'Nobody is quitting': Sox pound out 23(!!) hits in loss to O's

BOSTON -- The Red Sox had a hit parade to celebrate, but they also had one to bemoan, if that makes sense.

The best part of a wild Saturday at Fenway Park was a breakout performance by Boston’s No. 17 prospect Wilyer Abreu, who went 5-for-5 with three RBIs in a positively zany 13-12 loss to the Orioles.

“It feels good, individually, to be able to have a five-hit game in such a short period of time [in my career],” Abreu said. “That is obviously something positive, but at the same time, I feel disappointed that we weren’t able to win the game tonight.”

Given that the Sox smashed 23 hits, it seemed almost inconceivable that they could lose.

But they did, marking the first time in history the club had that many knocks in a nine-inning game and lost.

“We kept playing,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “That’s the most important thing. Those kids kept putting together good at-bats and grinding at-bats and gave us a chance with one swing to win that game. Love the effort. Love the at-bats. Not enough, obviously.”

It is no secret that run prevention has been the downfall of the 2023 Red Sox, and that was never more glaring than Saturday, a day Boston’s losing streak stretched to four games.

“Obviously, we haven’t played good defense throughout the season, the pitching has been on and off, and it’s tough,” Cora said. “Just have to keep grinding. Nobody is quitting here. It’s good to see the guys trying so hard and picking each other up. It was fun to watch that part. “

Down 13-9 entering the bottom of ninth, the Sox kept coming. Fittingly, it was Abreu who had the final hit and RBI of the day, belting a two-out RBI single to left that made it a one-run game.

Trevor Story was held at third by third-base coach Carlos Febles, which wasn’t surprising, given Fenway’s shallow dimensions in left field.

“That’s a tough one. Everybody wanted him to go, but it was right there. Play catch with the catcher, and they’ve got an out,” Cora said.

Up stepped Enmanuel Valdez, who came to the Red Sox along with Abreu last August in the trade with the Astros for Christian Vázquez. With Fenway buzzing with anticipation, Valdez flied out to left to end the classic Fenway slugfest.

There’s no question that losing pitcher Chris Sale felt worse than anyone about the defeat that pushed the Sox seven games behind the Blue Jays for the third American League Wild Card spot with 20 games left.

Staked to a 2-0 lead when Justin Turner golfed a two-run homer in the first, Sale (4 IP, 6 H, 6 ER) allowed an unearned run in the second, four runs in the third and two more in the fourth, pinning his team in a 7-2 deficit.

Sale has a 5.53 ERA in six starts since he returned from a stress reaction in his left shoulder.

“Just kind of fell apart,” Sale said. “Command started getting kind of all over the place. Stuff wasn’t there, either. They took advantage of it.”

With each sluggish start, Sale sounds increasingly frustrated.

“You see flashes of it, and then it kind of disappears for a little bit,” he said. “Pitch to pitch, inning to inning, you know it’s in there. It's just, you're kind of scrounging around the bottom of a barrel trying to find it. It’s tough. We were a starting pitcher away from winning this game. We scored 12 runs. What is going on? It’s just frustrating. Very disappointing.”

On the other end of the pendulum, there was Abreu putting on a show. He got help from Rafael Devers, who went 4-for-6. Masataka Yoshida and Trevor Story each had three-hit games.

The 24-year-old Abreu’s combination of a sweet swing and solid plate discipline is what stands out.

“Since Spring Training, we knew Abreu was able to hit the ball, and we knew that he was going to be able to hit well here in the big leagues, and he’s showing it to everybody,” Devers said.

What could have been a highly memorable victory instead turned into a loss that left one of the most prideful members of the team seething.

“We can dissect this any which way. I'm just not getting it done,” Sale said. “I’ve gotta find a way to find a way. I'm supposed to be something on this team, and I’m not.”