Patrick Sandoval unravels as Red Sox strand chances in 4-2 loss to Rangers

One miserable inning was enough to put the Red Sox in a hole. A pair of missed opportunities prevented them from climbing out of it.

Patrick Sandoval endured a brutal 44-pitch second inning in which the Rangers scored four times, and the Red Sox repeatedly came up empty with runners on base in a 4-2 loss Tuesday night at Globe Life Field.

Boston (82-69) opened its final road trip of the regular season with a loss and fell to 7-6 in September. The Red Sox did, however, move another step closer to securing a postseason berth after Toronto was routed by Detroit, reducing Boston’s magic number to five.

Any potential celebration will have to wait until after the Red Sox leave Texas. Even if Boston wins the final two games of the series, Toronto is off Thursday and would remain mathematically alive entering Friday.

Sandoval’s night began when he struck out the first four Rangers he faced before everything unraveled in a second inning that seemed as though it might never end.

With two outs, Brandon Nimmo and Ezequiel Duran delivered hard-hit singles at 106.3 mph and 105.3 mph, respectively. Elias Díaz followed by pulling a two-run double into left field to give Texas a 2-0 lead.

Sandoval never recovered walking former Sox catcher Danny Jansen and Justin Foscue before Corey Seager dropped a bloop single into shallow left, just beyond the reach of Trevor Story, allowing two more runs to score. By the time Sandoval finally escaped, he had thrown 44 pitches in the inning and Boston trailed 4-0.

Sandoval lasted just 2 2/3 innings and saw his ERA climb to 4.99. 

“They drug at bats out on him,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters postgame. “It looked like he was going to get out of there with Diaz, that was a long at bat, I think one of those pitches was close and then he hits the double in the corner and it was just a struggle, we just couldn’t get out of the inning.”

The left-hander’s return from injury provided Boston with some needed innings after he was activated July 9, and he delivered several quality outings along the way. But with the postseason approaching, his place on the October roster has become increasingly uncertain.

Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez, Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett are ahead of him in the rotation picture, while Brayan Bello has found success in a bulk role. Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck are also attempting to return before the postseason.

Sandoval will have time to try and clean things up, but it’s looking as if the Red Sox are better suited with the lefty as a spectator when they inevitably travel to the Bronx. 

Boston’s offense quickly cut the deficit in half against Jacob deGrom.

Nick Sogard jumped on a pitch in the third and sent it down the right-field line for a two-run homer, pulling the Red Sox within 4-2.

Sogard didn’t hit his first major league homer until his 322nd plate appearance Aug. 19. He has now hit five in his last 99 plate appearances, all coming over a 24-game span.

The versatile infielder contributed in other ways, too. Sogard perfectly executed a sacrifice bunt in the fifth to move two runners into scoring position and later made an athletic play to complete a 1-4-3 double play.

But the Red Sox couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities against deGrom. The Texas right-hander held Boston to three hits and struck out eight over five innings while maintaining a fastball around 97 mph.

Boston mounted its best threat against him in the fifth. A hit batter, catcher’s interference and a two-out walk eventually loaded the bases, but deGrom struck out Roman Anthony and later induced Adley Rutschman to ground out to end the inning.

The Red Sox loaded the bases again with two outs in the eighth against All-Star closer Jacob Latz, who was asked to record a five-out save.

With the left-hander on the mound, Tracy sent Andruw Monasterio to pinch-hit for Jarren Duran.

For a moment, it appeared the move might produce a dramatic comeback. 

The baseball gods were not on the Sox’ side on Tuesday night. 

Monasterio crushed a 369-foot drive that hooked just foul. A few feet to the right and Boston would have had a go-ahead grand slam. Instead, Latz came back with a 97 mph fastball and struck out Monasterio to escape the inning.

Boston finished 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight.

“We gave ourselves a couple of opportunities to maybe hit a single and tie the game up and we couldn’t do it tonight,” Tracy said.

The bullpen at least prevented the Rangers from adding to their lead.

Bello followed Sandoval and tossed 1 2/3 hitless innings, striking out two on 19 pitches. His relatively short appearance was notable after the right-hander had frequently provided length in similar situations, potentially offering another glimpse of how Boston could deploy him in October.

Southpaw Alec Gamboa recorded three outs before righty Wyatt Olds took over, with lefty Jovani Morán handling the final six.

Gamboa and Olds continue to make cases for postseason roster spots that would have seemed unlikely only weeks ago. Gamboa owns a 1.24 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 29 innings since making his major league debut in May, while Olds has posted a 1.32 ERA with 17 strikeouts over 14 innings.

With 11 games remaining, the Red Sox also has a chance to surpass last year’s 89-73 record. Boston would need to finish 8-3 to do so or 7-4 to match it. 

Left-hander Jake Bennett (9-7, 3.69 ERA) will look to rebound from a difficult outing against the Angels when Boston continues the series Wednesday. Texas will counter with veteran left-hander MacKenzie Gore (8-11, 4.62). First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET.

Injury Updates

Houck Scoreless

Tanner Houck continued his rehab from Tommy John surgery Tuesday, tossing a scoreless inning of relief for Triple-A Worcester. The right-hander walked one and allowed no hits while striking out three on 22 pitches.

“Definitely more in sync,” Houck said to reporters at Polar Park on Tuesday night. “Definitely just continuing to get game reps under the belt. It was a great step forward of making a comeback.”

Slaten Out

The Red Sox do not expect Justin Slaten to return this season after the right-hander received a platelet-rich plasma injection for what Tracy described as “degenerative changes in his flexor mass.,” before the game in Arlington. 

Slaten has been on the injured list for a month with elbow inflammation, but Tracy called the latest diagnosis “substantially different news” from the initial findings. While flexor injuries can sometimes lead to more significant elbow issues, there is currently no indication Slaten has suffered ligament damage.

Mead Takes Swings

Curtis Mead will take another step toward a potential return Wednesday when he begins hitting lightly off a tee for the first time since suffering a broken left wrist July 27.

Mead has been out of his cast and doing defensive and baserunning work for several weeks. With just 12 games remaining in the regular season, time is running short for him to return before October, but beginning his swing progression keeps open the possibility of Mead becoming an option if the Red Sox make a postseason run.

“Mead will begin, tomorrow, introducing tee work,” Tracy said. “Obviously, we’ve talked a lot about the defensive stuff, being able to catch throws and he’s been doing that. Tomorrow, he’ll start doing some tee work with a light bat and then just kinda progress from there.”