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The Boston Red Sox Friday, June 16, 2017 * The Boston Globe Chris Sale brought his A game, but Red Sox didn’t bring bats Peter Abraham PHILADELPHIA — Chris Sale had a game he’ll never forget on Thursday night, for reasons good and ultimately bad. The Red Sox pitcher had the first extra-base hit of his career and ran the bases like a giraffe being chased by a lion, his long legs taking him to second base on a double in the eighth inning and then to third. But Sale was left stranded, then he allowed a run in the bottom of the inning as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Red Sox, 1-0. The unlikely victory snapped an eight-game losing streak for the Phillies and was their first shutout of the season. The Sox failed to sweep the four-game, home-and-home interleague series. It was the sixth time the Sox have been blanked, matching all of last season. They managed only five hits, struck out 12 times, and were 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position. The Sox open a three-game series at Houston on Friday night. The 45-22 Astros have the best record in baseball. Sale (8-3) pitched his best game in several weeks. He allowed the one run on four hits and struck out 10 with one walk. It was the ninth time in 14 starts that Sale struck out 10 or more. “Just an outstanding performance all the way around,” Sox manager John Farrell said. “He personally did everything that he could to impact this game.” Sale got through seven innings with 93 pitches and took his turn at bat to start the eighth inning. Facing sidearming reliever Pat Neshek, he slapped an opposite-field double to left field, the first extra-base hit of his career and third overall. “Figured he was going to throw a fastball and swung at it. Didn’t know where it went,” Sale said. “I just started running.” It ended an 0-for-35 streak for Red Sox pitchers dating to April 25, 2016, when Rick Porcello singled at Atlanta. Sale tagged up and went to third on a fly ball to right field by Mookie Betts. But Dustin Pedroia struck out and Xander Bogaerts fouled out to first base. Sale returned to the mound in the bottom of the inning and trouble struck. Andrew Knapp singled with one out and scored on a double into the left-field corner by pinch hitter Ty Kelly, who was facing Sale for the first time in his career. “Hung a breaking ball, he hit a double, scored a run,” Sale said. “It’s tough . Worst pitch of the game.” Phillies closer Hector Neris walked Jackie Bradley Jr. with two outs in the ninth inning. That gave Pablo Sandoval a chance, but he struck out swinging on three pitches. Hanley Ramirez, Josh Rutledge, Christian Vazquez, and Chris Young were available as pinch hitters but Farrell said he did not consider them. “No, not against a righthander. No,” he said. Sandoval is a better hitter lefthanded than righthanded. But he has hit only .224 against righthanders this season. Ramirez has hit .259, Rutledge .258, Vazquez .333, and Young .273. The Sox may be committed to giving Sandoval every chance they can to prove himself before deciding on whether to move on. “Sometimes you have to give guys an opportunity before you just jump to the conclusions right away,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said before the game. “We’ll continue to monitor his situation. It’s up to him to do well and we’ll see what takes place.” Sandoval is hitting .208 with a .621 OPS through 29 games. Until the eighth inning, the Phillies advanced only one runner beyond first base. Sale was so focused that he kept throwing strikes when a fire alarm was going off in the park during the bottom of the fifth inning. As a siren blared and strobe lights flashed, Sale struck out Daniel Nava. It was a false alarm. “Just another noise going on in the stadium,” Sale said. “Once you get locked in, those things kind of drown themselves out. That was interesting.” Philadelphia rookie Nick Pivetta, a 24-year-old righthander, matched zeros with Sale. He went seven innings, allowing four singles with two walks. He struck out nine in what was only his seventh major league start. “He had good stuff. Good fastball, kept the ball down,” Farrell said. The Sox missed on several chances to score. Mitch Moreland, back in the lineup after missing Wednesday’s game with a sore left big toe, singled to center leading off the second inning. Andrew Benintendi then drew a walk. Bradley struck out on three pitches, as did Sandoval. Sandy Leon drew a walk on four pitches to load the bases. Sale fouled off two 95-mile-per-hour fastballs before hitting another sharply up the