BOSTON — Chris Sale held up his end of the bargain for the Red Sox against his former team Friday night. His offense did not — until late.
Boston pieced together an eighth-inning rally and Masataka Yoshida hit a go-ahead RBI single as the Red Sox opened their final homestand of the season with the 3-2 win over the White Sox in a battle of out-of-contention teams. Sale, fresh off a 10-strikeout performance in Toronto on Saturday, held the White Sox to just three hits over five scoreless innings and struck out seven. The Red Sox climbed back to two games below .500 at 76-78.
$200 INSTANT BONUS
DRAFTKINGS MASS
BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BET
FANDUEL MASS
BET $50, GET $250 BONUS
CAESARS MASS
$1,000 FIRST-BET BONUS
BETMGM MASS
MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234
MA Gambling Helpline.
Chicago held a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth before handing the lead back to the home team. After Bryan Shaw hit Ceddanne Rafaela with a pitch to start the inning, Rafael Devers singled off Garrett Crochet and Alex Verdugo worked a one-out walk before Adam Duvall tied the game with a sacrifice fly. Four pitches later, Yoshida drove a Crochet slider into right field to plate Devers and give the Red Sox the lead. Chris Martin shut things down in the ninth inning, tossing a perfect frame. He has a 1.05 ERA on the season.
For most of the night, Boston’s offense was stymied by journeyman Touki Toussaint, who tossed 6 ⅓ effective innings for the ChiSox. The Red Sox did get on the board first in the fifth, when Trevor Story and Bobby Dalbec hit back-to-back singles and got into scoring position on a Connor Wong sacrifice bunt. The small ball continued when Ceddanne Rafaela plated Story with a sacrifice fly to center.
Sale left after throwing 90 pitches, handing the keys over to Whitlock for the sixth. Whitlock struck out former Boston prospect Yoan Moncada, then allowed a single to Luis Robert Jr. (who stole two bases) and walked Eloy Jimenez to put runners on the corners for Andrew Vaughn. Vaughn tied the game with an RBI single on a grounder Rafael Devers couldn’t corral at third base. With two outs, Trayce Thompson put Chicago ahead for good with an RBI double to center.
Trevor Story (3-for-4, R) led the way for the Red Sox with three hits, marking his third three-hit game of the season. Devers had two hits and is hitting .364 in his last 11 games.
The Red Sox improved to 18-23 in one-run games and back above .500 at home (39-38). The comeback win was their 40th of the season.
Pivetta gets Saturday (weather-permitting)
On what should be a very rainy day in Boston, righty Nick Pivetta (9-9, 4.48 ERA) is scheduled to get the start for the Red Sox opposite righty Dylan Cease (7-8, 4.85 ERA) in the second of three games between two out-of-contention teams. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET.
The Red Sox, who are off Monday, have four home games left this season (and eight overall).
