Red Sox snap 5-game skid, beat lowly White Sox 3-1

“That was huge for the team, to help the team. That was pretty good,” Rafaela said.

Ceddanne Rafaela hit a first-pitch slider to break the tie after a 12-pitch walk before him in the seventh inning. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

By KEN POWTAK, Associated Press

September 6, 2024

BOSTON (AP) — Ceddanne Rafaela hit a tiebreaking two-run homer over the Green Monster in the seventh inning and the Boston Red Sox handed the Chicago White Sox their 110th loss of the season, 3-1 on Friday night.

Triston Casas drove in the other run with a fourth-inning single for the Red Sox, who ended a season-high five-game losing streak and have stumbled in the race for the American League’s third and final wild-card spot by going 6-10 in their last 16 games.

“That was huge for the team, to help the team. That was pretty good,” Rafaela said, who hit a first-pitch slider after a 12-pitch walk before him. “I was just looking for the best pitch I can.”

Jacob Amaya had an RBI single for the White Sox who are 32-110, and are on pace to surpass the New York Mets’ record of 120 losses in 1962, the most in a season post-1900.

After beating Baltimore on Wednesday, they lost for the 13th time in 14 games. Chicago also lost for the 43rd time this season after scoring first and fell to 5-39 since the All-Star break.

The White Sox (0-14) haven’t won a series since the break.

Rafaela hit his 15th off Matt Foster (0-1) into the second row of Monster seats where a fan stood up and made a nice barehanded catch after Enmanuel Valdez’s walk.

Zack Kelly (6-2) pitched a scoreless inning for the victory. Josh Winckowski got the final three outs for his first save of the season.

White Sox starter Davis Martin and Boston’s Nick Pivetta each went six strong innings. Martin gave up a run on three hits, striking out three, walking one, and hitting three batters. Pivetta allowed a run, five hits, with six strikeouts and three walks.

“We played good defense behind him and he gave us a chance to win,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Pivetta.

Martin gave up Casas’s single after hitting consecutive batters on the back foot with breaking pitches.

“At the end of the day, our goal is to try to get down there. You call back-foot sliders, back-foot curves for a reason, sometimes they hit a back foot,” he said. “Today, was just one of those days. … I’m not upset with the execution at all.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: OF Luis Robert Jr. was back in the lineup after leaving the previous game with right hamstring tightness. … RHP Drew Thorpe underwent season-ending surgery to remove a bone spur in the right elbow. He’s expected to return in February for spring training without any restrictions.

Red Sox: CF Jarren Duran fouled off a pitch that bounced directly up and into the side of his face near his left ear, but he stayed in the game. … Cora said “there’s a good chance” that infielder Trevor Story could come off his rehab assignment and start at shortstop Saturday. His return would come after what was expected to be season-ending shoulder surgery on April 12. The recovery time was expected to be six months.