TORONTO — Instant reactions to the Red Sox (64-55) losing their fourth game in a row, this time by a 5-3 score to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre:
1) For the third time in as many days, Boston lost a close game. This one was a two-run defeat after back-to-back one-run losses. It featured some questionable handling of the pitching staff by interim manager Chad Tracy and another poor performance with runners in scoring position: an 0-for-7 with nine men stranded.
The Red Sox have lost four in a row for the first time since June 14-18. They’ve lost five in a row just once all year, on the opening road trip to Cincinnati and Houston. They’ll try to avoid another streak that long Wednesday night.
2) It seemed like Patrick Sandoval stayed in the game a little too long. He threw more than five innings for the first time in a Red Sox uniform and paid the price when the Jays scored the go-ahead run off him in the sixth.
Sandoval was more efficient than All-Star opponent Dylan Cease but labored late and allowed a ton of traffic (eight hits and three walks). In the sixth, he walked George Springer and allowed a single to Alejandro Kirk before Ernie Clement drove in the decisive run on a fielder’s choice. He stranded two to end the inning without further trouble.
All the while, the Red Sox had no one warming for Sandoval, who threw 84 pitches and allowed four runs (though two were unearned).
3)Adley Rutschman’s Red Sox debut was rather uneventful, but he still reached base three times, on a single and two walks. He made the final out while representing the tying run in the ninth.
Rutschman struck out swinging in the first inning, then notched his first Red Sox hit in the form of a softly hit infield single up the middle in the third. He walked in the fifth and seventh innings, then grounded out to end the game.
Toronto didn’t test Rutschman’s strong throwing arm. He was 1-for-2 on ABS challenges.
4) Tracy made another interesting managerial decision late. Down a run, he seemed to be chasing a run when he let Tyron Guerrero pitch the seventh. After Boston didn’t score in the eighth, he went to call-up Seth Martinez — who has a 5.55 ERA in Triple-A this year — over Garrett Whitlock.
Martinez was not able to keep the deficit at one. He allowed a leadoff single, then plunked Andrés Giménez with two outs before Myles Straw smoked an RBI double that made it 5-3.
5) The first three losses of this streak have included chances to tie or win the game late. This time was no different in terms of drama.
In the eighth, Jarren Duran worked a one-out walk against Braydon Fisher but was gunned down trying to steal second in a one-run game.
The ninth — with Spencer Miles pitching instead of unavailable All-Star Louis Varland — was interesting, too. Masataka Yoshida laced a one-out double, then after Giménez made a fantastic diving snag on a Ceddanne Rafaela grounder, it was all set up for Rutschman to be the hero.
Instead, Miles got Rutschman to ground out to third rather softly.
6) The bottom of the fifth inning featured both ends of the defensive spectrum for Boston. With no outs, Caleb Durbin had a good chance to turn his third double play of the night but booted a Myles Straw grounder — and that led to two unearned runs off Sandoval that tied the game. Wilyer Abreu then made a standout play to end the inning when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lined a shot down the right field line and Abreu nabbed Guerrero at second while everyone was seeing if Brett Bateman was going to try to score all the way from first.
Durbin had a night to forget despite the two early double plays. He went 0-for-4 and struck out twice against Cease.
7) Less than three weeks after tallying just one hit against Cease in nine innings at Fenway, the Red Sox had much more success against him on the road. Boston kept the line moving enough to force Cease out after five innings, as he was at 103 pitches.
Abreu (solo shot in the fourth) and Rafaela (solo shot in the fifth) delivered the big swings off Cease, who allowed three runs on five hits and walked four batters. He struck out seven before his early exit and took home a no-decision.
8) Rafaela tied a career high with his 16th homer of the season, a dead-center shot on the first pitch of the fifth inning. It went 411 feet.
Rafaela hit 16 homers in 2024 and 15 last year. He has plenty of time to set a new high mark.
Abreu is now one home run short of tying his career high, which he set last year. Abreu led off the fourth inning with a solo shot off Cease for his 21st of the year — and the sixth in his last 11 games.
Abreu should clear 25 homers on the year and has an outside shot at 30 if he gets hot. Notably, he’s just two back of Willson Contreras (23) for the team lead.
9) A night after scoring one of the most unusual runs you could ever imagine on a Rafaela sacrifice fly, the Sox opened the scoring with a run on a normal, uneventful Rafaela sacrifice fly. Andruw Monasterio walked and Nick Sogard singled to set the table for Rafaela to send a fly ball into center field and make it 1-0.
There was no 15-minute umpire review this time.
10) Contreras simply doesn’t look right out there. After flying out in his first plate appearance, Contreras was seen grabbing at his hamstring, though he stayed in the game.
The numbers have been so good all year that it’s tough to nitpick Contreras’ offense at all at this point. But it’s also notable he has just one home run in an 18-game stretch dating back to July 20.
Contreras was 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
11) Wednesday night’s matchup will feature two pitchers who made the American League All-Star team this year. The Red Sox will start Ranger Suarez (4-3, 3.32 ERA) while the Jays will send newly acquired righty José Soriano (9-6, 3.24 ERA) to the mound. The game is at 7:07 p.m. ET.
More Red Sox coverage- How Adley Rutschman did in his Red Sox debut Tuesday
- Adley Rutschman hitting third in Red Sox debut Tuesday: ‘It’ll be a lift for the boys’
- Red Sox DFA veteran catcher after a week; Adley Rutschman activated from IL
- Roman Anthony ‘getting closer’ to Red Sox rehab assignment as he takes big step toward return
- Alex Cora reveals ‘three feelings’ since Red Sox firing, touches on managerial future in podcast
Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Leave a Comment