Aroldis Chapman falters in ninth as Red Sox are unable to sweep Athletics, finish West Coast roadtrip at .500

Aroldis Chapman is human after all.

The All-Star closer entered play on Wednesday without surrendering a hit since July 23, a stretch covering 17 appearances.

Unfortunately for Chapman and the Red Sox, he entered the bottom of the ninth inning right after the Sox had tied the game at 4-4, allowed a hit for the first time in almost two months, and then gave up a walk-off single to Lawrence Butler, which sealed a 5-4 victory for the A’s.

“I gave up two hard hits, and we got walked off,” Chapman said (through interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez).

Chapman suffered his first loss since May 14. It’s the second time he’s given up two hits in an outing this season. The hard-throwing lefty has allowed runs in just eight of his 61 appearances, with five of those outings coming before the end of May. He has allowed hits in just 21 games — and only 23 all year.

“There are bad moments,” said Chapman. “Today, I got the loss. But we’ve got to keep going.”

Chapman won’t always be perfect, and he’s exceeded expectations this season. The Red Sox know they have a lethal weapon in the back of the bullpen as they approach the postseason.

“Part of the good results is that mentality and the hard work I put in during this time,” Chapman said. “I feel like that showed up.”

Boston was denied the three-game sweep and will finish their brief six-game west coast road trip at .500.

“Turn the page; it’s part of it,” Alex Cora told reporters postgame in Sacramento. “At one point (Chapman) was going to give it up, and it just happened it was today.”

The A’s walk-off win erased a dramatic ninth inning for the Sox.

Rob Refsnyder came through with a tying RBI double, scoring pinch runner Ceddanne Rafaela from first base.

The Red Sox failed to capitalize on numerous scoring chances throughout the game. Boston went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position through the first four innings, then didn’t put another runner on base until the ninth.

In the top of the second, Nate Eaton got the Sox on the board with a pop-up down the right field line, which dropped in after Zack Gelof and Nick Kurtz collided, allowing Boston to score. Trevor Story continues to inch closer to a 100-RBI season, collecting an RBI double in the third to tie the game 2-2.

“Whenever you don’t score, it’s going to get you somehow, someway,” Cora said. “We had our chances, but we didn’t cash in.”

Boston took a 3-2 lead on a run-scoring groundout by Jarren Duran in the fourth. The lead was short-lived after right-hander Justin Slaten gave up two earned runs off two hits in 1/3 of an inning. His ERA rose to over 5 as he continues to try to get back on track following missing a few months this season.

One positive that came out of the game was the debut of Kyle Harrison. The lefty made his Red Sox debut, tossing three scoreless innings.

“He did a good job, good fastball, good command, great tempo. That was good to see,” Cora said. “He was very patient throughout the process, and for him to go out there and give us a chance to win, that was awesome.”

Harrison came over from the Giants in the overcommunicated Rafael Devers trade.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Harrison said before the game. “[Waiting for the promotion is] the hardest part, right? We all want answers. But just the way this game goes, just going through it, you can’t control anything except being where your feet are. That’s the way I kept looking at it. For sure it was more of the anticipation of it—I’m getting antsy; I want to get out there. Now I’m ready to take the ball.”

Payton Tolle allowed two runs and three hits in two innings of work. It was a short outing for the rookie lefty, who was pitching on four days' rest for the first time in his professional career. He allowed two homers in the outing, one to Shane Langeliers and the other to Kurtz.

Duran almost prevented the homer off Kurtz’ bat, but as he leaped at the wall, he whiffed on the ball and lost his glove.

The Sox are now 81-66 and will have Thursday off before beginning a crucial three-game series against the Yankees this weekend. Lucas Giolito is expected to get the ball for Friday’s opener, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. at Fenway Park.