Seventh-inning meltdown dooms Rangers in 9-4 loss

All the Texas Rangers wanted Sam Dyson to do in the seventh inning Wednesday night was to get them out of the inning with the lead.

If that meant he allowed the runner at third he inherited to score, so be it. Ideally, he’s induce an inning-ending double play with his power sinker. Either way, the Rangers liked the chances with Keone Kela in the eighth and Matt Bush in the ninth.

Dyson, though, didn’t get any outs, which wouldn’t have beentoo extraordinary if he had faced only one Boston Red Sox hitter, or two. But he faced seven — seven — and not one of them took a seat.

None. Of seven.

The disastrous seven-run inning wiped out a two-run Rangers lead and sent them to their third loss in four games, this time 9-4 at Fenway Park.

Regardless of the debate on if Martin Perez should have started the seventh inning at 102 pitches, Dyson didn’t do his job and left the Rangers needing a win Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep.

“The seventh inning has been a challenge for us in quite a few games,” manager Jeff Banister said. “Those guys have got to come in and get the outs in those types of situations, and we were just incapable of making pitches when we needed to.”

Perez survived a rocky 35-pitch third inning, which pushed his pitch count to 67, and was standing with a 3-1 lead after six when he was sent out for the seventh. He quickly disposed of Chris Young before Andrew Benintendi reached on an infield single and Sam Travis followed with a single.

Dyson entered to face No. 8 hitter Sandy Leon and No. 9 hitter Deven Marrero. The Red Sox countered with lefty-hitting pinch hitters Mitch Moreland and Josh Rutledge, and both singled to forge a 3-3 tie.

The Red Sox then went intentional walk, single, double, intentional walk, walk against Dyson, who mixed in a wild pitch after his first intentional walk to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead.

Benintendi delivered a sacrifice fly to cap an inning in which the Red Sox hit three grounders, just not at any Rangers infielder.

“It’s unfortunate,” Dyson said. “Some times they hit them where the are. Sometime they hit them were they aren’t. It’s been one of those things since the first series of the year for me. I have to continue to execute and go out there and pitch and grind through it.”

The offense did more than most against Sale, who was bidding to break his own MLB record for consecutive 10-strikeout games. But he fanned only six as the streak ended at eight, and the Rangers touched him for four runs.

Their first run came in the fourth without a hit, after Delino DeShields walked, went to second on a passed ball and to third on a ground out, and scored on an Elvis Andrus sacrifice fly for a 1-1 tie.

Mike Napoli connected with one out in the fifth for a 2-1 lead, Ryan Rua followed with a double, and Joey Gallo singled to make it 3-1.

The score stayed there as Perez retired nine of the next 11 hitters. He was asked if he could pitch the seventh, and he said yes. Banister liked the roll Perez was on and wasn’t of the belief that a reliever is better when he starts an inning rather than entering in a jam.

“Those guys are well-versed at coming in in those situations,” Banister said. “They’re major-league pitchers. They’ve got to come in and get outs in those situations.”

This story was originally published May 24, 2017 at 10:21 PM with the headline "Seventh-inning meltdown dooms Rangers in 9-4 loss."