WEST SACRAMENTO – For a moment, it looked like Aroldis Chapman, Boston’s All-Star closer, was going to get walked off at Sutter Health Field for the second straight season. Lawrence Butler certainly thought so, when he drove one to deep left and posed and watched, thinking he had a game-ending homer. Instead, it deflected off the top of the wall for a double.
“I thought it was gone,” admitted Chapman.
But it wasn’t. And from there, Chapman did Chapman things, getting the next three hitters – the final two on strikeouts.
Andruw Monasterio then did what Butler thought he had done, mashing a towering, two-run homer to left-center to open the top of the 10th that fueled the Red Sox to a 4-2 victory. The blast by Monasterio traveled a Statcast-projected 428 feet, and was his third hit of the night.
It was a big win, especially when you consider how close Butler came to making an instant loss.
“He hit it good,” said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy. “When the ball left the bat, I was just praying, 'Please stay down, stay in the yard.' And with Chappy out there, you know you’ve got a chance to miss some bats, and you can't overstate the job he did there with the man on third and less than two [outs] to get out of that inning and give us a shot there in the 10th.”
Here are some other takeaways from Boston's win.
1. Sogard welcomes himself home
It was quite the journey home for Sacramento native Nick Sogard, who was recalled from Triple-A Worcester to replace trade acquisition Curtis Mead (fractured left wrist) on the roster. Sogard flew from Norfolk, Va., to Dallas on Tuesday, but that flight was delayed and he missed his connection.
Instead, Sogard woke up in a Dallas hotel room and took a morning flight to Sacramento, landing at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. No worse for the wear, Sogard hit a game-tying, RBI single to center with two outs in the sixth. It was his second hit of the night.
“This series, we've had some trouble getting them in, so you only get so many chances,” Tracy said. “So when you get an opportunity and you can get a two-out hit and get the game tied, it was just a really good at-bat there.”
2. Slaten escapes trouble
Justin Slaten did a solid job overcoming adversity in the bottom of the seventh. Monasterio gave the Athletics some life when he booted a Jacob Wilson ground ball with two outs and nobody on. Jeff McNeil followed with a single just through the hole on the right side.
And then Tommy White appeared not to check his swing on an 0-2 pitch, but first base umpire Nate Tomlinson said he held on appeal. Slaten didn’t blink, coming back to strike out White two pitches later on 97.8 mph heat. Slaten shouted as he ran back to the dugout.
“I just kind of go out there and just let the emotions of the game just kind of run through me,” said Slaten.
3. Sandoval steps up
Veteran lefty Patrick Sandoval had his third successful outing in four tries in his return from Tommy John surgery. Over five innings, Sandoval scattered five hits and two runs (both on solo homers in the friendly hitting haven of Sutter Field) while walking two and striking out a season-high seven while boosting his pitch count up to 92. With Connelly Early traded to the Nationals on July 25, it seems far more likely the Sox won’t deal Sandoval leading into Monday's Trade Deadline.
“I felt pretty good,” said Sandoval. “I'm just kind of frustrated about not getting deeper in this game. Proud of how the boys fought. The bullpen was unbelievable. Our offense [seems to fight] back every single game that we win. So it's fun to watch.”