Before Sunday’s recreation the Red Sox welcomed a whole lot of children from throughout New England onto the sphere at Fenway Park for a parade across the warning monitor.
Then, within the hours that adopted, these children received to observe because the Red Sox delivered what might solely be described as a Little League efficiency.
Over a stretch the place the Red Sox have steadily shot themselves within the foot on protection, the membership outdid itself with an embarrassing exhibiting in a 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
The lowlight got here on what began as a easy hit-and-run single within the high of the sixth, which shortly devolved right into a full-fledged catastrophe. The sluggish chopper by Yandy Diaz bounced by way of the infield to Alex Verdugo in proper, who nonchalantly returned it into the infield with out realizing that Manuel Margot had already gone from first to 3rd and was charging dwelling.
By the time Enmanuel Valdez made the relay dwelling it was already too late, so catcher Connor Wong tried to salvage the play by making an attempt to throw out Diaz at second. His throw sailed into the outfield, and by the point the Red Sox tracked down the ball Diaz was already celebrating at dwelling plate.
“I’ve seen that play too many times the last two years,” Red Sox supervisor Alex Cora mentioned. “You have to throw the ball to the right base, you have to back up, you cannot become a spectator, you’ve got places to go in every play in baseball. They had a great baseball play, took off, ground ball to second and that happened. It’s not good baseball, bottom line.”
If that play had been the lone hiccup in an in any other case clear recreation it might have been one factor, however the truth that it was the third main gaffe in a matter of innings made issues that rather more confounding.
The first miscue got here within the high of the third, when Jarren Duran threw dwelling on a Josh Lowe sacrifice fly regardless of having no likelihood of throwing out the speedy Yandy Diaz. That allowed Lowe to advance into scoring place, however fortuitously Tanner Houck was in a position to get out of the inning with out additional incident.
The Red Sox weren’t so lucky within the fourth. Houck allowed a leadoff single, a stroll after which the Rays loaded the bases when Wong fielded a chopper and threw to 3rd making an attempt to nail the lead runner, however Justin Turner was late getting again to the bag. Margot then laced an RBI single to left, and a second run scored when Masataka Yoshida bobbled the ball and was sluggish getting it again in.
Cora lamented afterwards that these psychological lapses maintain taking place greater than a 3rd of the way in which by way of the season, however he additionally took duty and vowed to right them.
“In the end it’s on me. I’m the manager of this club, and we’ve been sloppy,” Cora mentioned. “It’s not about pointing fingers, the roster is the roster and we’ve got to play higher baseball, however I’m the supervisor of this crew and defensively we’re not good. We’re not.
“We’ll keep working, we’re going to show up early, we’re going to talk about the plays and we’re going to coach the players until we get it right,” Cora continued. “When? I don’t know. If it’s tomorrow it’s 59 games too late, but we’ve just got to keep going, keep going, keep going until we do it.”
Verdugo mentioned afterwards that he received a late leap on the hit-and-run fiasco as a result of he didn’t get an excellent learn of the ball off the bat, and that he and Jarren Duran each subsequently received caught out of place when the ball got here again into the outfield. He mentioned Margot coming round to attain from first was on him, and in addition that whereas it’s nice for Cora and the coaches to take duty, it’s in the end on the gamers to do their job and make the performs on the sphere.
“At the end of the day we are the players, we are the ones who have to go out there and make the play and get it done,” Verdugo mentioned. “We can talk about it all we want but we’ve got to be better.”
Houck and the remainder of the pitching employees didn’t do themselves any favors both, combining to stroll 5 batters, 4 of whom would ultimately come round to attain. Houck allowed 4 runs over 5 innings, permitting 5 hits, 4 walks with six strikeouts, and Corey Kluber allowed two extra over two innings earlier than Kaleb Ort posted two good innings in his first massive league outing since April 25.
Offensively, Verdugo loved certainly one of his finest video games of the season, ripping three leadoff extra-base hits on his option to a 3 for five exhibiting. He had two doubles and a triple, all of which led off the inning, and scored each of Boston’s runs, the primary on a Masataka Yoshida RBI single within the third and the second on a Rafael Devers sacrifice fly within the fifth.
Yoshida additionally completed 2 for 4 with three hard-hit balls, however the Red Sox couldn’t capitalize on sufficient probabilities and now discover themselves 30-29 on the season and 11 video games behind a Rays crew that they’re solely 1-6 in opposition to on the season thus far.
“The difference between them and us right now? Base running, defense and throwing strikes,” Cora mentioned. “That was the game today.”
Boston will look to salvage a collection break up in Monday’s make-up of Friday’s rainout. Brayan Bello (3-3, 3.89 ERA) will get the ball in opposition to Tampa Bay ace Shane McClanahan (8-1, 2.07) with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
Source: www.bostonherald.com