Boston Red Sox players watch from the dugout during their game Aug. 23 against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park (Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports).
The Boston Red Sox lost their seventh straight game today falling 7-3 to the Seattle Mariners after posting a 3-0 lead. The loss leaves the team at 2-8 on its current home stand and 56-73 on the season.
Brandon Workman (1-8, 5.44) lost his eighth straight start. He lasted just 3.1 innings as the Mariners scored seven times in the top of the fourth inning to put the game out of reach.
Workman threw 84 pitches giving up seven runs on seven hits, the biggest a three-run home run to right field by Dustin Ackley. Workman walked one and struck out three.
The rookie pitcher was 1-0 with a 2.88 ERA before serving a six game suspension imposed by MLB for throwing at Tampa Bay Rays’ third baseman Evan Longoria May 30.
The win improved Mariners’ record to 70-58 and edged the team to a 1 1/2-game lead in the American League Wild Card playoff standings.
The Red Sox tallied once in each in the first three innings for an early lead.
Brock Holt singled in the bottom of the first and went to third on a Dustin Pedroia double. After a David Ortiz pop out, he scored on a Yoenis Cespedes sacrifice fly.
Mookie Betts walked to leadoff the second and stole second base with David Ross batting behind him. Ross then doubled to drive him home.
In the third inning, Cespedes doubled and advanced to third on an error. He came home on a Mike Napoli sacrifice fly.
That was the end of Boston’s offense for the day. Despite an erratic day by Seattle starter Chris Young (5-2, 3.20), who gave up seven hits, walked five and threw 92 pitches in 3.2 innings, the Red Sox could not improve on the run total.
Tom Wilhelmsen (1-0, 1.23) earned the victory with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief. Three other pitchers also saw action.
Workman was relieved by Alex Wilson who went 3.2 perfect innings with three strikeouts. Junichi Tazawa and Burke Badenhop each pitched a scoreless inning of relief for Boston.
Ortiz was hit on the left elbow by a pitch by Mariners lefty Charlie Furbush in the bottom of the sixth inning. He stayed in the game initially, but Kelly Johnson pinch-hit for him in the eighth.
It was diagnosed as a contusion and Ortiz is not expected to miss time.
Frustration boiled over for David Ross. Just back in the lineup after a DL-stint with plantar fasciitis, Ross was called out on strikes after a check swing in the eighth inning. The usually calm 37-year-old lost his temper and was ejected – for the first time in his 735-game career – by first base umpire Vic Carapazza, who rang him up.
Much of the focus after the loss was on the team’s signing of 27-year-old Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo to a seven-year, $72.5 million contract. He is expected to be in the Red Sox lineup sometime in September.
The Red Sox send Allen Webster (3-1, 4.73) to the mound tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. against the Mariners’ Hisashi Iwakuma (7-2, 1.63) to close the home stand.