Boston Red Sox reliever breaks down blown save, loss; ‘Super frustrating’

TORONTO — For a second straight game, one of Boston’s top relief pitchers blew a late-inning lead.

Justin Slaten surrendered the go-ahead three-run home run to slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the eighth inning Thursday. The Red Sox lost 4-2 to the Blue Jays here at Rogers Centre.

Slaten was charged with a blown save and the loss. It happened one day after Garrett Whitlock — another top, reliable reliever — gave up a game-tying three-run homer to Anthony Santander in the seventh inning of Boston’s 7-6 loss.

Slaten got ahead of Guerrero 0-2 in the count. He began the at-bat with a cutter, then threw four-straight fastballs. He threw another cutter before going to a curveball on the seventh pitch of the at-bat. It was below the strike zone and Guerrero smashed it 404 feet to left field with a 111.8 mph exit velocity.

“It’s a situation where you’ve thrown a ton of fastballs and really good hitters, they don’t let you beat them with the same pitch multiple times in an at-bat,” Slaten said. “We had thrown everything at the top of the zone. Narvy (catcher Carlos Narváez) called it. I thought it was an absolute amazing pitch call and I just didn’t execute it. You’ve got to get that pitch down and not in a place where he can handle it. Just didn’t happen.”

Slaten entered the eighth inning having allowed no hits and no walks in eight of his 12 outings. He hadn’t allowed a hit in nine of those 12 outings. But he gave up three hits.

He allowed a single to Nathan Lukes after getting ahead 0-2 in the count. He allowed a double to Bo Bichette — a hit right fielder Wilyer Abreu said he should have caught — after getting ahead 1-2 in the count.

“Super frustrating,” Slaten said. “It’s back-to-back nights where I feel like my stuff has been as good as it’s been in my life. And I just didn’t execute with two strikes. It’s what it comes down to. Can’t leave a slider in the middle of the plate to a good hitter like Bichette. He did exactly what he should have done to that pitch. And then, the one to Vladdy, we’re trying to throw a curveball below the zone in the dirt. I leave it a little bit too high and again, really good hitter, makes a really good swing.

“So super frustrating, especially in games like that where it’s super close. Every pitch matters and you do your job getting ahead and just let it get away from me.”

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