BOSTON — A matchup between Garrett Crochet and Chris Sale on Friday night at Fenway Park had all the makings of an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel.
For seven innings, it was.
The Braves tagged Crochet for two solo homers in the second inning and the Red Sox got one of their own off Sale in the seventh, and it was a 2-1 game at the start of the ninth inning. And then, as it has too often this season for the Red Sox, everything fell apart.
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Liam Hendriks got two outs in the ninth but also walked two before manager Alex Cora turned to Brennan Bernardino. Bernardino issued three straight walks, forcing in two runs in an eventual 4-2 loss.
“There’s been a lot of tough games, close games, which makes it more unfortunate because it feels like we’re in every single game and competing, just not getting the job done,” said Rob Refsnyder. “We’re just not clicking as a team right now.”
Entering Friday, the Red Sox had lost eight consecutive one-run games. Their 12 one-run losses lead the majors and 10 of their last 12 losses have been by three runs or fewer.
“It’s frustrating,” Cora said. “When you go through weeks like this, you don’t have to push the envelope. It’s the other way around. We have to slow it down as a team. And I don’t think we did that today.”
Despite the disappointing ending, the marquee pitching matchup — featuring two tall lefties who the Red Sox acquired from the Chicago White Sox for prospect packages eight years apart — still lived up to its billing.
And even with Sale’s dominance for Atlanta, the Red Sox had a few chances they wasted.
In the third, Jarren Duran tripled with one out and Rafael Devers followed with a walk, but Alex Bregman struck out and then Devers was caught stealing.
In the sixth, Duran singled but was picked off with two outs. The next inning, after Refsnyder homered to cut the Braves’ lead in half, Nick Sogard hit a two-out single but was thrown out at second trying to stretch it to a double.
Ref smash!
— Red Sox (@redsox.com) May 16, 2025 at 6:23 PM
“The margin for error at this level is very slim,” Bregman said. “It comes down to executing better than the other team and tonight we didn’t do that. Best part about baseball is tomorrow you get another chance to do it and get right back after it.”
Crochet, for his part, was electric. In the first inning, he struck out the side on 11 pitches, nine strikes and registered six swings and misses.
He allowed back-to-back solo homers to Matt Olson and Sean Murphy in the second, but after a single in the third, Crochet retired 12 in a row before hitting traffic in the seventh. With one out, he loaded the bases with three straight singles, but buckled down to strike out Michael Harris II and Stuart Fairchild to end the inning. He got Fairchild swinging with a 98-mile per hour four-seamer with his 103rd pitch of the game.
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“We just haven’t been playing good baseball, especially with Crochet on the mound,” Refsnyder said. “It’s unfortunate because he’s been throwing really well and it seems like every game he throws we’re in it because of how good he is. So yeah it sucks.”
Crochet finished with two runs allowed on seven hits, didn’t issue a walk and struck out eight. He threw 103 pitches, 76 for strikes and registered 19 swings and misses.
He leads the majors with five starts of seven innings or more.
Sale, meanwhile, matched Crochet toe-for-toe and looked every bit the reigning National League Cy Young winner.
The 36-year-old, who spent seven seasons in Boston before the Red Sox traded him to Atlanta ahead of the 2024 season for Vaughn Grissom, dazzled.
In his first start at Fenway since the trade, Sale allowed one run on five hits and two walks striking out eight over seven innings, throwing 99 pitches, 67 for strikes.
“He’s really good,” Cora said. “He was throwing hard today. The slider was really good, back door for strikes, down and under for chases.
“You’ve got to tip your hat in that situation. But overall, just a good pitcher and had a great night against us.”
Friday was the first game of a 10-game homestand, a crucial one for the Red Sox if they plan to turn things around.
Changes may be on the way. Earlier in the day, Kristian Campbell got work at first base with infield instructor Jose Flores. Cora discussed the possibility of moving Campbell to first.
That, in turn, would open the door for top infield prospect Marcelo Mayer to play at second base, providing a spark to the lineup and to the infield defense. It doesn’t appear any moves are imminent, but the Red Sox can hardly afford to wait much longer as the tough losses pile up.
(Top photo of Sogard after he was thrown out at second: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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