CHICAGO -- The game went exactly how manager Alex Cora had planned. But as the Red Sox learned in Thursday’s 6-4 walk-off loss to the White Sox: What can go wrong, will go wrong.
Cora was able to go from his starter, David Price -- who pitched well for the fourth consecutive start -- and turn it over to his bullpen of Brandon Workman, Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier with a late 4-3 lead.
While Workman and Barnes each tossed a scoreless inning, Brasier was not as fortunate.
Brasier had no issues getting the first out of the ninth, striking out Yoan Moncada, but things quickly unraveled for the Boston closer.
Brasier got the next batter, Jose Rondon, to roll over on a slider and bounce it to third base. Rafael Devers, attempting to grab the short hop, bobbled the ball and allowed Rondon to reach on the error and keep the inning alive.
It was the ninth error of the season for Devers, the most among Major League third basemen.
“Definitely a play I should have made. Things happen. I went after the ball aggressively, just didn’t come up with the ball,” Devers said. “It really doesn’t matter the type of play -- the routine, non-routine -- I go after it as best as I can. Sometimes they come out the right way. Sometimes they don’t.”
“That’s a routine play, yeah. And he missed it,” Cora said. “We’ve been talking about it. We’ve got to get better. I’ll take a look at it, we’ll talk about it and go from there."
The next batter of the inning, Yonder Alonso, shot a single to left field off Brasier, putting both the tying and go-ahead run on base for White Sox outfielder Nicky Delmonico, who didn’t start the game.
Brasier came within inches of recording an easy out, getting Delmonico out in front of a first-pitch slider and prompting him to pop up to the first-base side in foul territory. The high popup looked like it would stay in play, but drifted into the camera well just past the outstretched arm of first baseman Mitch Moreland.
“I thought for sure that was a pop out to first,” Cora said.
Brasier hung the next slider to Delmonico, who ripped it into the seats in right-center for a three-run walk-off homer. It was the White Sox second walk-off win in as many nights.
“[Trying to get] a swing and miss down under the bat. Made a bad pitch, and he did what he’s supposed to do,” Brasier said. “Made a good pitch to the two guys before. Alonso hit the ball to left, and I made a bad pitch with people on base. Stuff like that is going to happen.”
Price, who received a no-decision, came into the game pitching like Boston’s ace, and that continued as he kept White Sox hitters off balance for a majority of the night, allowing three runs over his six innings of work.
The left-hander has now allowed three runs or fewer in each of his last four starts, and he has seen a growth in confidence with his changeup. Price’s newfound success has been a huge boost in stabilizing a Red Sox rotation that is still looking to get starter Chris Sale on track.
Price has thrown 112 changeups in his last four starts, only 12 (10.7 percent) of those changeups have been put in play. He’s allowed just a .214 batting average to opponents on changeups in 2019, according to BrooksBaseball.
“It’s a feel pitch,” Price said. “The more you throw it, the better feel you’ll have. It’s getting better.”