WASHINGTON — Chris Sale didn’t last the fifth inning in his second start back from a shoulder injury, and the Boston Red Sox took another hit to their playoff hopes, falling to the last-place Nationals 10-7 on Thursday night. Washington.
Luis Urias hit a grand slam in the top of the seventh as Boston tried to overcome an eight-run deficit. Robert Garcia’s two-out single went over the fence in left-center field.
It was the first career grand slam for Urias, acquired from Seattle at the trade deadline. Two batters later, Rafael Devers hit a two-run, 453-foot homer to pull the Red Sox within 9-7.
But Kyle Finnegan recorded his 19th save in 26 chances.
Sale (5-3) was expected to throw at least 75 pitches, but walked the eighth and ninth batters in the fifth inning and was ruled out for a game after retiring Lane Thomas on a flyout on his 65th pitch.
Josh Winkowski took the mound and scored a tiebreaking two runs on Joey Meneses. The Nationals scored five times in the inning.
For the Red Sox, Dominicans Rafael Devers had a run at 5-1, and two others, Pablo Reyes at 4-1. Mexico’s Alex Verdugo was 1-1, Urias was 3-2 with one run and four RBIs.
For the Nationals, Mexican Menezes went 5-2 with two runs scored and five RBI. Venezuela’s Guibert Ruiz went 3-3 and Iltemaro Vargas made it 4-0.
