The Red Sox had an opportunity to avoid a series sweep on Sunday afternoon. Instead, they watched another late lead disappear.
Boston carried a one-run advantage into the sixth inning but could not hold it, falling 6-5 to the Twins in rainy conditions at Fenway Park. The loss completed a three-game sweep and dropped the Red Sox to 22-30 on the season, eight games below .500.
Things won’t get any easier from here.
After an off day Monday, Boston will welcome the Braves, owners of the best record in baseball, to Fenway Park before heading on the road to face the first-place Guardians.
The turning point of the game came in the sixth inning.
Protecting a 4-3 lead, interim manager Chad Tracy turned to Tyron Guerrero before calling on Garrett Whitlock in relief. The two combined to allow three runs, turning a one-run advantage into a deficit Boston never fully recovered from.
Guerrero recorded two strikeouts but allowed a pair of singles, including a two-out hit by No. 9 hitter Ryan Kreidler that extended the inning.
Tracy then summoned Whitlock for his earliest appearance of the season.
The right-hander immediately surrendered a game-tying RBI double to Austin Martin before Brooks Lee followed with a two-run single that gave Minnesota a 6-4 lead.
Lee’s hit likely should have scored only one run, but Carlos Narváez was unable to secure Jarren Duran’s throw home as Martin crossed the plate.
Sonny Gray endured his roughest outing since returning from the injured list.
The veteran recorded two quick outs in the first inning before Minnesota forced him to labor through a 29-pitch frame. Kody Clemens delivered an RBI single to put the Twins ahead 1-0, and a throwing error by Wilyer Abreu allowed runners to advance into scoring position.
Gray escaped further damage and settled in afterward.
The Twins added two more runs in the third inning after Lee doubled and Trevor Larnach singled home a run before a series of infield hits loaded the bases with nobody out.
One of those ground balls ricocheted off Gray’s cleat, but the right-hander remained in the game after briefly being checked by trainers.
The inning could have been much worse.
Making his first major league start at shortstop, Marcelo Mayer started a critical double play that allowed Gray to limit the damage. Only one run scored on the sequence, and Gray retired the next hitter to escape the inning.
Gray finished with three runs allowed on six hits over four innings while walking two, hitting one batter, and striking out four.
Boston responded immediately after falling behind.
Masataka Yoshida tied the game in the second inning with his first home run of the season, sending a drive into the empty right-field seats just hours after addressing questions about his future with the organization.
Asked before the game whether he would welcome a trade that could provide everyday playing time, Yoshida gave a measured response.
“It’s part of the game, right? If it happens, it happens,” Yoshida said through translator Yutaro Yamaguchi.
The Red Sox grabbed their first lead in the fourth.
Willson Contreras launched a two-run homer after Abreu doubled to begin the inning. Yoshida followed with a double of his own and later scored on Mayer’s two-out RBI single down the right-field line, giving Boston a 4-3 advantage.
Boston had chances late but couldn’t deliver the decisive hit.
After coming up empty with runners at second and third and one out in the eighth inning, the Red Sox mounted one final threat in the ninth.
Nick Sogard opened the inning with a triple, and Narváez drew a walk to put runners on the corners with nobody out.
Mayer had an opportunity to add another memorable moment to his first start at shortstop, but struck out swinging.
Moments later, Isiah Kiner-Falefa appeared to have delivered a dramatic walk-off hit. Off the bat, the ball looked destined for the seats, but instead slammed off the Green Monster for a long single.
Connor Wong was thrown out at the plate on the play, killing Boston’s momentum.
It seems that Wong wasn’t on his
