DENVER -- The Red Sox scored early and often in the Coors Field finale Wednesday, putting timely hitting together with a solid starting pitching performance, but despite leading for six innings, it was not enough to earn a win as they fell 8-6 to the Rockies, losing the series in the process and ending their road trip on a sour note.
Ranger Suarez gave Boston another solid start in a series featuring dominating performances from the starting rotation, despite two losses. Suarez pitched six innings and allowed three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits and a walk while striking out nine, leaving with a 6-3 lead.
The Boston bullpen did not fare so well, blowing the lead with Tyron Guerrero allowing three unearned runs on two hits and a hit batsman in the seventh and Danny Coulombe allowing one hit before finishing the frame.
Justin Slaten came on in the eighth and gave up a pair of singles before Tyler Freeman bunted down the first-base line to plate the go-ahead run. Slaten gave up another single and an RBI double to rookie Cole Carrigg as the Rockies took an 8-6 lead to the ninth.
Boston opened the first inning by taking an immediate lead, thanks to an unusual triple by Ceddanne Rafaela. Rafaela popped a fly to shallow right, and with three Rockies converging on the fly, second baseman Willi Castro nearly made the play until the ball popped out of his glove. Rafaela was able to pull into third safely with what was initially ruled an error but quickly changed to a triple.
Rafaela ended up going 3-for-5 on the day, adding a third-inning double and a fourth-inning RBI single to finish a homer shy of a cycle.
Connor Wong hit his first home run since Sept. 8, 2024 in the second inning, and Andruw Monasterio homered in a two-run fourth. Boston’s last run came in the fifth, with Anthony Siegler plating Marcelo Mayer, who doubled in his first at-bat after entering the game when Caleb Durbin left with a finger injury.