As for the game, the Red Sox once again failed to beat a good team as the defending world champion Los Angeles Dodgers stomped a mud-hole in the Sox. Emmet Sheehan held the Sox to just 2 runs in 5 innings of work and the Sox had just 2 hits the rest of the game. Meanwhile Brayan Bello (6-5, 3.32 ERA) got lit up for 3 runs before leaving in the sixth inning. The Sox did claw back to make it 3-2 but Sox manager Alex Cora foolishly sent Jorge Alcala to pitch the top of the eighth inning. Teoscar Hernandez launched a two run home run to ice the game. The Sox failed to touch the bullpen and the Sox dropped to 2-5 on this National League stretch by dropping this game 5-2 at Fenway Park.
Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Shohei Ohtani struck out swinging to start. Will Smith lined out to left and Freddie Freeman flied out to center to end the inning. Sheehan got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran walked to start. Alex Bregman moved Duran to second with a grounder to second and Roman Anthony walked. Trevor Story struck out swinging and Masataka Yoshida did the same to end the inning.
Alex Bregman made a great stab to rob Teoscar Henrandez of a base hit in the top of the second but Andy Pages doubled to center. Michael Conferto grounded out to first to move Pages to third and Tommy Edman singled in the hole at short to put the Dodgers up already. Hyeseong Kim struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 1-0 Dodgers.
The Sox failed to respond in the top of the third as Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to center to start. Wilyer Abreu popped up to short and Abraham Toro grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Dodgers iced the game in the top of the third as Miguel Rojas lined out to short to start. Ohtani got a base hit to right and Smith also got a base hit to right. Freeman got a base hit to center to load the bases and Hernandez walked home Ohtani. Pages hit a sac fly to right to score Smith but Freeman was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Dodgers up 3-0.
Somehow the Sox rallied in the bottom of the third as Connor Wong doubled to left to start. Duran got a base hit to right to score Wong and Bregman doubled to left to score Duran. That was it as Anthony lined out to second, Story popped up to second and Yoshida popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.
Conforto grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth before Edman flied out to right. Kim struck out swinging to end the inning. Rafaela struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Abreu whiffed as well. Toro took strike three to end the inning.
Rojas grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth but Ohtani walked. Smith got a base hit to left to move Ohtani to third but Freeman struck out swinging. Hernandez also went down hacking to end the inning. Wong lined out to center to open the bottom of the fifth before Duran flied out to left. Bregman lined out to left to end the inning.
Pages flied out to center to start the top of the sixth and that was it for Bello after 98 pitches. He allowed 3 runs in just 5 1/3 innings but once again got no run support. Chris Murphy came in to pitch and Conforto greeted him with a double to center. A wild pitch moved Conforto to third but Edman grounded out to third. Kim struck out swinging to end the inning.
Anthony Banda came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Anthony grounded out to third to start. Story flied out to center but Yoshida got a base hit to left. Rafaela flied out to center to end the inning.
Rojas grounded back to the mound to start the top of the seventh inning before Ohtani struck out swinging. Smith struck out swinging to end the inning. Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Abreu and struck out swinging. Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Toro and grounded out to second. Edgardo Henriquez came in to pitch to Wong and Connor flied out to left to end the inning.
Freeman got a base hit to center to start the top of the eighth and Sox manager Alex Cora brought in Jorge Alcala to pitch to Hernandez. Bad move.....Hernandez hit a home run all the way to New Jersey to ice the game. Pages got a base hit to right and the Sox pulled off a strike em out, throw em out double play. Edman popped up to second to end the inning with the Dodgers ahead 5-2.
James Outman took over for Herandez with Alex Vesia now on the mound to start the top of the eighth. Duran took strike three, Bregman grounded out to short and Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning.
Kim struck out swinging to start the top of the ninth but Rojas walked. Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch and Ohtani hit one up the elevator shaft. Smith grounded to second to end the inning. Ben Casparius came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Story doubled to left to start. Yoshida grounded out to third and Rafaela flied out to center, but Gonzalez was hit with a pitch to bring the tying run to the plate.
Jackass of the Night should be Alex Cora but its Jorge Alcala. His two run bomb surrendered to Hernandez iced the game.
The Good:
Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.
Romy Gonzalez was hit with a pitch in two at-bats.
Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a run scored.
Brennan Bernardino got the final 2 outs of the ninth inning.
The Bad:
Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.
Abraham Toro was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.
Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 2.
The Ugly:
Alex Bregman was just 1 for 4 with an rbi.
Roman Anthony was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.
Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.
Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.
Brayan Bello took the loss but allowed just 3 runs in 5 1/3 innings off 6 hits and 2 walks.
Chris Murphy was charged with a run in 1 2/3 innings of work.
Final Thoughts:
The talent difference between the National League teams the Red Sox have faced and themselves is appalling. They aren't scoring runs and the starters are getting jumped on early in almost every single game. The pitchers aren't putting the bats in a position to win but the bats have gone silent. The fact they're a team of utility players and downsliding sluggers is catching up to them. Having Gonzalez, Refsnyder and Toro as starters because Rafael Devers is gone, Kristian Campbell fell flat on his face and Triston Casas is out for the season isn't sustainable. This one was also on Cora for putting Jorge Alcala in a high leverage situation when historically that's a bad idea. It was unlikely the Sox were scoring a run in the later innings anyway, but going down by 3 sealed the deal. The Sox are now 2-5 running through this gauntlet and is in danger of falling out of a playoff spot by the time Sunday's game is over. The loss dropped the Sox to 55-50, 7.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow in a monster match of aces. Garrett Crochet (11-4) takes on Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. The game begins at 7:15 PM at Fenway Park.
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