Red Sox lose to Twins after critical sixth inning, chaotic ninth

In the sixth inning of a 6-5 loss Sunday afternoon, the Red Sox’ twin realities of experimentation and desperation merged in a game-swinging sequence.

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To open the frame, interim manager Chad Tracy tasked Tyron Guerrero with protecting a one-run lead against the Twins. It was his second major league appearance of the decade. The Sox don’t know if the 35-year-old is any good, but they like that he throws 100 miles per hour, so they want to find out, including in this high-leverage spot. Guerrero retired two of four batters.

With the top of the Minnesota lineup due up, Tracy turned to Garrett Whitlock. He typically handles the eighth inning. This was the earliest he had entered a game since July. Maybe, though, he could record four outs against the Twins’ best batters to get the ball to his late-inning compadres.

It didn’t work. Austin Martin lined a tying double to left field, and Brooks Lee followed with a tiebreaking, two-run single also to left. On the latter play, Jarren Duran’s throw was in plenty of time to cut down the second run, Martin, but catcher Carlos Narváez dropped the ball.

Playing through a steady rain for more than three hours, the Red Sox had a shot at a comeback in a chaotic bottom of the ninth.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s double off the Green Monster brought in a run to close the gap to one, but the second runner, Connor Wong, was thrown out at the plate. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out on the first pitch thrown by Travis Adams, who had just entered, for the final out.

The loss completed the sweep for the Twins, who took five of six in the season series.

The Sox are 22-30, a season-worst-matching eight games below .500. And they are 8-17 at Fenway Park, the worst home record in the majors. Whatever momentum they built in Kansas City last week dissipated over the weekend.

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This time, Tracy was doing what he could with the bullpen built before he got the job a month ago. Sonny Gray slogged through only four soggy innings, leaving 15 outs to figure out. Lefthander Danny Coulombe, the only reliever signed to a major league contract ($1 million) before the season, handled a scoreless fifth in his return from the injured list.

Gray allowed three runs, six hits, and two walks.

Twins righthander Bailey Ober was more efficient but not exactly more effective, giving up four runs and seven hits in five innings (plus one batter in the sixth).

Minnesota put together a two-out rally in the first, aided by Gray hitting Trevor Larnach with a pitch and walking Josh Bell. Kody Clemens singled to right to plate Larnach, who scored easily when right fielder Wilyer Abreu’s throw sailed to the backstop.

After Masataka Yoshida’s solo home run knotted the score in the bottom of the second, Gray gave it right back in the top of the third.

Brooks Lee’s inning-opening double was the first of four consecutive hits, two of which didn’t leave the infield. Larnach’s single brought in the first run, Victor Caratini’s double play the second.

In the fourth, Willson Contreras crushed a tying two-run home run to left and Marcelo Mayer put the Sox ahead for the first and only time with an RBI single ripped down the right-field line.

Contreras had an opportunity to tie it again, with two on and one out in the eighth. But he struck out.

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