SAN FRANCISCO -- The storylines were fitting together nicely for the Red Sox on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park that resembled a postcard.
Lucas Giolito was grinding his way to a quality start.
The lefty mashers Rob Refsnyder and Romy Gonzalez both smashed home runs against Robbie Ray in a three-run fifth inning that would be the last of the day for San Francisco’s top southpaw.
But leads of 4-2 and 5-4 didn’t stand amid a frustrating 9-5 loss to the Giants in the rubber match of a three-game series that came down to an all too familiar flaw -- defense.
Five of the runs the Red Sox gave up were unearned, marking the third time this season the club has surrendered five unearned runs or more in a game.
This, coming directly on the heels of Saturday’s 3-2 defeat, when two unearned runs proved to be the difference.
“We’ve got to play better defense,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “The whole weekend was kind of sloppy in that department.”
Boston has allowed 49 unearned runs this season. Only the 18-60 Rockies have allowed more. With 68 errors, the Red Sox have the most in the Majors.
The first breakdown was on a short popup to left by Patrick Bailey in the bottom of the third. Third baseman Nate Eaton, playing his first game at that position for the Red Sox, drifted well into the outfield. Left fielder Jarren Duran came charging in and the men collided and the ball squirted free. Originally, Eaton was charged with the error. It was later changed to Duran.
“It’s just loud, I was calling for it,” said Duran. “I don't think he heard me. He's a freak athlete. He got all the way out there, too. So it was just one of those things [where] we haven't played together a lot. He's such a good athlete that he got all the way out there and we just didn't hear each other.”
Cora remembers similar moments in San Francisco when he was a player.
“Communication. Obviously Nate just got here,” said Cora. “I don’t know how many third basemen get to that ball, but it’s just bad communication. Obviously, [playing] here is tough. I’ve seen that play happen a lot. It happened to me too when I played for the Dodgers. It’s loud, windy, but we have to do a better job.”
Per Statcast, Duran was right to call for it. He had a catch probability of 95 percent.
With first and second and nobody out, Giolito nearly escaped without a run. But he committed a pitch timer violation that led to a walk of Rafael Devers, and Heliot Ramos belted a two-run single to put the Giants in front, 2-1, in a game that would swing back and forth like the San Francisco wind.
The momentum swings ended with the final crushing defensive blow for the Red Sox in the seventh. On what would have been the third out of the inning, Gonzalez dropped a line drive off the bat of Mike Yastrzemski at second and San Francisco took a 6-5 lead. By the time the inning ended, Boston was in an 8-5 hole.
“That play has to be made. Simple as that,” said Gonzalez. “We're Major Leaguers, and that play has to be made 100 out of 100 times.”
Frustration boiled over for Boston in the eighth. Duran laced a single to right and tried to turn it into a hustle double. He did beat the throw, but he slid off the bag. While some replays indicated he might have gotten his fingertip back to the bag in time, the call stood upon review. Duran was heated and got ejected. Cora went out to defend Duran and also was excused for the rest of the game.
“I don't really have an opinion on it,” said Duran. “I saw what I saw, they saw [what] they saw and at the end of the day, I can’t change it.”
Cora admitted that he was more frustrated with a call in the fourth inning, when Abraham Toro was called out at the plate for going “off the baseline,” while trying to avoid a tag from Bailey.
“He just jumped over him,” Cora said. “It’s an athlete making an athletic play. He said that he was off the line. My whole frustration at the end was more about that.”
Take away two errors and the Red Sox would have left San Francisco with no frustration.