Rangers Throw Sugar in Sox Gas Tank, Take FInale 5-3.

It started out as a surreal night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Wednesday. The Red Sox got a run in the first inning when Jacoby Ellsbury walked, Pedro Ciriaco singled and Ellsbury scored to give the Sox a 1-0 lead when Dustin Pedroia grounded into a double play. That series of events was not what was surreal. The Twilight Zone moment was when Josh Beckett not only had a clean first inning but held the Rangers in check in the first three innings as Will Middlebrooks, who had earlier singled in the game, stroked a solo homer in the fourth to put Boston up 2-0. Pinch me.

In the fourth things returned to normal for Beckett. Michael Young doubled to lead off the inning, scoring when David Murphy hit a solid gapper between Crawford and Ellsbury for another double to score Young and make it 2-1 Boston. Beckett labored as his pitch count quickly rose to 60 pitches. When Yorvit Torrealba singled Beckett was jammed up with men on second and third and one out.

Texas center fielder Craig Gentry plated Murphy with a perfectly executed suicide squeeze to tie the game at 2-2. It was an odd but nevertheless effective call early in the game by Rangers manager Ron Washington. Ian Kinsler  blooped a hit to right field that just got under the glove of Cody Ross to score Torrealba. Texas was primed to put the pressure on. With Kinsler running Elvis Andrus singled to put men on first and third with two outs. Beckett’s pitch count climbed to 70. Josh Hamilton popped out to end the inning but Texas has made a their mark. By the end of the inning Beckett had given up eight hits, thrown a lot of pitches and blown a 2-0 lead as Texas led Boston 3-2.

The Sox pulled even in the sixth when Pedroia’s laser show kicked in and he went yard to tie to the game at 3-3. After his rocky fourth, Beckett settled down and for the second night in a row it again looked like another Texas/Boston squeaker was in play. Beckett and Ranger starter Derek Holland pitched into the seventh, Beckett retiring seven Rangers in a row until he plunked Elvis Andrus, allowed an Adrian Beltre single to put men on first and third with two down and then threw a wild pitched to score Andrus to put Texas up 4-3.

Nelson Cruz homered off Matt Albers in the eighth to hammer the last nail in the coffin and put Texas up for good 5-3.

At the end of the day no matter how much lipstick got put on the pig the truth is Beckett simply found another way to lose, this time by wild pitch.

With the loss, Boston again dropped below .500 for what seemed like the 500th time. They remain tied for last place in the division, 10.5 games behind the front running Yankees.