The Boston Red Sox suffered a significant blow to their playoff hopes as Chris Sale faltered in a loss to the Washington Nationals. Sale, in just his second start back from a shoulder injury, struggled to make it through the fifth inning. The Red Sox lost 10-7 to the last-place Nationals on Thursday.
Sale was expected to throw around 75 pitches but was pulled with one out in the fifth after walking Washington’s No. 8 and 9 batters and retiring Lane Thomas on a flyball with his 65th offering. He was charged with three runs, two of which were earned, giving up two hits, walking three, and striking out three.
The game took a turn in the fifth inning when Sale was replaced by Josh Winckowski, who gave up a tiebreaking two-run double to Joey Meneses. The Nationals then went on to score five times in the inning, ultimately securing their victory.
Despite a valiant attempt by the Red Sox to rally in the later innings, with Luis UrÃas hitting a grand slam in the seventh and Rafael Devers adding a two-run homer in the same inning, they couldn’t close the gap. Trailing 10-7 entering the ninth inning, Boston made one final push but fell short.
The loss adds to the Red Sox’s struggles in August, as they now have a record of 7-8 for the month. They currently sit 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the final wild-card spot in the AL East. The Red Sox are currently fourth in the AL East standings, ahead of only the struggling New York Yankees.
The Nationals, on the other hand, have been performing well lately, winning 14 of their last 17 home games and improving to a 21-13 record since July 8. They took two out of three games in their series against the Red Sox.
The next challenge for the Red Sox will be a three-game series against their longtime rivals, the New York Yankees. This series will be crucial for the Red Sox to regain momentum in their playoff push. Meanwhile, the Nationals will host the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a series that will conclude with the highly anticipated Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
It remains to be seen how the Red Sox will bounce back from this setback and if they can regain ground in the playoff race. The performance of Chris Sale, who is coming off a shoulder injury, will also be a point of concern for the team. The Nationals, on the other hand, will look to build on their recent success and continue their strong performance in the remainder of the season.
