Phillies - 300 000 000 - 3 7 0 Red Sox - 002 000 000 - 2 6 0The Red Sox were unable to match their longest winning streak of the season with a victory on Tuesday night. After winning five straight, Boston saw its bats go cold, unable to come back from an early three-run deficit. The Red Sox had a runner on second base and no one out three times in the final five innings – and came up empty each time.
Brian Johnson (3.2-6-3-2-4, 67) stumbled immediately out of the gate. He walked Rhys Hoskins to begin the evening and, after getting J.T. Realmuto on a popup to second, was hit for back-to-back doubles by Bryce Harper and Jean Segura. Corey Dickerson grounded out, but Scott Kingery singled in a third run. Johnson gave up another single before getting the third out.
After the first inning, the Phillies managed only three hits and no runs. Unfortunately, the Red Sox's hitters performed little better against Aaron Nola (7-4-2-1-7, 104) and three relievers. Boston scored two runs in the third on Mitch Moreland's leadoff single and Jackie Bradley's one-out home run (#15). After that, there was a whole lot of nothing going on.
The Red Sox went in order in the fourth, with Nola striking out two. Christian Vázquez doubled to start the fifth, but Moreland fanned, Brock Holt grounded to second, and Bradley grounded to first.
Mookie Betts started the sixth with a single to left, and stole second base. But the best of the Boston lineup failed to even advance him. Rafael Devers struck out, Xander Bogaerts flied to left, and J.D. Martinez grounded to third.
Nola struck out two batters in a perfect seventh. Bradley singled to center with one out in the eighth, but, facing Mike Morin, Betts struck out swinging and Devers lined to center.
Hector Neris started the bottom of the ninth and he made Bogaerts look bad on an outside splitter. Catcher Andrew Knapp called for that pitch again on 1-2, but Neris shook him off, twice. Bogaerts smoked Neris's fastball to the warning track in left-center for a double. Bogaerts stumbled a bit on his way to second and came into the bag with a slight limp.
What Bogaerts did next was dumb, and if he tweaked something on the double, then his actions were downright moronic. Martinez grounded to shortstop. The ball had been hit to his right, but Bogaerts took off for third anyway ("a curious decision", wrote Ian Browne, trying to be as kind as possible). Segura easily threw him out.
Andrew Benintendi lined an 0-2 pitch slightly to the left of shortstop Segura, who had shifted over to the second baseman's usual spot. Segura gloved the ball and his throw to first nipped pinch-runner Chris Owings for a game-ending double play.
Tuesday's outcome hurt, because the Rays lost to the Mariners and the Mets beat Cleveland.
AL Wild Card: CLE/TBR –, OAK 1.0, BOS 6.0.
Betts, RFRafael Devers is the first player with 100+ RBI and 100+ runs in a season—before turning 23 years old—since Miguel Cabrera in 2005. The only other Red Sox player to accomplish the feat is Ted Williams (1939 & 1940). Devers is also the fourth-youngest player to reach 100 RBI faster than anyone else in a season, trailing only Joe DiMaggio (1937), Johnny Bench (1970), and Jose Canseco (1986).
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Benintendi, LF
Vázquez, C
Moreland, 1B
Holt, 2B
Bradley, CF
On Sunday, the Red Sox trailed 6-0 and won 13-7. It was the first game in which the Red Sox were behind by six or more runs and ended up winning by six or more runs since September 11, 2007, when they trailed the Rays 8-1 and won 16-10.
In their last 10 games, 59 of Boston's 112 hits (52.7%) have gone for extra bases: 53 singles, 34 doubles, 5 triples, 20 home runs. The Red Sox have at least one extra-base hit in each of their
last 141 games, the fifth-longest streak since 1900. They trail the 2004-05 Red Sox (164 games), 1999-2000 Reds (161), 1995-96 Clevelands (161), and 2000-01 Reds (151).
There are only three American League players batting .300+, with a .900+ OPS and 25+ home runs, and they bat 2-3-4 in the Red Sox's lineup (Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez). (Note: Mike Trout is batting .298.)
The Red Sox have five qualifying players with a .360+ OBP: Mookie Betts .390, Martinez .384, Bogaerts .384, Devers .380, and Andrew Benintendi .361. No other team has more than three.
Long story short, the hitting is not the problem.
AL Wild Card: CLE/TBR –, OAK 1.0, BOS 6.0.
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