BOSTON _ Fenway Park has never been kind to the Marlins.
They lost a game here in 2003 _ the year they would end up winning their second World Series _ in which they somehow gave up 10 runs before managing to record a single out, and Johnny Damon singled, doubled and tripled in just the first inning.
It wasn't nearly so one-sided on Tuesday. But it was almost as painful.
After wiping out a 4-1 deficit by scoring five runs in the eighth, the last-place Marlins watched their improbable comeback against the majors' best team go up in flames when the Red Sox answered with three runs in their half of the inning, then score another in the ninth on JT Riddle's throwing error for an 8-7 victory.
It was reliever Tayron Guerrero who came undone, allowing four hits and uncorking a wild pitch that scored a run as the Red Sox ended their three-game losing streak. After the Marlins tied it in the ninth, the Red Sox scored the winning run on what would have been an inning-ending double play. But Riddle's throw to first was wild, allowing the winning run to score.
The Marlins are now 6-15 all-time in Boston and this season have gone winless in their three interleague meetings against the Red Sox, who own the best record in the majors despite having just come off a series sweep to Florida's other team, the Tampa Bay Rays.
Jose Urena, who returned from a six-game suspension and was pitching for the first time since a complete-game win over the Nationals nine days earlier, took the loss and fell to 4-13. Urena gave up four runs over six innings.
The Marlins were trailing 4-1 in the eighth, with their only run coming on Isaac Galloway's solo homer in the third, when the Marlins struck for five runs in the eighth, with J.T. Realmuto and Starlin Castro connecting on back-to-back homers and Rafael Ortega putting the Marlins on top with a two-run bloop single with two outs.
But when Guerrero took over in the eighth, it all fell apart. After the Red Sox loaded the bases with one out, Guerrero nearly got out of the jam when he struck out Blake Swihart. But Bradley lined a two-out single on Guerrero's full-count pitch to tie the score before taking the lead on a wild pitch.
Even after all that, the Marlins managed to tie it in the ninth on Magneuris Sierra's RBI single off Craig Kimbrel.
But after fielding Eduardo Nunez's ground ball and stepping on second for one out, Riddle skipped his throw past four, allowing the winning run to score.
