It started out as a game the Boston Red Sox could have salvaged in an otherwise rough weekend against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Triston Casas’ solo homer and Rafael Devers’ three-run shot — the 200th of his career — gave the Red Sox an early lead on Sunday. But Tanner Houck struggled with his command and let a 4-0 lead evaporate in an eventual 7-5 loss, as the Diamondbacks swept the series.
“We lost three games,” manager Alex Cora told reporters. “We got to show up tomorrow, we got two. So we got to turn the page like we have been doing all season and be ready for tomorrow.”
200 career home runs for Rafael Devers! pic.twitter.com/OM0PPVBq6B
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 25, 2024
With a doubleheader looming against the Blue Jays on Monday, the Red Sox needed the most out of Houck and for four innings he held Arizona in check. But Houck ran into trouble and couldn’t bounce back. In the fifth, he loaded the bases with two walks and a single, with the first run scoring on a ground out to first. A deep fly ball to left from Corbin Carroll scored another runner and an RBI single from Jake McCarthy tacked on third run before Houck ended the inning. But in the sixth, he allowed a one-out single and a walk before Eugenio Suárez belted a three-run homer to make it 6-4.
Houck was coming off three strong starts in which he’d allowed two earned runs or fewer while pitching at least six innings each. On Sunday, he gave up six runs on seven hits and four walks, while striking out two in six innings.
On a day in which both Kansas City and Minnesota lost, the Red Sox missed a key chance to game ground in the wild-card standings. Instead they remain 4 1/2 games back of the third wild-card spot.
Home woes continue
Entering August, the Red Sox had been swept at home just once this season and it came in the first series of the year at Fenway Park against the Baltimore Orioles. Sunday’s loss marked the second sweep of the month in a span of nine home games.
Meanwhile, Boston’s 29-35 record at home is the worst home record for any team with a record above .500.
Cora has been at a loss for why the team is not playing better at Fenway.
“There’s nothing specifically that says, like Fenway is not helping this team to be better,” he said last homestand. “We’re not winning games.”
The Red Sox have 17 home games and 16 road games left in the season.
Devers’ 200th homer
One bright spot on the day included Devers’ 200th career homer. He became the youngest player in Red Sox history (27 years, 306 days) to hit his 200th homer. Jim Rice had previously held the mark at 28 years, 62 days of age. The homer moved Devers into 11th in franchise history for homers. The 10 players who’ve hit more homers in their Red Sox careers are Rico Petrocelli (210), Jimmie Foxx (222), Bobby Doerr (223), Mo Vaughn (230), Manny Ramirez (274), Dwight Evans (379), Rice (382), Carl Yastrzemski (452), David Ortiz (483) and Ted Williams (521).
“Just consistency, his age and what he’s done in this ballpark, he’s really good at what he does,” Cora said. “He’s putting one of his best offensive seasons in his career and there’s more.”
On the season, Devers is hitting .293 with a .952 OPS, 28 homers and 80 RBIs.
A tough stretch complete
Sunday’s game marked the last of a brutal stretch for the Red Sox. Outside of one series against the Colorado Rockies, every other game since the All-Star break has come against either a playoff-contending team or the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers. Even when the Red Sox played Seattle at the trade deadline, the Mariners were still in the wild-card mix.
The Red Sox went 14-20 in that stretch, but now there’s a bit of a reprieve.
For the next 14 games, the only series the Red Sox will play against a team with a record above .500 is against the New York Mets. Otherwise, the Red Sox will be playing the Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox. It’s a stretch they’ll need to capitalize on if they want to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Injury updates
Justin Slaten made his first rehab appearance on Friday in Double-A Portland, allowing one run on one hit and one walk while striking out one. He threw 17 pitches, eight for strikes. Cora said Slaten felt off command-wise, given he hasn’t pitched since early July. He threw a short bullpen before Sunday’s game, but Cora told reporters he expected Slaten back some time this week.
In his third rehab outing in Portland on Sunday, Liam Hendriks threw two-thirds of an inning, allowing one unearned run. He struck out the first batter he faced before the next batter reached on a fielding error. Hendriks then allowed a single, driving in a run. After a second strikeout, Hendriks was lifted. He threw 19 pitches, 13 strikes. In his second rehab outing on Thursday, Hendriks recorded one out, walking one and allowing one hit while throwing 12 pitches.
Hendriks has said he’s hoping to return to the majors by the first week of September when the Red Sox face the White Sox, his former team.
(Photo of Houck: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
