Safe call at second looms large in Rangers' loss

BOSTON -- The Rangers aren't having much luck convincing umpires they are missing the call and were unable to do so on what eventually turned out to be a critical moment of a 4-3 loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday night.

The Rangers thought Hanley Ramirez should have been out trying to stretch a single into a double in the fifth inning. But their challenge was shot down and Ramirez ended up scoring the Red Sox's final and what turned out to be the decisive run of the night.

"That play ended up costing us," manager Jeff Banister said after a late rally by his team came up one run short.

It happened with one out in the fifth after David Ortiz had hit a home run to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead against Rangers starter Yovani Gallardo.

Ramirez hit a line drive into the right-center field gap, and right-fielder Shin-Soo Choo cut it off deep in the gap before it got to the warning track. Ramirez tried for a double and Choo's throw appeared to have him beat at second base. But Ramirez slid around shortstop Elvis Andrus' tag and was ruled safe by second-base umpire Mark Wegner.

Andrus immediately pointed to the Rangers' bench, suggesting that the call needed to be challenged. Banister waited until he got the word from bench coach Steve Buechele, who was consulting by phone with video coordinator Joey Prebynski in the Rangers' clubhouse.

Banister got the word from them that the play was worth challenging.

"I thought it was going to be overturned," said Gallardo, who was backing up on the play.

It took almost three minutes to review, but the call ended up standing, as the replay official could not definitively determine that Andrus tagged Ramirez prior to him touching second base.

"I felt like it was a play that was going to be overturned," Banister said. "At the end of the day, the call stands, the call was confirmed. I haven't gone back and look at it. I trust my guys. They thought we should challenge."

The Rangers have lost six straight challenges and have been successful on just four of 13 this season.

"We're going to continue to challenge if there is a play we feel needs to be challenged," Banister said.

Ramirez went to third on Pablo Sandoval's grounder to second. With two outs, Ramirez ended up scoring when Andrus couldn't make a barehanded play on Mike Napoli's roller to short.