A faltering approach
Sox offense no match for rookie in loss to Angels
Parker Bridwell may not be a household name around New England but the Red Sox knew him well enough from their video work to know they had to attack the Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher early in the counts yesterday.
When their approach at the plate wasn’t working, the Sox tried to get more aggressive on the basepaths. Nothing worked. The Red Sox managed just two runs on seven hits against Bridwell through 62⁄ innings and then were shut out by two relievers in dropping the rubber game of their three-game set, 4-2, yesterday at Fenway Park.
In their last 10 games, the Sox are 4-6 and have lost consecutive games for the first time since June 7-8 against the New York Yankees. The Sox and Yankees remain tied for first place in the American League East.
Bridwell (2-0) didn’t walk anyone and struck out four.
“I thought we were aggressive all day, which I think I liked,” Andrew Benintendi said. “We were going up there looking for our pitches and for the most part we got them. It just didn’t go our way I guess. But that’s what we try to do is just be aggressive and put pressure on the other team.”
Mitch Moreland homered off Bridwell leading off the second and Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a leadoff homer in the fifth. The Sox’s other five hits against Bridwell were singles. Their approach helped Bridwell get two outs deep into the seventh having thrown just 75 pitches before he was replaced by reliever Blake Parker.
The Sox’ legs were as much to blame as their bats. In the fourth inning, Benintendi was thrown out by Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun trying to stretch a single into a double with one out.
“I put my head down to touch the base and had to re-find the ball,” Benintendi said. “I saw (center fielder Cameron) Maybin playing more toward left-center and I wasn’t really sure where Calhoun was, but either way I felt that it was going to be a bang-bang play and it had to be a perfect throw. He made a good throw.”
Despite the result, Sox manager John Farrell liked Benintendi’s aggressiveness. The manager got aggressive in the fifth with the Sox within one run at 3-2, calling for a hit-and-run with light-hitting Deven Marrero at the plate and the plodding Christian Vazquez on first. Marrero swung threw a firstpitch breaking ball and Vazquez was thrown out by a lot.
“Just trying to get some action,” Farrell said.
The Sox’ ineptitude wasted a solid debut by 33-year-old righthanded starter Doug Fister, who was claimed on waivers from the Angels on Friday. In his 200th major league start, Fister limited the Angels to three runs on seven hits in six-plus innings.
Los Angeles scored all of its runs in the second after an out call on a potential inning-ending double play was overturned by video review. A run scored on what turned into a fielder’s choice ground ball by Danny Espinosa, and then Kaleb Cowart doubled home a run and Juan Graterol made it 3-0 with his RBI single.
“I like how quickly he works,” Bradley said about his new teammate, who will get another start. “He gets the ball, fires it in. He was very efficient (yesterday). I think that was a great first game for him.”
It would have been a better game with a little more offense, but after Parker struck out pinchhitter Sam Travis with a runner on first to end the seventh, Yusmeiro Petit shut out the Sox on one hit in the last two innings.