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Red Sox Losing Streak Hits Five After Late Collapse Vs. Blue Jays originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Just a few days ago, the Boston Red Sox looked nearly unbeatable. Now, they cannot seem to find a way to stop losing. Boston suffered its fifth consecutive defeat Wednesday night, falling 6-4 to the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The Red Sox were tied with Toronto entering the bottom of the eighth inning, but a defensive mistake and a disastrous relief appearance sent them to another frustrating loss.
The Red Sox scored three times in the ninth to make the final margin respectable. That late rally, however, could not hide another concerning offensive performance in which Boston produced only one run over the first eight innings. Boston dropped to 64-56 and fell 10 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. Toronto has won the first three games of the four-game series.
Red Sox Offense Stays Quiet Too Long
The Red Sox collected eight hits but struggled to turn those opportunities into runs until it was too late. Boston went hitless through the first three innings against Toronto starter José Soriano. Ceddanne Rafaela recorded the team’s first hit with a fourth-inning single, but the Red Sox failed to bring him home.
Willson Contreras finally broke through in the fifth, driving a solo home run 408 feet to left-center field. His 24th homer of the season tied the game at 1-1 and gave Boston a chance to steal a low-scoring contest. The Red Sox created another opportunity in the sixth when Nick Sogard singled and Adley Rutschman walked, but Contreras grounded out to end the inning.
Boston then went down in order in the seventh before wasting another scoring chance in the eighth. Andruw Monasterio opened the inning with an infield single and reached third with two outs, but Rafaela fouled out to first base. The Red Sox went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position through the first eight innings. Rutschman went 0-for-3 with a walk in his second game with Boston, while Masataka Yoshida finished 0-for-4 from the leadoff spot.
Those missed opportunities left no margin for error when the bullpen entered the game.
Eighth Inning Sends Red Sox To Fifth Straight Loss
Ranger Suárez gave Boston exactly what it needed from its starting pitcher. The left-hander allowed one earned run on six hits across five innings. He struck out two and walked two, departing with the game tied at 1-1.
Justin Slaten worked a scoreless sixth, and Erik Miller followed with a scoreless seventh. The game unraveled after Tayler Scott Guerrero took over in the eighth.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk began the inning with consecutive singles. Boston then appeared to have an opportunity to record the first out when Kazuma Okamoto lifted a foul ball near first base, but Contreras dropped it for an error. Okamoto took advantage of the mistake by lining an RBI single to left, giving Toronto a 2-1 lead.
The inning deteriorated from there. Andrés Giménez was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Ernie Clement drew another walk to force home a run.
Guerrero did not record an out. He was charged with four earned runs after allowing three hits and two walks. Alec Gamboa entered and allowed a sacrifice fly to George Springer before Myles Straw delivered the biggest hit of the inning, a two-run double that stretched Toronto’s lead to 6-1.
The Blue Jays scored five runs on five hits and an error in the inning. What had been a tense pitchers’ duel suddenly became another painful Red Sox defeat.
Boston’s Ninth-Inning Rally Falls Short
The Red Sox finally found some offense in the ninth. Contreras drew a one-out walk, Wilyer Abreu doubled and Caleb Durbin followed with an RBI single. Jarren Duran then doubled home Abreu, cutting Toronto’s lead to 6-3.
Monasterio added a sacrifice fly that scored Durbin and brought the tying run to the plate. The comeback ended when Sogard grounded out to second base. The three-run rally showed some fight, but it arrived after Boston had spent most of the night struggling to generate meaningful offense.
Contreras scored twice and delivered Boston’s only home run. Durbin finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Duran recorded an RBI double. Rafaela, Rutschman and Yoshida combined to go 1-for-11 at the top of the order.
During the first three games of the series, Boston has scored one, three and four runs. Five of those eight total runs came in the ninth inning, including Wednesday’s late rally. The Red Sox have consistently waited too long to create pressure.
MORE: Red Sox Make Intriguing Bullpen Move Before Blue Jays Matchup
Red Sox Face Urgent Series Finale
Boston will have one more chance to salvage something from its trip to Toronto. The Red Sox and Blue Jays will conclude their four-game series Thursday at 3:07 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre. Left-hander Payton Tolle is scheduled to start for Boston against veteran right-hander Max Scherzer.
Tolle will be asked to stop a losing streak that has quickly erased the momentum generated by Boston’s remarkable summer run. The Red Sox must also find a way to create offense earlier. Their pitching kept Wednesday’s game tied through seven innings, but repeated missed opportunities left the outcome vulnerable to one poor inning.
Boston remains in the playoff race, but the standings are becoming less comfortable. The Red Sox now trail the Yankees in the AL East and have watched their deficit behind the first-place Rays grow to double digits.
Thursday’s finale will not erase all five losses. It can, however, prevent a sweep, restore some confidence and help Boston leave Toronto moving in the right direction.
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