It was a tight game for the Red Sox in San Diego on Saturday night. The Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres played a crucial late-season game. The Red Sox were up 3-2 going into the bottom of the fifth. That’s when the bottom fell out for their $38.5 million man, Lucas Giolito. The veteran righty suffered a breakdown, walking in four consecutive batters, which in turn forced in two runs. The meltdown single-handedly gave the Padres a 4-3 lead.
In a tight game, the Red Sox managed to battle back against San Diego’s elite bullpen. In the top of the ninth, down to their final outs, rookie phenom Roman Anthony went to bat. The young star blew the game wide open by hitting a game-tying double against All-Star closer Robert Suarez. However, Boston’s hopes were dashed in extra innings. Ramón Laureano handed the Padres a walk-off single in the tenth, cinching a 5-4 victory and leaving the Sox with a devastating loss.
After the game, attention turned to Anthony. The rookie had delivered a signature moment, bailing out his veteran teammate’s tough outing. But when asked about the team’s play, he put the focus back on the group, not any man of the game. “Yeah, I mean that was a tough one, tough loss, but, you know, we’re going to move on and have a chance to win the series tomorrow and uh we’re going to continue to fight and continue to do everything we can to, you know, try and win games.”
Roman Anthony speaks following the loss
“That was a tough one, tough loss… we’re gonna continue to fight… we know that we’re always in it.” pic.twitter.com/rvb8NU2mTW
— NESN (@NESN) August 10, 2025
When asked about his huge game-turning play, which tied it up, Anthony again downplayed his personal achievement. He was frustrated with how it ended, which didn’t leave much to celebrate his great play. “Yeah, it’s a good feeling. Um, obviously just sucks that we lost, but um, you know, in the moment, it’s it’s nice to come through there, but um, you know, unfortunately, we didn’t win.”
Although Anthony played it cool, there were plenty of other twists and turns throughout that played out in the end.
Beyond the Headlines: A Game of Crucial Moments
We saw the long-term absence of Padres pitcher Michael King finally come to an end. After being sidelined since May 18 due to a nerve issue, King is finally back on the mound. He had lasted just two-plus innings on Sunday, charged with four hits and two runs. “Release point was off a little bit on some pitches, but had to make those adjustments,” King said postgame. Fortunately, his fellow teammates ultimately managed to scrap and secure the win without him.
The Red Sox had plenty of costly errors that ended up being the difference in their one-run defeat as well. The speedy David Hamilton was on first with one out in the eighth inning when he was ruled safe on a steal attempt. The Padres challenged, and the replay showed that his hand slipped off the bag for a split second. Hamilton bunted three times in the 10th, but failed each time. “We got to get it down first,” manager Alex Cora said. “Get it down and advance the runner. That’s the job there.”
Image: MLB.com
Despite that loss, Boston’s offense put up a good fight. Alex Bregman had a great night at the plate, going 3-for-4 and drawing a walk. Former Red Sox star Xander Bogaerts haunted his old team, hitting a home run and an RBI single for the Padres. San Diego’s bullpen was the difference, combining for 14 strikeouts. “He’s just a good player,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said of Ramón Laureano. “A tough player… a winning guy.”
Their single-game winning streak against the Padres in an away series came to an end with a bitter defeat after extra innings. The Red Sox have a commendable standing of 65 wins and 53 losses this season with a strong grip on an American League Wild Card position. This victory also meant a lot for the Padres, who are now 65-52 as they continue to chase the NL West Division title along with a Wild Card position.
So the question is, how will Boston recover after this tough loss?
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