WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. \u2014 Instant reactions as the Red Sox (81-66) lose the series finale in Sacramento, 5-4, on a Lawrence Butler walk-off single off Aroldis Chapman in the bottom of the ninth:<\/p>\n
1) <\/b>The finale of a three-game series at Sutter Health Park was a slog that featured collisions in the field, horrible baserunning, a prolonged lack of situational hitting and a combined 12 <\/b>pitchers used by the two teams (including seven by the Sox). In the end, the difference was Butler smacking a single the other way to end the game with Shea Langeliers on third.<\/p>\n
2) <\/b>It turns out Chapman is human, after all. After not giving up a hit in 14 \u2154 straight innings dating back to July 23, Chapman\u2019s streak was broken when Langeliers led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a double into the left-field gap. Langeliers advanced to third when Brent Rooker flew out to left, then Butler got a 1-2 fastball right down the middle and smacked it the other way to end the game.<\/p>\n
Chapman suffered his first loss since May 14. It was just the second time he has given up two hits all season, with the other instance coming May 27 in Milwaukee. Chapman\u2019s minuscule ERA rose to 1.14.<\/p>\n
3) <\/b>Boston\u2019s offense hit the brakes after the fourth inning, as Athletics pitchers combined to retire 15 in a row. That changed against Elvis Alvarado, who couldn\u2019t preserve a 4-3 A\u2019s lead in the ninth. David Hamilton led off with a single, but was thrown out trying to steal second. Then, the pinch-hit heroics started.<\/p>\n
Carlos Narv\u00e1ez worked a pinch-hit walk, then Rob Refsnyder, hitting for Connor Wong, laced a game-tying double into the right field gap that plated the speedy Ceddanne Rafaela, in to run for Narv\u00e1ez. That mini-rally extended the game, only for the A\u2019s to erase it minutes later.<\/p>\n
4) <\/b>Justin <\/b>Slaten\u2019s performance is becoming an issue for the Red Sox down the stretch. Because of his track record, he was heralded as a bullpen savior as he approached his return from a three-month injured list. In a handful of appearances since coming back in late August, though, he has struggled a lot.<\/p>\n
Five days after allowing four runs and four hits in a brutal inning in Arizona, Slaten took the fifth inning Wednesday with a one-run lead and was hit around. Jacob Wilson led off with a single, then took third when Rooker doubled and barely beat a throw to second. Slaten walked Butler before Steven Matz entered and gave up a two-run, first-pitch double to Tyler Soderstrom. That handed the A\u2019s the lead, and it could have been worse (see below).<\/p>\n
Slaten has allowed seven earned runs and 12 hits in just 5 \u2153 innings since returning. The Red Sox need to get him on track before October.<\/p>\n
5) <\/b>The loss dropped the Red Sox to 3 \u00bd games behind the Blue Jays in the AL East race and a half-game behind the Yankees, who are in control of the first wild card spot. Those teams play later Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Boston did lose a game to the Rangers, who are now four games off the pace as they sit on the outside looking in as it pertains to the wild card race. A massively important series awaits the Red Sox at home beginning Friday when the Yankees come to town.<\/p>\n
The Red Sox finished their six-game road trip to Arizona and Sacramento at .500, going 3-3. They are 37-38 on the road in 2025.<\/p>\n
6) <\/b>A bright spot was the long-awaited Red Sox debut of Kyle Harrison, who came in with Boston trailing late and pitched well.<\/p>\n
Harrison pitched the final three innings for Boston, all scoreless. He gave up three hits, walked no one and struck out two. Harrison\u2019s 49th and final pitch induced an inning-ending flyout from Wilson with runners on the corners.<\/p>\n
Harrison isn\u2019t fully built up after weird stops and starts over the last couple weeks. But he could be a factor in late September, especially because he likely doesn\u2019t have the same innings limits as rookies Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, who just debuted.<\/p>\n
7) <\/b>In an abbreviated start, Tolle struggled. He allowed two Athletics batters \u2014 Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz \u2014 to hit their 30th homers of the season. Tolle threw 33 pitches over two innings and allowed three hits while striking out a pair. He didn\u2019t have a walk.<\/p>\n
Homers are going to be an issue early if teams sit on Tolle\u2019s fastball. Kurtz\u2019s blast was a heater right down the middle. It\u2019s not clear when Tolle will pitch next, though he\u2019d be ready to go Tuesday when the Sox have an opening in the opener of a home series against the A\u2019s.<\/p>\n
8)<\/b> The ball carries at Sutter Health Park, and apparently so do gloves. On Langeliers\u2019 blast in the first, Jarren Duran drifted back and had a chance to rob it, but slammed into the wall, missing the ball as his glove went over the wall. He was able to retrieve it.<\/p>\n
The shot was the Athletics\u2019 first run of the series.<\/p>\n
9)<\/b> A Red Sox offense that rolled in the first two games of the series had plenty of chances but didn\u2019t cash in much against Mason Barnett, old friend Sean Newcomb and a parade of A\u2019s relievers. Overall, the club was 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position \u2014 all before the fourth inning \u2014 and tallied seven hits.<\/p>\n
The early runs were courtesy of a Nate Eaton double (on a high pop-up in which Kurtz and Zack Gelof collided and yes, it should have been an error), a Trevor Story RBI double and a Duran RBI groundout. Then, things came to a halt before the ninth.<\/p>\n
Athletics pitchers retired 15 straight hitters before Hamilton led off the ninth with a single off Alvarado.<\/p>\n
10)<\/b> It really isn\u2019t overstating it to say that A\u2019s third base coach Eric Martins had one of the worst sends in baseball history during that fifth-inning rally. On Soderstrom\u2019s double to left, Martins sent Butler to try to score from first despite the fact cutoff man Trevor Story already had the ball as Butler rounded third. The second out of the inning was a costly one with slugger Nick Kurtz due up next.<\/p>\n
Butler then atoned for his coach\u2019s mistake with the game-winning hit, the second walk-off of his career.<\/p>\n
11) <\/b>The Red Sox are off Thursday before beginning a key three-game series against the Yankees over the weekend at Fenway. Boston will start Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello and Garrett Crochet in the three games.<\/p>\n
The rivals will get underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday night. That game will exclusively air on Apple TV+.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Aroldis Chapman is human, after all. The Red Sox closer gave up two hits, including a walk-off single, as Boston closed its road trip with a loss.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91344,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n\n