More than one loss
Injuries, fatigue hit Sox in return home
There must have been a black cat somewhere in Fenway Park last night, or maybe one of the Red Sox opened an umbrella indoors.
How else could one explain three pivotal players showing signs of fatigue/ suffering injuries on the same night, with the postseason just over a week away?
Drew Pomeranz, the Sox’ clear No. 2 starter, lasted only two-plus innings, allowing five runs while pitching with lower-thannormal velocity for the second straight game. Eduardo Nunez’ knee injury flared back up, and he exited after a fifth-inning at-bat. And Mookie Betts departed with pain in his left wrist in the eighth.
The AL East leaders hung in there against the lastplace Toronto Blue Jays but still took a 6-4 loss. The second-place New York Yankees, meanwhile, won a day game and are within four games of the Red Sox with six left to play.
The Sox returned home after winning 8-of-9 on a road trip, including series sweeps in Baltimore and Cincinnati for a six-game winning streak.
“I mean, we’re playing fine,” Betts said. “We’ll try to do what we can to get back healthy, just go out there and play.”
Pomeranz began the night looking for his 17th win while just five innings short of matching his career high.
Josh Donaldson homered on an 89-mph fastball in the first inning for a 1-0 Blue Jays lead, and after the Red Sox answered immediately with two runs on a pair of RBI groundouts, Pomeranz gave back four runs in the second — all with two outs.
After a walk to Darwin Barney, Pomeranz gave up back-to-back infield singles, the second of which was a one-hopper that kicked off the first base bag and jumped away from Hanley Ramirez. Teoscar Hernandez then cranked a double off the top off the Green Monster to bring home two runs, and Donaldson lifted a curve to the top of the center field wall for another double and two more runs.
Manager John Farrell said Pomeranz was late getting over to the bag to cover first base on the weird hop to Ramirez, something the pitcher has struggled to do all season. An out would have ended the inning without any damage.
“You’ve got to get over there in the event help is needed,” Farrell said.
Pomeranz (16-6, 3.38 ERA) stayed in the game to open the third inning, but manager John Farrell had seen enough after Jose Bautista led off with a single on an 89-mph fastball.
“I feel fine,” Pomeranz said. “I came out early and was throwing some twoseams a little slower and was trying to get some swings on them. I was missing. They had one big inning and the weird play there, where the ball kind of spun sideways on us, and I probably should’ve gotten over there and been waiting for it at the base. Then I was out of the game.”
Given that he’s averaged 92 mph with his fastball all season and was at just 89.8 last night after an 89.3 in his previous start, fatigue likely is becoming an issue.
Farrell said he’d ideally like to rest Pomeranz for the remainder of the regular season, if the Sox close out the division before his turn comes around again on Saturday, when the AL West champion Houston Astros will be at Fenway.
“I’ve been fine,” Pomeranz said. “My velocity dipped a few times in the last few outings but then I get right back up when I need it so I really didn’t have a chance to get settled in and work some of those higher velocities in there.”
The Sox made it a 5-3 game in the fifth inning when Betts reached for a low-and-away changeup and blooped a single into shallow right field to score Xander Bogaerts. Betts was bent over in pain while standing on first base.
Andrew Benintendi pinch-hit for Betts in the eighth inning and sent a one-out solo homer to center field to cut the deficit to one, but Addison Reed gave up a solo shot to Ryan Goins in the ninth to secure the Red Sox’ fate on a night they’ll want to soon forget.
“This time of the year I don’t know (if) anyone is 100 percent,” Farrell said. “We’ll make do, we’ll make do.”