Bullpen, base-running blunders snap 8-game streak

For much of the season, the Red Sox’ bullpen has been a strength. Their baserunning, meanwhile, hasn’t been nearly as dependable.

On Friday night, when they both failed spectacularly, the Sox were left with the bitter aftertaste of a 5-4 defeat to the Yankees that surely qualifies as their worst loss of the season.

First, the combination of Addison Reed and Joe Kelly failed to retire any of the first six Yankees to come to the plate in the eighth, resulting in five runs eventually scoring, wiping out what had been a 3-0 Red Sox’ lead with six outs to go.

Then, Eduardo Nunez unwisely elected to try to advance from second to third on a sacrifice fly to the warning track — to left field — and was cut down for the second out on a strong throw from Aaron Hicks.

It was that kind of night for the Sox.

Before the fateful eighth inning, Red Sox relievers had thrown 19 consecutive scoreless innings. For the season, the Sox bullpen ERA stood at 2.89, lowest in the big leagues.

But right from the first hitter he faced, Reed got an inkling it wasn’t going to be his night, as he plunked Brett Gardner on the toe. It was his first hit batter in three seasons. Soon after, he fell behind Hicks and gave up a lazy fly ball to right that landed in the first row of seats, fair by about 2 feet.

“I kind of put myself in a bad position by hitting Gardner,’’ recounted Reed, “and falling behind in the count on Hicks. Falling behind in the count makes hitting a little easier for the other team. It was kind of one of those nights to forget about.’’

A single, wild pitch and a walk, and Reed was done. But Kelly, his replacement, wasn’t any better, giving up three singles and a sacrifice fly to four of the next five hitters.

“I didn’t make the pitches I wanted to make,’’ conceded Kelly, “and those guys put some good swings on some pitches, found some turf in the outfield and scored some runs.’’

Even after their bullpen imploded, the Red Sox weren’t dead. Aroldis Chapman, the Yankees’ closer, had his own struggles, walking the bases loaded before he could record an out.

Andrew Benintendi, who had homered in the fifth as the Sox built a 3-0 lead for Eduardo Rodriguez, drove a fly ball to the warning track in left. Hicks drifted back and caught the ball with his back nearly against the left field wall.

Nunez, on second, saw this as an opportunity to advance 90 feet and put the Sox a fly ball away from tying the game. But Hicks possesses a strong throwing arm, and with the ability to set himself, unloaded a throw toward third.

As Nunez went into his slide, third baseman Todd Frazier reached out, gloved the throw from Hicks and swiped a tag on Nunez, who was called out twice – once by third base umpire C.B. Bucknor and again, on a replay challenge.

“If it happened (again) tomorrow, I would take the chance again,’’ said Nunez. “That’s how you play the game. That was a great throw, that was a great pick by Frazier. Have to give the credit to them.’’

Reminded that Hicks has a very capable throwing arm (the two were teammates in Minnesota), Nunez didn’t back down: “I have speed. I have speed, too. Sometimes things work your way, sometimes not.’’

For much of the season, the Red Sox have displayed an aggressive – and at times, reckless – base-running approach that has them among the league leaders in both outs made on the bases and extra bases taken.

“That’s why we’re in first place,’’ said Nunez. “We run aggressive. (Chapman) is one of the best closers in the game. We have to create things. I don’t think we made the wrong play. As soon as I saw the ball was going to be pretty deep, I made up my mind. If he throws me out, it’s going to be a perfect throw.’’

It was and he did.