BOSTON — While you were watching the Patriots, the Red Sox lost a rain-shortened game to the White Sox at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon.
Despite homers from Red Sox outfielders Wilyer Abreu and Adam Duvall, Chicago beat the Red Sox, 3-2, in six innings, to claim a series victory in a three-game set between out-of-contention teams. With the loss, the Red Sox fell to 76-80. They’ll have to win five of their final six games to finish above .500.
In support of a strong early performance from righty Kutter Crawford, the Red Sox got on the board in first. Abreu, who missed the last week with a hand injury after slamming into the outfield wall in Toronto last Sunday, took Mike Clevinger for his second career big league homer in the second. As he often has throughout the season, Crawford faded in the middle innings. In the fifth, he issued two walks before Elvis Andrus gave the ChiSox a 2-1 lead with a two-run double to center.
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With one out in the sixth, Eloy Jiménez doubled and Andrew Vaughn singled to set things up for Gavin Sheets, who made it 3-1 with a sacrifice fly to left field. A half-inning later, Duvall’s 21st homer of the year cleared everything in left field, cutting the deficit to one run again.
Crawford posted another good — but not great — line in his penultimate start of the regular season. He was tagged for three earned runs on four hits while walking four batters and recording seven strikeouts. He took the loss and fell to 6-8.
After six innings, the rain started falling hard in the Fenway area. After a delay of an hour and 43 minutes, the game was called. The delay (1:43) was exactly as long as the time of game (1:43).
Rays coming in next after off day
The Red Sox have Monday off then will host the Rays for their final home series of 2023 on Tuesday and Wednesday. Boston heads into that set with a 39-40 record at Fenway Park this season.
Tanner Houck (5-9, 4.92 ERA) will start Tuesday’s series opener with Brayan Bello (12-10, 4.11 ERA) pitching Wednesday night. The Red Sox will then finish their season with four games in Baltimore.