The Red Sox got involved in a slugging match with the Texas Rangers and came out on the wrong end it, dropping an 8-6 decision.
The game featured a handful of lead changes as the teams battled back and forth. But the Rangers took the lead for good in the sixth with three runs off Matt Andriese, including a two-run homer by Willie Calhoun.
Eduardo Rodriguez was not sharp, allowing four runs in five innings. In the third inning, Rodriguez labored through 33 pitches.
The Sox had their chances, but stranded 10. In the fifth, with two runs already in, they had the bases loaded and no outs but couldn't add anything on. They also left the bases loaded in the eighth.
WHO: Red Sox (17-10) vs. Texas Rangers (11-16)
WHEN: 7:05 p.m.
WHERE: Globe Life Field
SERIES TO DATE: 1-1
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0, 3.52) vs. RHP Jordan Lyles (1-2, 6.75)
TV/RADIO: NESN, MLB Network; WEEI-FM
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Arroyo 2B
Verdugo CF
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Vazquez C
Dalbec 1B
Renfroe RF
Cordero LF
RANGERS
Kiner-Falefa SS
Solak 2B
Gallo RF
Garcia LF
Lowe 1B
Trevino C
Calhoun DH
Culberson 3B
White CF
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
B8: Rangers adding on against Hirokazu Sawamura, with back-to-back doubles from Calhoun and Charlie Culberson
T7: Bogaerts rolls the dice with a risky steal of third, but it pays off as he just beats the throw, then trots home on a sacrifice fly from Vazquez.
B6: Renfroe has played a solid right field, but not there -- ball shoots underneath his glove and rolls all the way to the wall for a triple for Kiner-Falefa as Texas grabs a two-run lead.
B6: Matt Andriese, who had been so effective in any role this season, loses a one-run lead quickly -- a one-out single to Jose Trevino and a two-run shot to right by Willie Calhoun, who crushes a fastball on the inner half.
B5: Kiner-Falefa turns on inside cutter and sends a rope over the wall in left, and the Rangers are back to within a run.
T5: That could be costly -- Red Sox had the bases loaded and no outs after the first two runs were in, and couldn't add on. Once more, lack of contributions from the bottom half of the order is an issue.
T5: Run-scoring singles from J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts put the Sox back in front by two. Two on, still nobody out. Five RBI in the last two nights for Martinez.
B4: Rodriguez has now allowed more hits (seven) in four-plus innings that he did in his entire last start, which covered seven innings.
T4: It's amazing how often major leaguers lose track of the outs these days. On that sharply hit ground ball by Franchy Cordero, Isiah Kiner-Falefa initially thought about going to third to cut down Vazquez before throwing to first for what turned out to the out No. 3. Even after the out was registered, most of the Rangers seemed unaware the inning was over.
T4: With two hits a chopper to short, the Red Sox quickly tie the game, and with Christian Vazquez in scoring position with one out, Sox have a chance at a bigger inning and to re-take the lead.
B3: Lot of hard contact against Rodriguez in the third, who is laboring with more than 30 pitches thrown and eight hitters to the plate for Texas.
T2: Hunter Renfroe steps into a breaking ball that didn't break much, swatting it into the second deck with a runner on, for a 2-0 lead. Five homers in the last 11 innings for the Red Sox.
B1: Alert play by Christian Arroyo, who snares a hard-hit liner by Adolis Garcia, and immediately fires to first to double-up Joey Gallo. Double play gets Eduardo Rodriguez out of a first-and-third, one-out mess.
