As if issues weren’t already going dangerous sufficient for the Red Sox, certainly one of their former gamers got here again to Fenway Park and continued to pile on.
On Friday, Hunter Renfroe — traded from the Red Sox to the Brewers in December — returned to Boston for the primary time for the reason that deal and gave loads of hugs as he caught up with outdated pals and former teammates.
On Saturday, he and his new group poured salt of their wounds.
Renfroe helped ship his former group into an additional spiral because the commerce deadline approaches. The proper fielder hit a two-run homer — paying homage to a number of blasts he hit final season in a Boston uniform — and his Brewers handed the Red Sox a 9-4 loss and one other sequence defeat.
Saturday was par for the course for the Red Sox in July, a month during which dangerous information and dangerous losses have grow to be the norm. It began after they realized Trevor Story would miss much more time along with his hand harm, and ended with one other lopsided defeat.
Two video games left to go earlier than the commerce deadline, and the Sox are two video games beneath .500.
After a torrid June that despatched them to the highest of the wild card standings, the Red Sox have backtracked with a horrendous July, punctuated with one other sequence loss clinched on Saturday. The Red Sox went winless in eight July sequence, and maintain a 7-19 report within the month with one left on Sunday.
They confirmed some coronary heart after falling behind 5-1 with a three-run rally within the seventh, however the bullpen couldn’t maintain it shut they usually got here up brief. Renfroe’s homer was a difference-maker.
Renfroe was a fixture of the Red Sox’ lineup final season, when he hit 31 residence runs, however he was surprisingly dealt simply minutes earlier than the lockout in December, when Chaim Bloom despatched him to Milwaukee and introduced again Jackie Bradley Jr. and a pair of prospects in a transfer to improve Boston’s outfield protection.
It’s onerous to say if both group gained the commerce — Bradley has improved the Red Sox’ protection, and Boston went out and changed Renfroe’s right-handed bat with Trevor Story, who has produced effectively even supposing he’s at present out injured for important time. But on Saturday, Renfroe gained the day.
Nick Pivetta wasn’t sharp on Saturday, however regardless of permitting loads of visitors, he acquired out of a number of jams and the Red Sox trailed simply 2-1 when Renfroe got here as much as the plate within the fifth with a runner on and two outs. But with two outs, Renfroe made his former teammate pay for a foul mistake. Pivetta left a curveball hanging over the plate that Renfroe smoked to the Monster seats for a two-run homer, his 18th blast of the season.
Pivetta knew it proper off the bat, and it put a bitter finish to his last begin of July, which has been a forgettable month for the right-hander, who completed it with a 9.38 ERA in 5 begins.
Still, the Red Sox discovered themselves with an opportunity as they tried to mount a late comeback. They trailed 5-1 within the seventh when Jaylin Davis, Jarren Duran, Christian Vazuqez and Xander Bogaerts every recorded singles to make it a two-run sport. J.D. Martinez adopted with a sac fly to make the deficit one. The rally had a very good probability to be prolonged when Alex Verdugo hit a two-out laser down the primary final analysis, however Rowdy Tellez made a formidable seize to finish the inning.
Verdugo, who’s typically been snakebitten on the plate this season, stood on the plate for a second, seemingly in a state of disbelief.
The Brewers added one other run in opposition to Jake Diekman within the eighth earlier than Christian Arroyo recorded his third hit in his return, a one-out liner to 3rd {that a} diving Luis Urias almost caught however couldn’t management on his fall. But the rally by no means acquired going as Davis and pinch hitter Franchy Cordero every struck out.
It acquired away within the ninth, when Ryan Brasier and Hirokazu Sawamura mixed to surrender three runs and put one other loss on ice.
Source: www.bostonherald.com