Sogard goes deep, then clutch bats go silent in test against Rangers ace

ARLINGTON -- For interim manager Chad Tracy, Jacob deGrom represents the type of pitching Boston could encounter in the postseason.

The Red Sox knew runs would be hard to come by against deGrom, but Nick Sogard provided an opening that Boston couldn’t build on as it fell, 4-2, to the Rangers on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field.

Sogard launched a two-run homer in the third inning, pulling the Red Sox within two after an early four-run hole.

“That was good,” Sogard said. “It gave us a chance to win the game. I think our pitching -- we used a lot of guys today -- but they kept us in the whole way. We had a couple of chances throughout the game to cash in, which is the nature of what we do. Just didn’t happen to work out today.”

deGrom retired the first seven batters he faced before Caleb Durbin broke through with a one-out single to center. Sogard followed by going down to get a 91.3 mph slider below the zone, sending it a Statcast-projected 357 feet to right. The ball left his bat at 102 mph and cleared the right-field wall by a couple of feet.

“I'd only gotten one fastball that at-bat, and it was kind of up and in. So I know with two strikes, [deGrom] likes to back-foot it,” Sogard said. “One of the best pitchers in the game, a ton of respect for him, but I maybe had a feeling it was going to be something in. And then I definitely wasn't sitting on it, kind of a little out front, but [I was] able to keep it fair, and it got over the wall.”

Sogard is slashing .264/.360/.416 with a .776 OPS this season, with 13 doubles, one triple and five homers. He did not homer across 61 games in the Majors between the 2024 and ’25 seasons.

“I feel good,” Sogard said. “[What has changed is] just trying to compete and grind out good at-bats and then get good pitches to hit, and [I have] been able to drive it a little bit better this year.”

The Red Sox tried to take advantage of their opportunities again in the fifth. Jarren Duran was hit by a pitch, Durbin reached on catcher’s interference and Mickey Gasper drew a two-out walk to load the bases. This time, deGrom worked out of trouble by retiring Adley Rutschman to end the inning.

Boston loaded the bases again in the eighth, but Jacob Latz retired the final five batters he faced to preserve the Rangers’ lead. The Red Sox left nine runners on base.

“Not going to do it every time we give ourselves a couple of opportunities to hit a single and tie the game up,” Tracy said. “We just couldn't do it tonight.”

The Red Sox were left trying to erase that early deficit after Patrick Sandoval’s strong start unraveled in the second inning.

Sandoval struck out the first four batters he faced before running into trouble. The left-hander lasted 2 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks before Boston turned to its bullpen.

From there, the Rangers didn’t score again. Boston’s bullpen combined for 5 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out five, giving the offense opportunities to close the gap.

Tracy was able to spread those innings across four relievers, a decision made easier with an important series against the Rays looming. The Sox could clinch a postseason berth as soon as Thursday in St. Petersburg.

“Part of the reason we were able to be so aggressive is we had so much of the bullpen was at 5-6-7 days off, so being able to spread the load a little bit and not overextend anybody,” Tracy said. “But also keeping options open if there is a start or something, we want to keep that on the table. So we're able to do that today and piece it together with four guys instead of just having one guy take on the whole load.”

After earning 32 wins in a 37-game stretch from June 25 to Aug. 7, the Red Sox are 18-18 over the past five-plus weeks as they continue their final road trip of the season through Arlington and St. Petersburg.

“[The momentum] is OK,” Sogard said. “I don't think we're doing anything different. I mean, we're just going about it. It was another really close game tonight. We easily could have had that game. So we're in every game. We're winning a lot of them. That's a good place to be.”