The Red Sox gave Fenway Park one last burst of noise Tuesday night, but it came after the game had already tilted too far toward Seattle. Boston made the ninth inning wild, scoring four times and bringing the tying run to the plate, yet the Mariners still walked out with a 9-6 win.
It was the kind of finish that keeps a crowd leaning forward, but the early damage from rookie starter Jedixson Paez left Boston climbing a mountain all night. Paez was tagged for eight runs in 3 2/3 innings, and the Red Sox spent most of the evening trying to erase the mess.
Seattle struck first when Dominic Canzone opened the game with a solo homer in the first. Boston answered right away on Mickey Gasper’s 404-foot solo blast in the bottom half, a swing that kept his strong run going since returning from Triple-A Worcester.
That was about as calm as things got.
The Mariners blew the game open in the second. After loading the bases against Paez, they picked up a sacrifice fly from J.P.
Crawford and an RBI single from Brock Rodden before Randy Arozarena crushed a three-run homer to left. A 1-1 game suddenly looked nothing like one.
Seattle kept adding on from there. Lazaro Montes drove in a run with a single in the third, and Cal Raleigh’s RBI double in the fourth ended Paez’s night.
The 22-year-old allowed 10 hits, walked two and struck out three while throwing 87 pitches. His ERA climbed to 18.90.
Wyatt Olds came on and gave up Montes’ first major league home run in the fifth, pushing the Mariners ahead 9-1.
Boston did chip away a little. Wilyer Abreu scored on a throwing error in the sixth, but that was the only run the Red Sox managed before the late fireworks. They finished just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Bryan Woo handled the Boston lineup for six innings, allowing two runs, only one earned, on five hits while striking out seven.
Then came the ninth, and for a few minutes it looked like the Red Sox might pull off something outrageous again. Abreu and Anthony reached to start the inning, and Jahmai Jones hammered a 420-foot, two-run homer to left.
Eli White followed with a two-run single, and suddenly the deficit had shrunk to three. Boston eventually got the tying run to the plate before Abreu struck out to end it.
Anthony, Abreu and Trevor Story each had two hits. Gasper reached base three times and scored twice.
Jones and Gasper provided the home runs, and the ninth inning showed real fight. It just wasn’t enough to overcome everything that came before it.
The loss dropped Boston to 75-64 and left the three-game series tied at one win apiece.
The Red Sox will try to take the series Wednesday afternoon, with Patrick Sandoval set to start the 4:10 p.m. ET finale at Fenway Park.
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Red Sox Turn To Intriguing Young Arm As Roster Crunch Hits Boston
A roster squeeze brought a fresh look to Bostons pitching plans, with the Red Sox selecting the contract of right-hander Jedixson Paez from Triple-A Worcester and lining him up to make his major league debut as a starter. The move came as part of a broader shuffle, as the club created room on the 40-man roster by designating infielder Brett Harris for assignment.
The Red Sox also reinstated utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the 60-day injured list, while left-hander Eduardo Rivera was placed on the 60-day injured list after being recalled. For Paez, the promotion puts an intriguing young arm in the spotlight at a moment when Boston is balancing health, depth and immediate innings all at once. [Read more 🡒]
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Mickey Gaspers Wild Surge Just Gave Red Sox A Real Decision
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He was briefly sent back to Triple-A, only to find his way back soon after because of another injury elsewhere on the roster. For a club trying to sort out its lineup and keep its depth intact, Gaspers production has made this more than a temporary fill-in situation, and it leaves Boston with a real choice about how much leash his bat has earned. [Read more 🡒]