The Red Sox didn’t get off on the right foot to start the second half of the MLB season, and they probably want a redo of the eighth inning.
Boston suffered a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Friday after Freddie Freeman hit a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning. The result overshadowed what was a largely good performance from the Red Sox pitching staff, especially for starter Nick Pivetta.
Jarren Duran broke a scoreless deadlock in the fifth inning with his solo home run, but runs were hard to come by Friday night. Boston had a chance to do damage in the top of the eighth inning, but after Miguel Vargas caught a Rafael Devers flyout, Tyler O’Neill failed to get back to first on time. The Dodgers outfield completed the double play and ended the inning.
Anything could have happened with two outs and O’Neill on first, but Boston didn’t get a chance to see what could have happened before Los Angeles took its lead in the bottom of the eighth inning.
“Vargas came up and made a really good throw,” O’Neill told reporters, per Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe. “But that’s a play that I have to get back on.”
“I misplayed how shallow he was. “I thought the ball came off Raffy’s bat pretty good. I was in motion. But like I said, it’s a play I have to get back on.”
Manager Alex Cora revealed the outfielder went up to him right after the play to take accountability for his actions. The Red Sox will get a chance to even up the three-game series Saturday. First pitch for the middle matchup is scheduled at 7:15 p.m. ET on FOX.
