CHICAGO — Someone had to be the opponent when the Chicago White Sox snapped their long losing streak. Turns out that someone was the Red Sox.
Boston mustered just six hits while striking out 14 times, and lost to the White Sox, 7-2, as Chicago snapped their franchise-record 14-game losing streak.
Cooper Criswell was saddled with the loss, allowing four runs — three earned — in 4.1 innings. The Red Sox have won just once in his last seven starts, but he was hardly solely responsible for this ignominious defeat.
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Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth, the Red Sox fell far behind due to the long ball. Reliever Greg Weissert, who had taken over the inning before for Criswell, allowed two homers in the span of three pitches — the first to Gavin Sheets and the second to Andrew Vaughn, as the White Sox established a four-run lead. The homer to Vaughn was the first allowed by Weissert to a righthand hitter this season.
The home team posted an insurance run in the eighth on a run-scoring double by Paul DuJong.
The White Sox had taken control for good in the fourth, as the Red Sox were guilty of some sloppy play.
A one-out walk and an infield single gave the White Sox two on when DuJong lined a single to left. That scored Sheets easily from second, but when Jarren Duran’s throw back to the infield missed the cutoff man and landed between first and home, moving Vaughn to third and allowing DuJong to take second.
That proved costly when Oscar Colas drove a single to center, scoring two more runs.
The Red Sox took the lead in the third in a bizarre inning. Bobby Dalbec started things by drawing a leadoff walk. One out later, Jarren Duran hit a comebacker to first, but Crochet’s throw to first was wild, enabling Dalbec to score all the way from first and Duran took third on a three-base throwing error.
Then, things got stranger. With Duran on third, the White Sox were of the belief that Duran missed first base on his tour of the bases, and Crochet threw over to first on appeal. But as he did, Duran broke for the plate and successfully stole home.
Desperate to end their futility streak, the White Sox had jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Luis Robert Jr. took Criswell deep for a solo homer.
Matinee on tap for third game of series
The Red Sox and White Sox will meet again Saturday at 4:05 EST, with Brayan Bello (6-2, 4.36) matched up against righthander Nick Nastrini (0-5, 9.74). The series then concludes on Sunday before the Red Sox return home for an off-day on the schedule Monday.
