BOSTON — The fast, athletic Red Sox have run their way into a few wins so far this season. On Wednesday, their running game cost them a big run in a tough loss.
With Boston trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth after the Athletics tagged Nick Pivetta for three runs in the top of the third, Jamie Westbrook reached on an error with one out. Facing tough lefty J.P. Sears, Ceddanne Rafaela lifted a double high off the Green Monster and Westbrook took off. As Westbrook rounded third, third base coach Kyle Hudson sent him home, where he was easily beaten by a throw that went from center fielder JJ Bleday to shortstop Max Schuemann to catcher Shea Langeliers. Westbrook, whose sprint speed of 25.9 mph ranks in the 17th percentile in the majors, did a barrel roll as he was tagged for the second out.
With a potential rally spoiled, Sears then struck out Jarren Duran to end the inning. Manager Alex Cora described the send as an occupational hazard of having an athletic team.
“Very aggressive,” Cora said. “We’ve been aggressive for 80-something games so we’ll take it. We’re going to push the envelope. Most of the time, it’s going to work. On that one, it didn’t work.”
The Red Sox got on the board in the sixth when Rob Refsnyder hit a solo homer but gave a run back in the top of the seventh before Pivetta left the game. In the bottom of the seventh, a two-out rally brought Boston within two runs before Lucas Erceg got Rafael Devers to ground out with the bases loaded. The rally was a missed opportunity, just like the fifth inning was when Westbrook was thrown out. On a night when the Sox had just four hits off Sears in 5 ⅔ innings, those blown chances proved costly in a 5-2 loss.
“We didn’t do much,” Cora said of his offense. “We’ve just got to keep working. The last few lefties have been really good against us … Keep working and find it. We put pressure on them and we had the big guy with the bases loaded. I like the effort, obviously. It just didn’t happen tonight.”
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