All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Giants' 4-3 win over the Red Sox, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
The Red Sox and Giants needed extra innings to settle Sunday afternoon’s series finale from Oracle Park. Similar to Saturday evening, the Giants came out on top thanks to Joc Pederson delivering a game-winning hit into right field in the 11th inning.
With the loss, the Red Sox drop to 56-49 and remain 2.5 games out of the final wild-card spot.
After a scoreless first inning, Brennan Bernardino gave up hits to two straight batters to open the second. Boston went to John Schreiber in the bullpen to work out of the jam. The Giants loaded the bases off a Patrick Bailey bunt single. Casey Schmitt capitalized on the opportunity in the inning driving in Michael Conforto on an infield grounder to Rafael Devers to take the 1-0 lead.
Schreiber worked out of the second and the third inning before turning the ball over to left-hander Chris Murphy. The only issue Murphy ran into came in the fifth inning, Schmitt led off with a single and advanced on a Devers fielding error. He would later score on a Wilmer Flores RBI single that gave San Francisco a 2-0 advantage.
Justin Turner gave the Sox the lead in the eighth inning, Josh Winckowski squandered that lead in the bottom half of the inning. Conforto collected a one-out single and Luis Matos added a double. With both runners in scoring position, Bailey plated the tying run with a soft dribbler back to the mound. Winckowski struck out Schmitt with a runner on third to keep the game tied.
Chris Martin worked the 10th inning and escaped a bases-loaded jam to extend the game. With two intentional walks, Martin got Matos to ground out and Bailey to fly out.
TURNING POINT
Fate of the universe on the line...
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 30, 2023
I WANT JUSTIN TURNER. pic.twitter.com/ITqB49uzQR
Turner played the role of hero for the Red Sox late, mashing his 17th home run of the season, a two-run blast off righty Tyler Rogers with one out in the eighth inning, giving the Sox a 3-2 lead.
For the second straight day, Turner had a big hit off the Giants' pitching staff, bailing out the anemic Red Sox offense. Prior to Turner’s homer, the Sox had mustered just three hits in the game.
Turner has 50 RBI in his last 50 games.
UP
Duvall sends one deep! pic.twitter.com/0yJy0iirjL
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 30, 2023
Giants bulk reliever Ross Stripling kept the Sox bats in hibernation, the righty allowed just four hits in 4 1/3 innings. He left the game following an Adam Duvall solo homer, his ninth of the season, that just cleared the left-field fence.
In the eighth inning, Jarren Duran turned a bloop single in center into a double. The speedy Duran hustled when he saw Matos try and make a diving catch in center and trapped the ball.
DOWN
In the 11th inning, Mauricio Llovera hit Schmitt with a pitch and then allowed Crawford to reach on a bunt single. With the bases loaded, Pederson hit a line drive into right field to end the ballgame.
Llovera takes the loss in his second appearance with the Red Sox. He pitched in extra innings for the first time in his major league career on Sunday.
Boston fell to 3-4 in extra-inning games this season.
Masataka Yoshida looked lost at the plate, the Japanese star went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox will travel to Seattle and take on the Mariners in a three-game series at T-Mobile Park. Nick Pivetta will start for the first time since May, ironically his last start was against the M’s. He will be opposed by George Kirby (9-8, 3.49 ERA). First pitch is at 9:40 p.m. and can be seen on NESN and heard on WEEI 93.7 F.M.