The Boston Red Sox have lost their fair share of one-run games and extra-innings thrillers, but their August 19 loss to the Baltimore Orioles has to be their most frustrating of the year.
Boston lost, 4-3, in the 11th inning thanks to a cacophony of mistakes and struggles. The Red Sox have lost eight of their last 12 games, and their bats couldn't be slumping at a worse time. They had their first run of the night gifted to them — Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano in the third inning balked Connor Wong home from third base — but they couldn't take advantage.
The Red Sox went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position in a dreadful offensive showing. They loaded the bases three times, in the eighth, ninth and 10th innings, and couldn't make anything of their chances. In the eighth frame, the bases were loaded with no outs, and Sox hitters struck out three times to crush the rally.
Nathaniel Lowe, Boston's newest addition, played hero in the ninth inning when he tied the game with a two-run homer. Fenway Park lit up for the first baseman, but more egregious mistakes crushed his attempt to save the series.
Red Sox third base coach Kyle Hudson has no explanation for holding Nate Eaton at third base in 4-3 loss to Orioles
The worst decision of the Red Sox's night came on the second-to-last play of the game when they were down, 4-3. Roman Anthony lifted a fly ball to center field with Nate Eaton on third base, and third base coach Kyle Hudson decided not to send him home. Eaton looked ready to run, and even got a few feet off the bag when Colton Cowser butchered the throw home to Samuel Basallo. The throw was easily 10 feet wide of the plate, and Eaton's 95th-percentile speed could've tied the game to set up a win.
"That's the decision I made, obviously the throw was off-line," Hudson said after the game about holding Eaton. "We gotta live with it, I live with it. It is what it is at this point."
Eaton has been in the minor leagues for most of the year, but he's one of the fastest players on the Red Sox's roster. Alex Cora placed him in the game to pinch-run, understanding his value on the base paths, and not sending him from third base when down one run is an uncompetitive and unacceptable choice. In close games, winning decisions con't come without risk, and playoff teams make gutsy calls to win games.
Red Sox's devastating mistakes against the Orioles won't fly against the Yankees
After their soul-crushing defeat at home, the Red Sox have a day off before they take on the Yankees for a four-game series in the Bronx. While Boston squandered every single one of its scoring chances on August 19, New York did anything but — it crushed nine home runs against the Rays, including three straight in the first inning.
The Red Sox and Yankees will enter their upcoming series with opposing momentum. When the Red Sox swept their rivals at Fenway Park earlier this year, they held them to just four runs on the series. With Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton slugging as they have been, such a feat will be exponentially harder. Boston's offense has only scored three runs in each of its last three games, and that won't cut it against New York.
The Red Sox have seven games against the Yankees remaining in their schedule, and series with the first-place Blue Jays in the final week of the year. If they don't get their bats going and make better decisions, their Wild Card spot will be gone sooner rather than later.