middle. Second baseman Howie Kendrick saved two runs with a diving stop and quick throw to first to get Sale by a step. Sale, who is one of the fastest players on the team, looked back in dismay as he crossed the bag. Pivetta retired eight in a row before Leon singled in the fifth inning. He then advanced on a wild pitch. Sale struck out, but Betts singled to left field. Third base coach Brian Butterfield waved Leon to the plate, testing the arm of Nava. But his throw was accurate and Leon was out. Eduardo Rodriguez ‘feels ecstatic’ after bullpen session Peter Abraham PHILADELPHIA — The Red Sox added another starting pitcher to the disabled list on Thursday. But they could get one back more quickly than was initially expected. Lefthander Brian Johnson went on the 10-day DL with inflammation in his shoulder. Johnson left his start on Wednesday night in the third inning after feeling some pain. He is 2-0 with a 4.29 earned run average in four starts. “I think this is something minor,” Johnson said before returning to Boston, where he has an exam scheduled for Friday. With Johnson out, righthander Hector Velazquez will start on Monday in Kansas City. He pitched 3⅓ innings of scoreless relief of Johnson on Wednesday, getting his first major league win. Velazquez may not hold that spot long. Eduardo Rodriguez threw 33 pitches in the bullpen and had no pain in his right knee. Rodriguez’s kneecap dislocated on June 1 and he went on the DL the next day. “That was way ahead of what we had anticipated,” manager John Farrell said. “He feels ecstatic about being able to complete what would be a normal bullpen.” Rodriguez still needs to get through some agility and fielding work this weekend before being cleared for a game. The Sox would want him to pitch in a minor league game first. “It would be important for his own peace of mind,” Farrell said. Righthanded reliever Austin Maddox was promoted from Triple A Pawtucket. It was his first time in the majors. Maddox, 26, opened the season with Double A Portland and has split time between there and Triple A Pawtucket. Over 18 games and 27 innings this season, he has a 1.33 earned run average. The Sox took Maddox in the third round of the 2012 draft out of the University of Florida. Johnson, who also played for the Gators, was a supplemental first-round choice that season. “I went into spring training with one goal, to show them I could pitch in the big leagues,” Maddox said. To make room for Maddox on the 40-man roster, the Sox shifted lefthander Roenis Elias to the 60-day disabled list. He has been out all season with an intercostal muscle strain. Since spring training, the Sox have placed 15 players on the DL, nine of them pitchers. Lefthander Robbie Ross Jr. has been on twice. There are seven pitchers currently on the DL. Thornburg surgery It was an announcement that seemed inevitable: righthanded reliever Tyler Thornburg is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Thornburg was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome and will have surgery on Friday at the Barnes- Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Dr. Robert Thompson, who is with the Center for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome at the Washington University School of Medicine, will perform the surgery. Thornburg is anticipated to be ready for the 2018 season. Thoracic outlet syndrome compresses nerves near the collarbone, which leads to shoulder pain. It typically involves removing a rib, although president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said that wouldn’t be determined until the surgery is performed. Dombrowski said Thornburg should be major league-ready in nine months, essentially the start of next season. Whether Thornburg can return to form is uncertain. Matt Harvey of the Mets had the surgery last summer and has so far pitched poorly this season. The same is true of Phil Hughes of the Twins. Josh Beckett returned from the surgery and pitched well for the Dodgers. Jaime Garcia of the Cardinals also succeeded following his surgery. The Red Sox traded four players to Milwaukee to obtain Thornburg in December. He appeared in two spring training games before being shut down for what was attributed to weakness in his shoulder. Thornburg was then put on the disabled list with what the team said was an impingement in his shoulder. He has been limited to playing catch since. Thornburg saw a specialist in Boston, Dr. Dean Donahue, three weeks ago. Botox injections, which relieve the pain for some patients, were tried but did not solve the issue.

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