Final: Rangers 7, Red Sox 5

The Red Sox got caught in a battle of homer with the Texas Rangers, and came out on the short end of the battle.

The Sox got solo homers from Jackie Bradley and Chris Owings, but the Rangers countered with a grand slam by Danny Santana and later added on with two more solo homers for a 7-5, preventing the Sox from a sweep.

The Red Sox paraded eight different pitchers to the mound in their final game ever at Globe Life Park.

WHO: Red Sox (83-75) vs. Texas Rangers (75-83)
WHEN: 2:05 p.m.
WHERE: Globe Life Park
SERIES TO DATE: Boston 2-0
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: Boston 4-2
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Travis Lakins (0-1, 4.22) vs. LHP Mike Minor (13-10, 3.52)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI 93.7 FM

IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:

4:42  In a shocking development, on a hot day at a home run haven, the ball is flying. Willy Calhoun takes Ryan Weber down the right field line and unties the game, and two batters later, Rougned Odor follows into the upper deck in right.

4:25  Two solo homers -- first from Jackie Bradley Jr., second from Chris Owings -- ties up the game for the Red Sox.

3:57  With one swing, Danny Santana turns a two-run deficit into a two-run lead with a grand slam off Mike Shawaryn.

3:31   Nice job from Trevor Kelley, who inherits a two-on, two-out jam from Brian Johnson, falls behind 3-and-1 to Jose Trevino, but comes back to get him looking at a called third strike.

3:08  Red Sox couldn't touch Mike Minor for the first three innings, but in the span of seven hitters this inning, have produced five hits and three runs.

3:05  Run-scoring single for Sam Travis -- that's just his third hit this month and his first RBI since Aug. 18.

3:01  Nice baserunning for Marco Hernandez, who motors from first-to-third on a ground ball single to left field by J.D. Martinez. Hernandez is an underrated baserunner with good speed and good instincts.

2:50 Well, I'll say this: At least this game is moving along. In fact, the Red Sox and Rangers have played three innings in the time it took them to play the first inning in the series opener Tuesday night.

 

LINEUPS



RED SOX

M. Hernandez 2B
Benintendi LF
Martinez DH
Travis 1B
Holt 3B
G. Hernandez RF
Bradley CF
Leon C
Owings SS

RANGERS:

Choo RF
Andrus SS
Calhoun LF
Santana CF
Odor 2B
Solak DH
Guzman 1B
Trevino C
Kiner-Falefa 3B

WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox have three of their last four and have scored 22 runs in their last two games....The Sox are also 16-4 in their last 20 meetings with the Rangers and have won five in a row in Arlington, tied for their longest winning streak in the 25-year history of Globe Life Park....The Sox set a record Wednesday for most homers in a season. They now have 241, an increase over the 208 they hit last year...The Sox currently have six players with 20 or more homers and with four homers in the last five games, Mitch Moreland has 19. With one more homer, he would give the Sox seven players with 20 or more homers, something they've never had in their history...The 134 runs scored by Mookie Betts is the most for a Sox player since Ted Williams scored 150 in 1949....Over the last 50 games, the  Red Sox have committed just 19 errors, tying them with the Astros and Yankees for the fewest in that span....Red Sox relievers have averaged 10.52 strikeouts per nine innings, the best total in MLB. The last time Red Sox relievers led the league in that category was 1974, when the figure was 6.11 per nine innings....Xander Bogaerts, with 83 extra-base hits,  needs two more in the final four games to tie Nomar Garciaparra for the most by a Red Sox shortstop...J.D. Martinez could become just the 20th player to hit .300 with 35 or more homers and 100 or more RBI in a season in three straight seasons. The most recent was Albert Pujols, from 2008-2010....Since joining the Red Sox, Martinez leads the majors with 234 RBI and is second in slugging percentage (.592), behind only Mike Trout (.637)….Martinez has hit safely in four straight games.