The Boston Red Sox needed a collective response before their series finale with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and outfielder Tyler O’Neill answered the call.
Boston entered Saturday night’s interleague matchup at Dodger Stadium fresh off a disappointing output from the lineup to begin the series. The Red Sox went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position throughout Friday night’s series opener, giving the pitching staff just one run of production — which came off a solo home run from Jarren Duran.
Yet, with a feasible three runs allowed through six innings from right-hander Brayan Bello, the opportunity to even up the series and set up a rubber match for Sunday was there for the taking. In fact, the Red Sox were inches away from crossing the finish line — twice. Both times it was O’Neill’s bat that nearly prevented Los Angeles from securing a chance at a three-game sweep, however, it still wasn’t enough.
Boston fell to Los Angeles, 7-6 in 11 innings, pushing the Red Sox back 6 1/2 games back in the American League East race.
O’Neill belted a pair of two-run home runs, first in the seventh inning and then again in the 10th inning, just moments after ex-Red Sox Kiké Hernández evened up the score at 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth. O’Neill ripped the game’s momentum right away from the palms of the Dodgers, giving Boston exactly what it needed at just the right time, but twice, the bullpen squandered an opportunity to shut the door for good.
The 29-year-old outfielder single-handedly matched Los Angeles’ run total (four) from Friday night, and it only took two swings.
“We had the lead in the ninth and they hit a homer against one of the best closers in the big leagues,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said postgame, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “We passed the baton all the way to the ninth and had our anchor. It just didn’t happen.”
Kenley Jansen and Greg Weissert both allowed the Dodgers to turn potential closeouts into game-altering rallies, keeping Boston from reaching the win column. What would’ve been an O’Neill celebratory night became the latest Red Sox head-scratcher, prompting questions about the pitching staff and how the front office will address its depth before the July 30 trade deadline.
Here are more notes from Saturday night’s Red Sox-Dodgers game:
— Despite the loss, the Red Sox still sit ahead of the Kansas City Royals for the third and final wild-card spot in the AL postseason race. Boston trails the Minnesota Twins by two games and the New York Yankees by 4 1/2 games.
— Boston starters have pitched six-plus innings in the last seven consecutive games, however, the Red Sox have gone 3-4 through the stretch.
— The Red Sox fell to 20-16 against National League teams this season.
— Ex-Red Sox Kiké Hernández delivered two game-tying hits to haunt Boston in picture-perfect situations and send Los Angeles to the win column.
— Boston and Los Angeles will finish their three-game set on Sunday night with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET from Dodger Stadium. That series finale will be aired on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball.” The Red Sox will return to the NESN airwaves on Monday night to begin a three-game set in Colorado against the Rockies.
