Rob Refsnyder hit a game-winning single with two outs in the 10th inning after pinch-hitter Enmanuel Valdez’s leadoff double tied the game. This gave the Boston Red Sox a 5-4 victory over the struggling Texas Rangers on Monday night, ending their four-game losing streak.
The Red Sox had just been swept by Houston over the weekend, being outscored 23-10 in the series.
Corey Seager hit a two-run homer to tie the game for Texas (55-64), which has now lost nine of its last 12 games and is a season-low nine games under .500.
Before the game, Boston suspended outfielder Jarren Duran for two games without pay after he used a homophobic slur at a fan who was heckling him during the loss to Houston on Sunday.
With the automatic runner Romy Gonzalez on second base, Valdez hit a ball to the edge of the right-center field gap off Gerson Garabito (0-1). The ball just got past Leody Taveras and bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double.
Nick Sogard followed with a single to center, and pinch-hitter Mickey Gasper drew a walk in his major league debut against Walter Pennington, loading the bases. After a force out at home on Masataka Yoshida’s grounder, Refsnyder hit a 2-0 pitch to win the game.
“Gave up the double, now you’ve got your work cut out,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “We got two outs there, had a chance to get out of it.”
Texas closer Kirby Yates had struck out Refsnyder with the bases loaded to end the eighth inning.
“It was a bummer in the eighth — I was facing Kirby and didn’t come through,” Refsnyder said. “It was nice to get another opportunity right there. I was pretty disappointed I didn’t come through there for the team.”
Josh Winckowski (3-1) pitched a hitless inning to earn the win.
Valdez was asked if he thought his drive might be caught.
“Yeah maybe, because it was a high fly ball, but luckily enough the ball bounced and we were able to tie the game,” he said through a translator.
Josh Smith’s grounder to shortstop drove in the automatic runner Marcus Semien from third base in the top of the 10th.
