out of the bullpen and throwing one pitch to pinch-hitter Eduardo Núñez, stranding Boston runners at second and third. Marco Hernandez ran for Vázquez. Jackie Bradley singled to right and the Red Sox had runners at the corners.
Michael Chavis got a gift call of ball 1, JBJ went to second on indifference, and Chavis walked on four pitches, loading the bases. Betts fouled the first pitch off, then watched four wide ones, none of which were all that close to the zone. (Of Chavez's 14 pitches that were not put into play, 11 were called balls.)
Texas struck early against Rick Porcello (6.2-5-2-0-6, 101). With two out in the first, Elvis Andrus singled and Nomar Mazara hit a ground-rule double to right-center. Both runners scored on Hunter Pence's double to center. The Red Sox got one run back in the bottom half, as Rafael Devers knocked in Andrew Benintendi (who had doubled and advanced on a wild pitch).
Bradley walked to lead off the third. Lance Lynn (6-6-3-1-8, 100) struck out Chavis and Betts, but JBJ stole second on the second out and Benintendi tied the game with his third triple of the season, a high fly off the wall in dead center. Benintendi also gave Boston a lead in the fifth, doubling home Chavis.
The Rangers tied the game in the eighth against Brandon Workman. Shin-Soo Choo was hit by a pitch with one out. Delino DeShields bunted and Vazquez's throwing error put enemy runners at second and third. Andrus's sac fly scored Choo. Workman intentionally walked Mazara, who then stole second. But Workman struck Pence out to end the inning.
Benintendi went 3-for-4, lacking only a home run in his bid for a cycle. ... On the other side of the ledger, J.D. Martinez went 0-for-4, with four strikeouts (his first four-K game in roughly four years).
Also: The Rangers' TV broadcast on Tuesday night opened with a supposedly live aerial shot of downtown Boston, but the footage was at least five years old. ... It turns out NESN isn't the only network that does this!
Betts, RFThe Red Sox recalled pitchers Travis Lakins and Josh Smith and sent Bobby Poyner to Pawtucket and Darwinzon Hernandez to Portland.
Benintendi, LF
Martinez, DH
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Holt, 2B
Vázquez, C
Bradley, CF
Chavis, 1B
Today's game will start three hours earlier than originally scheduled so Bruins fans can watch Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals (8 PM, in Boston).
ESPN's David Schoenfield writes that the Red Sox are
teetering again like a luxury cruise liner with a bad case of norovirus. Check out their past eight series ... They're 6-1 against the woeful Royals and Blue Jays, and 5-13 against the good teams [Rangers, Rays, Yankees, Cleveland, Astros]. They're now 10-20 on the season against teams currently .500 or better.AL East: MFY off. Athletics/Rays, 12 PM.
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