Red Sox, Jansen blow lead, squander Sale's gem
BOSTON — Kenley Jansen blew a ninth-inning lead for the second straight day when shortstop Kiké Hernández‘s throwing error on a potential game-ending double play allowed Nolan Gorman to score the go-ahead run in a three-run ninth inning, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.
The Red Sox wasted a stellar start by Chris Sale, who pitched eight innings of one-run ball in his longest outing since 2019.
Nolan Arenado had a solo homer for St. Louis a day after collecting four hits with a two-run homer. The Cardinals won Friday’s game with a three-run ninth that was capped by Gorman’s pinch-hit, two-run homer off Jansen.
Rob Refsnyder had a two-run double and three hits, and Rafael Devers added an RBI single for the Red Sox.
“We got a ground ball in the situation when we needed it,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We didn’t turn the double play. It’s one of those when [Jansen] was wild early on, they got traffic and put pressure on us.”
Jansen (1-2) walked Paul Goldschmidt and Willson Contreras, with Contreras reaching when ball four came on a pitch clock violation. After Arenado popped out, pinch hitter Gorman had an RBI double. Brendan Donovan was intentionally walked. Pinch hitter Alec Burleson then hit a fairly slow grounder to second, and Hernández, trying to make the DP turn quickly, bounced the throw past first and into Boston’s dugout, allowing Gorman to score the go-ahead run after Contreras scored the tying run.
“We’re pushing with our words,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said, using his hands to gesture forward when asked what he was thinking as Burleson raced down the line for what would have been a close play.
“It worked out well for us,” Marmol said, smiling.
Andre Pallante (2-0) worked a scoreless inning for the win, and Giovanny Gallegos earned his third save.
“It’s huge, especially against Jansen, great career as a closer, hopefully he’s a Hall of Famer,” Contreras said. “We did our job last night and today not giving up. We played until the last out.”
Mixing a fastball in the 96 mph range with his usual sharp moving slider, Sale held the Cardinals scoreless until Arenado homered over the Green Monster leading off the seventh.
Sale struck out nine, giving up three hits with one walk, throwing 77 of his 110 pitches for strikes.
He finished the seventh by striking out Paul DeJong swinging on a slider down — his third K of the inning — and left to a nice ovation.
But he wasn’t done there.
Sale pitched a perfect eighth and left to a loud ovation, ending his longest outing since he went eight shutout innings against the Los Angeles Angels in Fenway Park on Aug. 8, 2019.
“It was big,” Sale said of the chance to go out for the eighth. “I’ve said before, our job as starters is to take up as much of the game as we can.”
Cardinals starter Steven Matz gave up three runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.
