Unlucky seven for Sox
Trend of falling behind early continues
The Red Sox lost their seventh in a row and fell to 6-16 on the season. No other MLB team has more losses than the Sox.
Three takeaways:
Mazza is more of the same
When you only throw three variations of a 91mph fastball and then a slider that generates only one swing-and-miss in nine tries, it’s difficult to be successful in the big leagues.
Mazza followed the path of every other opener and spot starter before him, putting the Red Sox in an early hole that they couldn’t climb out of.
The Yanks scored one in the first, one in the second and two in the third when Mike Ford stroked a high sinker well out of the park for a two-run homer.
It was the 14th homer the Sox have allowed in their seven-game losing streak, and it put them behind 4-1.
“I thought he was OK,” manager Ron Roenicke said of Mazza. “I know they got runs off him but they didn’t hit that many balls hard. He gave up eight hits and two of them were squared up… The numbers look worse than i think he pitched. I thought he threw the ball well.”
The Red Sox continue to use openers and spot starters despite having a thin bullpen that often can’t back them up. Even on this night, when the bullpen was lights out, it mattered not after the early hole.
“Still can’t get the big hit that we need,” Roenicke said. “We didn’t swing the bat that well and when we have some guys we can’t get that big one and bust it open.”
The Sox are now 1-12 in games not started by Nathan Eovaldi or Martin Perez. They’ve tied an MLB record for 11 different starters in the first 22 games of the season. And the ERA of the starters besides Eovaldi and Perez is 10.38 (40 earned runs in 34M innings).
Verdugo might be Sox’ best player
After coming to Boston in the trade for Mookie Betts, Verdugo wasn’t expected to contribute much in 2020 because of a back injury. But the 24year-old got some extra time to heal due to the pandemic, and he’s looked like a star in the making so far this season.
Verdugo made the play of the game on defense in the third inning when he fielded a line drive to his right in left field, stopped, turned and threw to second in one very smooth motion. The throw beat Mike Tauchman easily as he was nailed trying to stretch a single into a double.
Verdugo was a pitcher in high school and prides himself on having a strong arm, but the athleticism of the play was more impressive.
He added two more hits at the plate and it’s worth wondering why he’s batting sixth in a lineup that has Rafael Devers and his .182 average hitting second.“He’s been really good,” Roenicke said. “I like the timing of his hitting now. He’s on time to catch up to the fastball but is staying back enough to hit the off-speed. His play in the outfield was outstanding. The stolen base was executed really well to get him to third base. All that leads us to believe that here’s a guy that can do a lot of things to help you win games.”
Pillar could have trade value
The most consistent player on the Red Sox stayed consistent again on Sunday night.
Pillar pulled his hands in on an inside pitch from J.A. Happ for a long solo home run to left field in the top of the third inning. It was his second homer of the year. He also walked once and is hitting .313.
Signed to a one-year contract for just $4.25 million, Pillar is producing quality at-bats every night. He’s played great defense at multiple outfield spots. He gets on base. He runs well. He even handles the media well.
With the trade deadline two weeks away and the Sox struggling, Pillar might get a chance to escape this disastrous season in Boston.
“I think our energy has been a lot better in the dugout,” Pillar said after the game. “As a group, we got together, we talked about some things. Really just trying to make the best of a kind of a unique situation with the season. I know things aren’t going well. We’ve still got a ton of games left. We’ve got to stop feeling sorry for ourselves.
“This one’s tough . ... In baseball it’s strange -when things aren’t going well, you just seem to not be catching breaks. When you’re playing really well, it seems like the ball is always bouncing in your favor. We’ve just got to go out there, continue to play hard, have fun, and create our luck out there.”