PRE-GAME STATS: The Red Sox have won four of their last five games, five of their last seven, and 17 of their last 24. Their .630 winning percentage is MLB’s best...They are the only team with at least 17 wins this season. The Sox’ +24 run differential ranks fourth in the majors and third in the American League....Since beginning the season 0-3, the Sox have a +37 run differential....The Sox are tonight looking to improve to 18-10 in their first 28 games. The last two times they reached that record in their first 28 games, they went on to win the World Series (2013, 2018)....Also, should the Sox win tonight, they would be 10-2 in their first 12 road games for only the third time in franchise history. They also did so in 1982 and 2002...Boston pitchers have compiled a road ERA of 2.67 while limiting opposing hitters to a .201 batting average....Over the last five games, Red Sox pitchers have a 1.43 ERA while holding hitters to a .182 bating average. In those games, they've registered 61 strikeouts and nine walks...The Sox have a staff ERA of 3.55, third in the A.L....Sox starters have gone at least five innings 21 times in the first 27 games.. Only Oakland (22) has had more such starts...The Sox have a streak of six consecutive games with at least five innings from their starts...Boston starters have allowed one run or no runs in each the last four games...The Sox are 16-6 against the Rangers since the start of the 2017 season and are 6-0-1 in the last seven series. In Arlington, they're 8-4 in their last three series there...J.D. Martinez leads the majors in homes (nine), RBI (25), XBH (19), total bases (70), and doubles (tied, 10) and is second in both slugging percentage (.745) and OPS (1.175), trailing Mike Trout in both categories (.781, 1.304)... Martinez is only the second Red Sox ever to lead the majors outright in both HR and RBI on May 1, joining Jimmie Foxx in 1940 (4 HR, 19 RBI)....On Friday night, Rafael Devers hit his 200th extra-base hit, Martinez hit his 200th AL home run, and Nathan Eovaldi reached 1,000.0 innings pitched. Devers reached that milestone in his 417th career game, becoming just the 12th AL player ever to reach the milestone in as few games...OF the 11 to do so previously, four are in the Hall of Fame...The most recent to do were Matt Chapman (2017-20), Evan Longoria (2008-10), and Travis Hafner (2002-06)....Eduardo Rodriguez has thrown at least five innings in each of his last 32 starts, dating back to May 4, 2019. That's the third-longest active streak in the majors behind Shane Bieber (38) and Justin Verlander (33)....The Sox are 18-3 in Rodriguez’s last 21 starts, having won each of his last eight...Joey Gallo is 2-for-3 lifetime against Rodriguez, with both hits homers...Isiah Kiner-Falefa is 2-for-7 in his career against Rodriguez...Hunter Renfroe is 0-for-4 lifetime against Jordan Lyles...
NOTES:
- Alex Cora gave both Kike Hernandez and Marwin Gonzalez another day of rest, keeping both out of the lineup for the second straight day. Hernandez would have otherwise returned to action Saturday night, but running into the wall in Arlington in the series opener Thursday left his sore.
- Eduardo Rodriguez goes into Saturday's start with just two walks over his first four starts this season. This, after he led the American League in walks in 2019. "It's night and day compared (to then),'' said Cora. "He has great stuff. He nibbled a lot trying to induce weak contact, but one thing he can do now is induce weak contact in the strike zone. He can use the fastball up, the sinker, the changeup... We're very pleased with the way he's attacking hitters and he keeps getting better.''
- Hunter Renfroe still isn't hitting (.167/.235/.250) but Cora likes the defense he's been providing in right field. "Obviously, he's not swinging the bat but he goes out there and he's playing great defense,'' Cora said. "That ball that (Brock) Holt hit down the line, it seemed off the bat it was a double. If they score two runs there, it's a different ballgame. But he got it, and turned it into a double play (by doubling off David Dahl at second base). We'll take what's going on right now. He's a good defender and we know he's going to make adjustments and start producing offensively, too.''
- When Danny Santana (foot infection) begins a rehab assignment this week in Greenville, he's going to need time. "He's going to move around (to different positions),'' he said. "They've got him playing the infield first and then he's going to move to the outfield. But he's in a good spot. He's a full-go. It's just a matter of the progression to do it right, so we don't push him too hard. He needs at-bats, a lot of at-bats. I can't tell you how many games, but it's more than two weeks.''