None of that mattered much once the bats got going. This turned into exactly the kind of slugfest that makes a short-handed roster sweat, and by the middle innings both dugouts had settled in for a fight that had nothing to do with the pitching matchup on paper.
Chicago's offense showed up in a way the pitching matchup didn't advertise, hanging 4 runs in the 3rd inning and forcing Suarez from the game early. Boston kept answering right back, and every time the White Sox threatened to pull away, the Red Sox found another inning to punch back — exactly the resilience that's carried their current streak.
The game ground into extra innings still up for grabs, with both clubs trading runs in the 10th, 11th and 12th before Boston finally broke through in the 13th. Chicago's bullpen, already thin with Jordan Leasure and Drew Thorpe both still working back from injury, couldn't find the out it needed when it mattered most.
For a Red Sox team that had already taken the first 2 games of this series comfortably, needing 13 innings and 12 runs to close it out was a reminder that even a hot club can make things harder than necessary. Chicago leaves Fenway with something to build on, too — 11 runs and 13 hits against a good pitching staff, even in a loss.