Rangers starter Jordan Lyles got the ball in the top of the first and Christian Arroyo took strike three to start. Alex Verdugo grounded out to short but JD Martinez got a hit to left. Xander Bogaerts popped up to short to end the inning. Rodriguez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded out to short to start. Nick Solak and Joey Gallo stroked back to back singles but Gallo was doubled off first on a bullet hit to Bobby Dalbec by Adolis Garcia to end the inning.
The Sox struck first in the top of the second although Rafael Devers struck out swinging to start. Christian Vazquez singled to center but Dalbec flied out to center. Vazquez stole third and Renfroe hit his second home run of the season to put Boston on top. Franchy Cordero grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.
The Rangers beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the second as Nate Lowe grounded out to second to start. Jose Trevino grounded out to second and Willie Calhoun grounded out to third to end the inning.
Arroyo grounded out to short to begin the top of the third and Verdugo flied out to right. Martinez walked and Bogaerts popped up to first to end the inning. The Rangers roared back in the bottom of the third as Charlie Culberson singled to center to start. Eli White took strike three but Kiner singled to right and Solak drove in Culberson with a base hit to left. Gallo struck out swinging but Garcia walked to load the bases and Lowe singled to left to score Kiner and Solak, giving Texas the lead. Trevino struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rangers ahead 3-2.
The Sox struck back in the top of the fourth as Devers doubled to left to begin. Vazquez singled to right to put runners at the corners but all Dalbec could do was score Devers with a grounder to short to tie the game. Renfroe struck out swinging and Cordero grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.
Calhoun singled to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Culberson flied out to center and White banged into a double play to end the inning.
The Sox missed a golden chance to break the game wide open in the top of the fifth as Arroyo singled to center to start. Verdugo walked to chase Lyles from the game and Taylor Hearn came in to pitch. Martinez singled home Arroyo and Bogaerts singled home Verdugo. Devers walked to load the bases and that's when the game turned. Vazquez forced Martinez at home before both Dalbec and Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox scored 2 runs and led 5-3 but could have buried the Rangers there.
The Rangers struck back in the bottom of the fifth when Kiner hit a home run all the way to Dallas, Texas to cut the lead. Solak struck out swinging, Gallo took strike three and Garcia lined out to center to end the inning. Normally Rodriguez getting pulled after just 67 pitches would be ludicrous but he really had nothing tonight. He allowed 4 runs in 5 innings and it would have gotten worse if he stayed in.
Cordero flied out to center to start the top of the sixth before Arroyo grounded out to third. Verdugo singled to center to chase Hearn from the game. Josh Sborz came in and froze Martinez for strike three to end the inning. Matt Andriese came in for the bottom of the sixth and crapped his pants. Lowe grounded out to short but Trevino singled to right. Calhoun hit a home run all the way to Fort Worth, Texas to give the Rangers the lead. Culberson walked but David Dahl pinch hit for White. Dahl struck out but Kiner hit a backbreaking rbi triple to ice the game. Solak tried to bunt his way on but Vazquez threw him out to end the inning with the Rangers ahead 7-5.
The Sox did try to fight back in the top of the seventh as Bogaerts doubled to center to start. Devers struck out swinging but Bogaerts swiped third. The steal worked as Vazquez scored Xander with a sac fly to cut the lead. Dalbec took strike three to end the inning but the Sox were down 7-6.
Josh Taylor came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Gallo struck out swinging to start. Garcia flied out to center and Lowe lined out to short to end the inning.
The Sox blew their last chance to rally in the top of the eighth with Joely Rodriguez on the mound. Renfroe singled to center and Kike Hernandez pinch hit for Cordero.....just to strike out swinging. Arroyo singled to center but all Verdugo could do was move the runners over with a grounder. Rangers manager Chris Woodward took a huge gamble by intentionally walking Martinez to get to Bogaerts with the bases loaded. The gamble worked as Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning. Hiro Sawamura came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Trevino struck out swinging to start. Calhoun doubled to right and Culberson doubled him home for the killshot. Dahl struck out swinging but a passed ball moved Culberson to third. Kiner struck out swinging to end the inning but Texas led 8-6.
Ian Kennedy came in to close out the top of the ninth and the Sox never had a chance. Devers struck out swinging, Vazquez took strike three and Dalbec earned the hat trick by taking strike three to end the game. The Rangers had won it 8-6.
Jackass of the Night is Matt Andriese. He allowed the three runs to put the Rangers up for good.
The Good:
Christian Arroyo was 2 for 5 with a run scored.
JD Martinez was 2 for 3 with 2 walks and an rbi.
Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with an rbi, a stolen base and a run scored.
Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with a stolen base, rbi and a run scored.
Hunter Renfroe was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run.
Josh Taylor pitched a scoreless seventh inning.
The Bad:
Franchy Cordero was 0 for 3.
Kike Hernandez struck out as a pinch hitter.
Eduardo Rodriguez got lit up for 4 runs in just 5 innings of work.
Hiro Sawamura gave up a run in the eighth inning.
The Ugly:
Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.
Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.
Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in a run.
Final Thoughts:
Figures, on a night the offense steps up to score 6 runs off 12 hits, the Sox bullpen blows the game. The Sox bullpen has been solid all season but tonight it allowed 4 runs in 3 innings. Andriese giving up the three runs and Sawamura giving up the killshot was unfortunate considering both were tough as nails in April. It was nice to see Renfroe and Vazquez break out of their slumps but Dalbec and Cordero continue to struggle. The problem with the minors not starting is those two have nowhere to go right now. A lot of fans are saying to bring up Michael Chavis and get rid of Cordero but that would mean Sox GM Chaim Bloom would have to admit he made a mistake trading Andrew Benintendi for Cordero. Getting Hernandez out of the lead off spot and putting Arroyo in makes the lineup top heavy but at least the bottom of the order can be fixed. It was only a matter of time before the bullpen blew a game and this happened to be it. The loss dropped the Sox to 17-11, 2.5 games ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look for a series split with the Rangers. Garrett Richards (1-2, 4.94 ERA) looks to win two games in a row when he takes on Mike Foltynewicz of Texas at 2:35 PM Eastern time at Globe Life Field.
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