Red Sox fall 8-3 to Mariners, drop series finale
The Mariners took two of three at Fenway, and a tight quad on Ceddanne Rafaela leaves the Red Sox thinner as they open a series in Baltimore still 4.5 games clear of the wild-card cutline.
Mariners take two of three at Fenway
Boston's win over Seattle on August 31 was the high point of the set. The Red Sox got a 3-for-5 day with a home run from Roman Anthony and two doubles from Wilyer Abreu, who went 3-for-4, to pull out a 9-8 win, with Raymond Burgos throwing 2.0 hitless innings and striking out 3 out of the bullpen.
Mariners9-8Mariners6-9Mariners3-8The finale went the other way. Boston lost 9-6 on September 1, then dropped the rematch 8-3 on Wednesday, giving Seattle the series two games to one.
None of it cost Boston much room in the standings. The Red Sox, 1-4 in their last 5 games, are 75-65 and still 4.5 games clear of the wild-card cutline held by Cleveland, with an elimination number of 15.
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Ceddanne Rafaela was pulled from Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Mariners with quad tightness and is considered day-to-day, according to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe.
Red Sox recalled Mickey Gasper with Willson Contreras going on the IL, and he remains scorching hot!
The move comes as Boston's pitching depth thins elsewhere. The Red Sox placed right-hander Tyron Guerrero on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with right shoulder inflammation and recalled right-hander Wyatt Olds from Triple-A Worcester to take his roster spot. They also recalled Eduardo Rivera from Worcester on Tuesday, only to place him on the 60-day injured list with a lumbar strain.
There was better news on the rotation. Garrett Crochet, working back from a lat and shoulder issue, will likely throw a bullpen session Friday, interim manager Chad Tracy said Wednesday, according to Healey.
Upcoming
The Red Sox are in Baltimore tonight to open a three-game series with the Orioles. Brandon Young (9-3, 3.38 ERA) gets the ball for Boston, working off a strong turn against the Athletics on August 28 in which he went 7.0 innings, allowed 1 earned run and struck out 4 without a decision. Jake Bennett (9-6, 3.27 ERA) starts for Baltimore, and he was even better his last time out, throwing 6.0 shutout innings with 7 strikeouts and no walks in a win over the Yankees on August 29.
Boston is favored on the road, with the market reading the total as middling — not the kind of number that expects either lineup to get shut down or to run away with it. With both starters carrying ERAs near 3.30 in their most recent form, that number lines up with two teams built to play something closer to a low-scoring, well-pitched game than a slugfest.