Time and time again, Boston Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel has proven that is unreliable in non-save situations, a far cry from his normally dominant self when a victory is in the line.
Craig Kimbrel hammered in final inning
On the night where he received the nod to the American League All-Star squad, Kimbrel's woes in non-save outings continued, as he allowed four runs on three hits and a walk as the Texas Rangers lead ballooned to 7-2 as they secured their first win in four games.
The four earned runs were the most allowed in a single outing in Kimbrel's career, with his ERA in non-save situations bloating to a harrowing 6.75 and his season ERA increasing from 2.53 to 3.66.
Red Sox waste solid start by David Price
The porous showing by Kimbrel contributed in the wasting of a terrific outing by left-hander David Price (L, 8-6). The much-maligned 30-year-old overcame a troublesome first inning to strike out 10 batters while allowing just three runs on eight hits in eight innings of work. The performance mark Price's eighth of eight strikeouts or more, tied for the most such outings in the AL, while his six double-digit strikeout games are the most ever by a left-hander in the Red Sox first 83 games of a season.
Price was not assisted by the Boston offense. The Red Sox fared just 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position while stranding a runner in scoring position in each of the first seven innings. The team stranded 13 runners in total, unable to plate more than two runners.
The poor output came despite first baseman Hanley Ramirez reaching base on four separate occasions with two hits and two walks and right fielder Mookie Betts garnering his league-leading 37th multi-hit game.
The Rangers, who never trailed in the contest, jumped all over Price in the first inning as right fielder Shin Soo-Choo hammered the first pitch of the ballgame to deep center field for his seventh home run of the season. Then, second baseman Ian Desmond singled and proceeded to score on an RBI sacrifice fly by shortstop Elvis Andrus to increase the Rangers lead to 2-0.
The Red Sox sliced the lead in half in the bottom of the second off of Texas starter A.J. Griffin (four innings, seven hits, three walks, two runs, and three strikeouts), however, as center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. laced a solo home run, his 14th of the season, to lead off the stanza.
Boston proceeded to knot the game in the bottom of the fourth, as left fielder Brock Holt led off the inning with a double and came around to score on a bases-loaded RBI walk by shortstop Xander Bogaerts. However, the Rangers recorded the go-ahead run off of Price in the sixth inning. With one out, Andrus singled, coming around to score on a subsequent RBI double by second baseman Rougned Odor.
Texas stranded Boston runners on second base in both the sixth and seventh innings, leading to their outburst on Kimbrel in the ninth. After Andrus walked and advanced to third on an Odor single, he came around to score on an RBI single by first baseman Jurickson Profar. Then, .215-hitting catcher Robinson Chirinos hammered a three-run shot on top of the Green Monster, sending Kimbrel to the bullpen in a sorrowful state.