BOSTON — The opportunities are dwindling for the Red Sox, and the completion of a three-game sweep of the White Sox was one they badly wanted to cash in on.
But they couldn’t finish the job on Sunday afternoon.
Instead, the 33-111 White Sox snapped a tie with a five-run rally against Zack Kelly in the top of the ninth and defeated Boston, 7-2, to salvage the finale of a three-game series at Fenway Park.
“We had a chance, right? And it was a tie game in the ninth, so we just didn’t finish that inning,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora.
The Twins were swept in Kansas City this weekend, so the Red Sox remained four games behind Minnesota in the race for the third American League Wild Card spot.
Though Cora’s club has lost six of eight, seven of 10 and 13 of 20, it is determined to stay in range of the Twins, who come to Fenway for a three-game series from Sept. 20-22.
While Boston’s starting pitching has rebounded nicely, the offense, bullpen and defense continue to be trouble spots.
With the Orioles coming to town for a three-game series that starts Monday followed by a four-game series in New York against the Yankees, the execution of the Red Sox is going to need to improve in short order.
“We’ve got Baltimore and the Yankees, so we’ve just got to be ready to play,” Cora said. “We’ve got to play better.”
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