'One of those days' comes at wrong time for Sox

WASHINGTON -- This road series in the nation’s capital was supposed to be a soft landing spot for the Red Sox as they started a grueling stretch of 16 games in 16 days that includes a three-game series at Yankee Stadium, four games at Houston, three home games against the Dodgers and another three against the Astros at Fenway Park.

Instead, it was an annoying pothole, particularly on Thursday afternoon’s getaway day, as Washington took a huge lead, then staved off a furious comeback to take the rubber match, 10-7, at Nationals Park.

Losing two out of three against the Nats (55-67) wasn’t what the Sox (63-58) had in mind given where they are in the American League Wild Card standings.

A missed opportunity?

“They all are,” manager Alex Cora said. “We lost the series, so we have to be ready for the Yankees.”

The Red Sox head for their latest rivalry weekend in New York trailing the Blue Jays by 3 1/2 games for the third AL Wild Card spot. The Mariners, the other team the Sox are chasing, are just a half-game behind Toronto.

With head-to-head record determining tiebreakers in the standings, the Red Sox do have the edge on the Jays, having already clinched the season series. Boston and Seattle finished 3-3. In a two-way tie between those clubs, the next tiebreaker is intradivisional record. At this point, the Mariners hold that edge.

If the Sox, Jays and Mariners finish in a three-way tie, then the team with the best combined winning percentage against the two other clubs would get that final Wild Card spot. Boston has already clinched that tiebreaker.

But for those tiebreakers to matter, the Sox need to play better baseball than their 7-8 record so far in August.

Prior to the finale against the Nats, Cora was asked how the team balances the dog days of August versus this critical upcoming stretch against tough opponents.

“Very easy,” Cora said. “If you want to play in October, you better show up every day.”

The good news for the Red Sox is that the offense showed up for the second half of the finale in Washington. This, after a stretch of 20 innings that started with the middle of Tuesday’s game and ended in the sixth inning on Thursday in which they mustered just three runs.

Trailing by eight runs, Luis Urías belted a grand slam with one out in the seventh. Later in the inning, Rafael Devers hit a titanic, two-run shot that traveled a Statcast-projected 453 feet and it was 9-7.

After the Nats got an insurance run in the eighth, the Sox again threatened to move in front when pinch-hitters Alex Verdugo (single) and Jarren Duran (double) opened that final frame with hits.

When Devers came to the plate representing the potential tying run, it felt like something magical could happen for the Sox, who last overcame an eight-run deficit to win a game in 1967. However, Devers struck out.

Then it was Trevor Story’s turn. His 0-for-12 series against the Nats was capped when he hit a 96.8 mph bullet that had an expected batting average of .640 right into the glove of second baseman Michael Chavis to end the game.

“One of those days, kind of,” Story said. “Got some action there in the ninth and it was definitely my best swing of the day. Just bad aim."

Early in the game, Chris Sale was not nearly as sharp in his second start back from the injured list as he was in the first. But when he walked off the mound with runners at the corners and one out in the fifth, the game was still tied at 1.

Not for long. Normally trusty reliever Josh Winckowski, who had a 1.56 ERA in his previous 14 outings, allowed both runners he inherited from Sale to score, plus another three in a five-run frame that put the Sox in a big hole.

Despite the late-game fight from the offense, it wasn’t enough.

“I think if we play the way that we want to play and the way we can, then we'll be where we want to be when the playoffs come,” Story said.

Sale echoed his teammate.

“As long as we’ve got a chance, I like where we're at,” Sale said. “This team responds well when we’ve got our backs against the wall. We're not gonna give up.”