The Boston Red Sox couldn’t have picked a rougher way to head into their next test. On Wednesday at loanDepot Park, they were sloppy in every phase, getting shut out 4-0 by the Miami Marlins in a game that featured four Boston errors, just five hits and a whole lot of frustration.
That result snapped Boston’s five-game winning streak and kept the club from finishing back-to-back series sweeps. The Red Sox still took two of three in Miami, but the trip ended with plenty left to clean up before a critical four-game set against the New York Yankees.
Offensively, Boston never found a real opening. The Red Sox were blanked for the first time since Aug. 5, went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Their best chance came in the second inning, when they loaded the bases with two outs, only to watch Nick Sogard ground out and end the threat.
Ryan Gusto made sure that missed opportunity mattered. The Miami right-hander came in with an 0-3 record and a 4.37 ERA, then turned in 5 2/3 scoreless innings to pick up his first win of the season. Caleb Durbin was the only Boston hitter with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4, while Sogard, Ceddanne Rafaela and Mickey Gasper combined to go 0-for-10 at the top of the lineup.
The defense made the night even messier. Connor Wong and Sogard were charged with two errors apiece, and Miami piled on by swiping six bases without being caught. Boston’s battery spent most of the game chasing the Marlins instead of controlling them.
Heriberto Hernández opened the scoring in the first with a single that brought home Kyle Stowers. In the second, Otto Lopez stole second and scored when Wong’s throw sailed into the outfield, stretching Miami’s lead to 2-0.
The game stayed there until the eighth, when everything came apart again for Boston. Sogard booted a ball and then committed another throwing error on the same play, helping the Marlins add a third run.
Javier Sanoja followed with an RBI single to finish the scoring. Sogard had entered the night with just one error on the season, and that total tripled before the game was over.
Sonny Gray did enough to keep Boston within reach, but he didn’t get much help. The veteran right-hander allowed two runs on seven hits across five innings, striking out five and walking one. He fell to 16-4, and his ERA moved slightly to 2.82.
Jovani Morán gave the Red Sox two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, but Will Vest gave up two runs in the eighth, both unearned because of Sogard’s errors.
The loss didn’t erase what Boston had already done in the series. The Red Sox won Monday’s opener 4-2, then outlasted Miami in an 11-inning game Tuesday behind Jarren Duran’s grand slam and Mickey Gasper’s two-homer night in a 7-3 win. Wednesday, though, was the other side of the coin.
Boston now gets Thursday off before opening that four-game series against the Yankees on Friday night in New York. The teams will also play a day-night doubleheader Saturday before wrapping things up Sunday afternoon.
The Red Sox enter at 73-60, sitting just behind New York in the American League East. They should also get a boost for the series, with interim manager Chad Tracy expecting Adley Rutschman to return after the catcher missed two games with right elbow irritation.
After a night like this, Boston will need that help - and a much cleaner performance all around.
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