After missing his connecting flight, spending the night in a Dallas hotel and arriving in Sacramento just hours before first pitch, Nick Sogard wasted little time making an impact.
Sogard delivered a game-tying RBI single in the sixth inning before Andruw Monasterio launched a go-ahead, two-run homer in the 10th to lift the Red Sox to a 4-2 victory over the Athletics Wednesday night at Sutter Health Park.
Boston improved to 56-51, while the Athletics fell to 45-63. With the win, the Red Sox remain in the second wild card spot in the American League leading the Cleveland Guardians by 1.5 games.
Monasterio gave the Red Sox their first lead of the night when he hammered a 428-foot, two-run homer to left off reliever José Suárez in the top of the 10th. The infielder finished 3-for-5. Monasterio has been swinging a hot bat in the month of July, hitting .357 with three homers, eight RBI, and even doubles.
Greg Weissert then retired the Athletics in order in the bottom half, striking out two to record his first save of the season.
Boston nearly never made it to extra innings.
Lawrence Butler came within a few feet of ending the game in the ninth, driving a 385-foot double off Aroldis Chapman that stayed in the park. After Donovan Walton advanced Butler to third with a sacrifice bunt, Chapman struck out Jacob Wilson and Jeff McNeil swinging to preserve the 2-2 tie.
“We pitched exceptionally well in some very high-leverage moments today, that was certainly one of them,” interim manager Chad Tracy said.
The Red Sox received an unexpected boost from Sogard, who was recalled Tuesday after Curtis Mead fractured his left wrist.
Sogard learned Tuesday afternoon he was joining Boston from Triple-A Worcester, where the club was playing in Norfolk, Virginia. Flight delays forced him to spend the night in Dallas before he finally arrived in Sacramento around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
A few hours later, the Sacramento native tied the game.
Caleb Durbin opened the sixth with a single and alertly tagged from first to second on Romy Gonzalez’s deep fly ball to right. Sogard followed with a line-drive RBI single to center, knotting the game at 2-2.
Patrick Sandoval kept Boston within striking distance despite allowing a pair of solo home runs.
The left-hander surrendered five hits and two runs over five innings while walking two and striking out seven. He threw a season-high 92 pitches and generated 18 swings and misses.
The Athletics struck first for the fourth consecutive game in the series when Jonah Heim homered to center in the second inning.
Boston answered in the fifth when Jahmai Jones crushed a solo homer to left, his second since being acquired from Detroit on July 14. Jones is now 5-for-13 with two home runs and two doubles against left-handed pitching since joining Boston.
