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Final: Mariners 6, Red Sox 3 - Bullpen, defense falter late as Boston blows finale in Seattle
The Red Sox appeared to be in cruise control with a 3-0 lead and five scoreless innings from Kutter Crawford, but John Schreiber and Richard Bleier struggled in relief in the sixth and seventh as the Mariners exploded for six runs in the two innings to take a 6-3 win. Boston squandered a chance to win the series and get in position to tie Toronto for the final Wild Card spot with a .500 on their road trip, but instead, they return to Fenway with a 2-4 stretch. Jarren Duran homered in the third inning, but the Sox lost for just the third time this season when leading after six innings.
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WHO: Red Sox (57-50) at Mariners (55-52)
WHEN: 4:10 p.m. ET
WHERE: T-Mobile Park, Seattle
SERIES TO DATE: Tied, 1-1. Red Sox lead season series, 3-2
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Kutter Crawford (5-5, 3.86) vs. RHP Logan Gilbert (9-5, 3.83)
TV/RADIO: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
LINEUPS
RED SOX
1. Jarren Duran LF
2. Alex Verdugo RF
3. Masataka Yoshida DH
4. Rafael Devers 3B
5. Adam Duvall 3B
6. Triston Casas 1B
7. Christian Arroyo 2B
8. Connor Wong C
9. Yu Chang SS
SP Kutter Crawford
MARINERS
1. J.P. Crawford SS
2. Julio Rodriguez CF
3. Eugenio Suarez 3B
4. Cal Raleigh DH
5. Ty France 1B
6. Teoscar Hernandez RF
7. Dominic Canzone LF
8. Tom Murphy C
9. Dylan Moore 2B
SP Logan Gilbert
WHAT'S UP
The Red Sox snapped a three-game skid with a 6-4 win on Tuesday, thanks to homers from Alex Verdugo and Reese McGuire and strong relief appearances from Chris Martin, Josh WInckowski and Kenley Jansen. After four games with three or fewer runs, the Sox offense finally broke through.
Boston has a chance to win the series before returning home for a 10-game homestand, beginning Friday against the Blue Jays. If the Sox win Wednesday and Toronto loses its next two games, they could be tied for the last Wild Card spot when their head-to-head series starts at Fenway on Friday.
After shipping out Kiké Hernández last week, the Red Sox remained fairly mum at the deadline, swinging a late deal for utility infielder Luis Urias for depth. Boston will trot out nearly the same lineup as Tuesday, except with Connor Wong behind the dish in place of McGuire.
This will be Crawford's second appearance against Seattle. He allowed just one hit with seven strikeouts and four walks in five scoreless innings in a 2-0 victory on June 12, 2022. The 27-year-old picked up the win on Friday in San Francisco last time out, going 5.2 innings, allowing three hits, one run (earned) and one walk with seven Ks.
Gilbert will make his third start against Boston. He has a 3.46 ERA over the last two appearances against the Sox. He has gone at least five innings in eight straight starts, and he made it through six or more innings in six of his last 10 starts. The 26-year-old went 4-0 with a 2.78 ERA in July. Gilbert threw 6.1 innings in Seattle's 5-2 win at Arizona on Friday, giving up two runs (earned) on nine hits with five strikeouts.