Extra efforts not enough in 10-inning defeat
SEATTLE — Julio Rodriguez hit a walkoff single in the 10th inning to lift the Mariners to a 4-3 win over the Red Sox Saturday night after Boston had taken a 3-1 lead in the top of the inning.
The Red Sox offense had another tough test with Logan Gilbert on the hill for the Mariners. Gilbert set the tone with his fastball, picking the Sox apart with his four-seamer, which averaged around 95 miles per hour. He surrendered just one hit through four innings, a Ceddanne Rafaela single down the right-field line in the second. Of the 14 batters Gilbert faced in that span, he retired 12.
The Sox, however, trailed just 1-0 with Kutter Crawford on the mound, and only getting stronger as his outing continued.
Rafaela got the fifth inning started when he slashed a line drive down the left-field line for a double. Rafaela advanced to third on an Enmanuel Valdez fly to left, and with the infield drawn in, scored on a Pablo Reyes grounder to tie the contest.
The Red Sox infield hadn’t committed an error entering the game. But with Reyes at third base in place of Rafael Devers, JP Crawford put down a bunt to the left side to start the bottom of the first inning. Reyes fielded the ball coming in, and should have held onto it. Instead, he desaid livered an erratic throw on the run that got past Triston Casas at first, allowing Crawford to reach second.
Yet Crawford found his groove, leaning on his sweeper and cutter in an effort to take away the aggressiveness of the Mariners — who are a fastballhitting team.
It worked.
Crawford went six innings, allowing one unearned run, striking out seven, yielding three hits, and walking just one on 84 pitches.
Nick Pivetta also pitched six innings Friday, marking the Red Sox’ second consecutive game with a starter reaching that total. Last season, the team didn’t achieve this feat until May 2-3. Bello patient on pitch
Brayan Bello’s start Thursday against the Mariners came with some anxiety, he admitted. It was his first Opening Day start, so nerves were understandable for the 24-year-old who is the face of the Red Sox rotation.
But Bello pitched a good game in the Sox’ 6-4 victory. Bello yielded two runs on five hits across five innings, utilizing his sinker, slider, and changeup.
The one pitch the righthander didn’t use, however, was his four-seam fastball. Yet, of course, there’s a reason.
“I didn’t focus on throwing that pitch the other night,” Bello through translator Carlos Villoria Benitez. “I feel like every time I’ve thrown that pitch, it’s getting hit. It’s not a pitch that I’m going to stop throwing. We’re just going to pick and choose when to throw it.”
Teams hit .310 with a .646 slugging percentage against Bello’s four-seamer last year, the highest mark of all his pitches. Despite throwing his four-seamer the least, his eight homers allowed on that pitch were tied for the most out of his arsenal.
Bello went into last offseason focused on improving that pitch’s location. The club doesn’t envision that pitch being as dominant as his other stuff, but many of Bello’s pitches move east and west. If he could get a fastball that could raise hitters’ eye level, that would amplify the rest of his arsenal. Clearly, though, that pitch isn’t where it needs to be.
“He didn’t throw it a lot in spring training,” said manager Alex Cora. “That’s something that everybody knows the damage that was done on the fourseamer last year. Obviously, there are certain hitters where we will use it. As far as game planning it didn’t make sense using it [on Thursday]. It’s one of those, we’re trying to maximize our repertoire. He did an outstanding job using his other pitches and it was good.”
Throwing a fastball up in the zone isn’t easy, particularly for Bello, whose success derives from living down in the zone.
For now, Bello will live with what has got him here. The fourseamer will have to wait.
“I think as of right now, I’m not focused on throwing it a lot,” said Bello.
Abreu’s timing off
Throughout spring training, Cora noted that Wilyer Abreu
would see most of the reps in right field. Yet after a poor camp that included 26 strikeouts in 77 plate appearances, the Sox elected to go with Tyler O’Neill in right field for the first two games of the season.
“I think the reason why I struck out so much in spring training was because my timing was off,” Abreu said through Benitez. “I think it was because my timing fell off. I wasn’t on time with the pitches.”
Abreu, who got his first start in right, is known for his plate discipline and zone awareness — though he went for 0 for 4 with three K’s Saturday. He’s been prone to the strikeout during his minor league career, but made up for it with his overall hitting ability. Yet the majors are different. Abreu said he’s noticed that, for the most part, you only see one pitch an at-bat to do damage with and you can’t miss it.
“I need to be more in control of my at-bats,” said Abreu. “I need to be ready to hit pitchers’ mistakes.”