BOSTON -- The Red Sox had a major issue with the umpiring over the weekend at Fenway Park. That was all the rage after Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Washington Nationals. So much so that Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine called for a league review, following the game.
And more specifically, they two of those bad calls came in the ninth inning, both when they were in the field and at the plate.
It factored into the outcome on Sunday, but the Red Sox still didn't execute when they had their chances in the final inning.
Even after Alfredo Aceves didn't get a strike-three call to end the top of the ninth inning with Bryce Harper on first and two outs, he still had a chance to make another pitch.
But his 2-2 fastball was ripped to right field by lefty Roger Bernadina, and with a poor cutoff throw by Ryan Sweeney to Adrian Gonzalez, Harper was able to score from first to give the Nationals a 4-3 lead.
Still, the Red Sox thought Aceves' 1-2 inside fastball should have ended the inning.
"Later on in the game, I think Aceves made a great pitch at 1-2 that, from what I understand and what I saw, was a strike," said Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
Boston Red Sox
"It was a fastball, set up away, and he caught it on the inside corner. From what I saw, that was a pretty good pitch."
Aceves agreed and said that the umpire could have called that a strike. Still he missed his spot on the next pitch, and Bernadina made him pay.
The Red Sox also had their chances in the bottom of the ninth against Tyler Clippard, after a pinch-hitting Kevin Youkilis drew a one-out walk. But both Scott Podsednik and Dustin Pedroia struck out to end the game.
During Pedroia's at-bat, a 1-1 fastball was outside, but was called for strike two, and with Pedroia visibly upset, Valentine had some words and received his second ejection of the season.
"The game is simple," said Valentine. "Throw it over the plate, call it a strike. Don't throw it over the plate, call it a ball. It's simple. That's all anybody asks."
Pedroia fouled the next pitch off, and then swung and missed on a changeup for strike three, completing Washington's sweep.
The Red Sox felt they didn't get the calls on Sunday, especially in the ninth inning. But even after those calls, the Red Sox couldn't make the Nationals pay, like the Nationals made the Red Sox pay.