Lackey got the ball in the top of the first and Elvis Andrus grounded out to second to start. David Murphy watched strike three go by and Lance Berkman grounded out to third to end the inning. Rangers starter Alexi Ogando cruised in the bottom of the first as Daniel Nava grounded out to short to start. Mike Carp struck out swinging and Dustin Pedroia flied out to right to end the inning.
Old pal Adrian Beltre flied out to center to begin the top of the second. Nelson Cruz struck out swinging and AJ Pierzynski grounded out to first to end the inning. David Ortiz flied out to center to begin the bottom of the second. Mike Napoli worked a walk but was erased on the Jarrod Saltalamacchia double play to end the inning.
Lackey ran into trouble when he gave up a double to left by Mitch Moreland to open the top of the third. Jurickson Profar moved Moreland to third on a grounder but Lackey got what he needed when Leonys Martin grounded back to the mound, stranding Moreland at third. Andrus flied out to right to the inning. The Sox got their first hit in the bottom of the third when Stephen "PU" Drew singled to left....only to be thrown out at second trying to advance. Jose Iglesias flied out to center and Jackie Bradley Jr lined out to left to end the inning.
Even Obama is pissed at Drew
The Rangers finally broke through in the top of the fourth although Murphy flied out to center to start. Berkman struck out swinging but Beltre decided to launch a 411 foot bomb to dead center for a home run. Cruz doubled to center but Pierzynski struck out looking to end the inning with the Rangers ahead 1-0.
Boston tried to fight back in the bottom of the fourth although Nava struck out looking to start. MagiCarp doubled to center and Pedroia walked, but Ortiz whiffed. Ogando then scattered the grounds crew with a wild pitch that moved both runners up. Only needing a single..Napoli looked at strike three to end the rally and the inning.
Lackey got in trouble in the top of the fifth although Moreland grounded out to second to start. Profar singled to right but Martin went down hacking. Andrus singled to right but Murphy grounded out to second to end the inning. Saltalamacchia flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Drew took strike three. Iglesias walked but JBJ watched strike three go by to end the inning.
With his pitch count rising, Lackey finished strong in the top of the sixth. Berkman flied out to left and Beltre flied out to center, but Cruz was hit by a pitch. Cruz stole second but Pierzynski grounded out to second on the 108th pitch from Lackey to end his night. Lackey went 6 solid innings while allowing just one run, once again he got no help from his offense.
The Sox did manage to get Lackey off the hook in the bottom of the sixth. Nava flied out to right and Carp lined out to center, but Pedroia swatted his fourth home run of the year to tie the game. Rangers manager Ron Washington pulled Ogando for Neil Cotts. Ortiz and Napoli worked back to back walks and Saltalamacchia....struck out swinging to end the inning. Twice he's failed with men on base but the Sox tied the game 1-1.
Craig Breslow came on to relieve Lackey in the top of the seventh but immediately pooped his pants. Moreland doubled to right and Jeff Baker ran for him. It looked like they caught a break when Profar botched the bunt right to Breslow for the first out. Craig Gentry hit for Martin and walked. One half of the Orient Express, Koji Uehara, relieved Breslow and immediately gave up a two run double to Andrus to give the Rangers the lead. Murphy flied out to right and Berkman whiffed to end the inning but the Rangers led 3-1.
The Sox tried to rally again in the bottom of the seventh as PU Drew worked a leadoff walk to chase Cotts from the game. Robbie Ross Jr came in and Iglesias greeted him with a single to right. All Bradley Jr had to do was drop a bunt down but he failed on two attempts, then struck out swinging to complete the incompetence. The runners moved over on the Nava grounder and Jonny Gomes pinch hit for Carp. With two men on....Gomes flied out to center to end the inning.
The other half of the Orient Express, Junichi Tazawa took the mound for the top of the eighth. Beltre grounded out to short, Cruz struck out swinging and Pierzynski flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the eighth with Tanner Scheppers replacing Ross on the mound. Pedroia lined out to center and Ortiz grounded out to short, but Napoli walked. Saltalamacchia made up for earlier blunders by doubling home Napoli to inch the Sox closer. Pedro Ciriaco pinch ran for Saltalamacchia but Drew grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox still trailed 3-2.
Andrew Bailey took the mound for the top of the ninth with David Ross now behind the plate. Baker lined out to left and Profar flied out to right, but Gentry walked. Gentry was thrown out trying to steal by the alert Ross to end the inning. Tough closer Joe Nathan came on to finish the bottom of the ninth. Iglesias grounded back to the mound to start then JBJ grounded out to short. Nava grounded out to second to end the game. The Rangers had won it 3-2.
The Good:
Mike Carp was 1 for 3.
Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a walk and a solo home run.
Mike Napoli walked 3 times and scored a run.
Stephen Drew was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Jose Iglesias was 1 for 3 with a walk.
John Lackey tossed 6 good innings while allowing just 1 run.
Junichi Tazawa tossed a scoreless eighth inning.
Andrew Bailey pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
The Bad:
Daniel Nava was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.
Jonny Gomes was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Koji Uehara allowed 2 inherited runners to score in 2/3 of an inning.
The Ugly:
David Ortiz was 0 for 3 but walked.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.
Honorable Mention:
Pedro Ciriaco ran for Saltamacchia in the bottom of the eighth.
David Ross caught the top of the ninth.
Final Thoughts:
Another game without Jacoby Ellsbury and the difference matters. Nava failed to get on base and the offense sputtered again. Its a shame Breslow and Uehara failed because they have been stable rocks in the bullpen all season. They're only human of course. Still, if the Sox weren't as incompetent with runners on tonight, it would be a whole new ballgame. After scoring 17 runs the night before, it was expected to not have much production in this one. Just tip your cap to the Rangers for pitching well and move on to tomorrow. The loss dropped the Sox to 36-24, 1 1/2 games in front of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the rubber game against the Rangers tomorrow night when Jon Lester (6-2) takes the hill tomorrow hoping to get back on track after going 0-2 with an ERA over 6 since starting the season 6-0. His opponent will be Derek Holland of the Rangers with the game starting at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.
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