Boston Herald

SOX DROP WILD ONE TO TWINS

‘Ace’ chief culprit in ugly defeat

- By JASON MASTRODONA­TO Twitter: @JMastrodon­ato

Point to any of the mistakes the Red Sox made last night in their 11-9 loss to the Twins in a windy game at Fenway Park, where there was a surplus of defensive misplays and mislocated pitches on both sides.

Clay Buchholz might want another chance at a curveball that caught too much of the plate, Heath Hembree was demoted to Triple-A Pawtucket after his disastrous relief appearance and Michael Martinez, playing for the injured Mookie Betts, looked lost in right field.

Take out the red pen and mark up everybody who cost the Red Sox a win.

Just don’t forget the starting pitcher because the Red Sox aren’t supposed to be losing games when they score nine runs with David Price on the mound.

“It’s been terrible,” Price said when asked about what has become the worst season of his career. “No fun. It’s awful.”

Price allowed 11 hits for the second straight start since the AllStar break. He’s now allowed 143 hits on the season, more than any other pitcher in the majors. And for the third time this season, the Red Sox lost a game in which they gave at least seven runs of support to their No. 1 starter.

“We have the capability to score a lot of runs in bunches,” he said. “That’s what they’ve done for me all year long, and I just haven’t been able to capitalize on it.”

It would’ve helped to get some better defense. The wind was blowing so hard at Fenway that at one point in the first inning time was called as gusts of dirt formed clouds around the batter’s box. The elements did no favors to Martinez, who lost a long fly ball off the bat of Robbie Grossman in the first inning and let it drop for a triple. Grossman scored to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.

“It was crazy out there,” Martinez said. “Up in the sky, I don’t know what was going on. There was like some sort of a twister up there.”

When the Red Sox plated a run in the bottom of the first, Price gave that run back, plus two more, in the Twins’ threerun second.

In the bottom of the inning, the Red Sox scored five, including three on a homer by Hanley Ramirez. They were up 7-5 when Price departed with two outs in the sixth.

Buchholz looked strong in Price’s relief, striking out Eduardo Nunez before another mistake by Martinez and a dropped fly ball by Brock Holt led to the Twins’ five-run seventh inning.

“Buch did a great job,” Price said. “It shouldn’t have happened the way it happened in the seventh inning.”

The finger of blame could have been pointed in all angles in this disastrous loss to the lastplace Twins, but Price set the tone with another disappoint­ing performanc­e in what has become a maddening season for the $30 million lefty. His ERA now stands at 4.51. “I’m still confident in myself,” he said. “I’d go out there and pitch tomorrow if they’d let me. My confidence is not altered. I don’t listen to the outside noise. I know my teammates and the coaching staff have a lot of confidence in me. I haven’t really given them reason to have a lot of confidence in me this year.

“I just have to pitch better.”

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 ?? STAFF PHOTO BY NICOLAUS CZARNECKI ?? LEFT LACKING: David Price looks a bit befuddled during a mound conference last night at Fenway Park. The expected ace couldn’t get through the sixth inning, giving up 11 hits as the Red Sox lost again to AL-worst Minnesota, 11-9.
STAFF PHOTO BY NICOLAUS CZARNECKI LEFT LACKING: David Price looks a bit befuddled during a mound conference last night at Fenway Park. The expected ace couldn’t get through the sixth inning, giving up 11 hits as the Red Sox lost again to AL-worst Minnesota, 11-9.

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