Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a bevy of roster moves. Brandon Brennan was released by the Worcester Red Sox because Eduard Bazardo has been activated from the Injured List and sent to Worcester. Brad Peacock and Stephen Gonsalves were also sent down to Worcester as Austin Davis was returned from paternity leave and Hiro Sawamura was removed from the Covid List.
As for the game, this was a bad loss for the Boston Red Sox. The Seattle Mariners are breathing down their neck for the wild card spot and the Sox dropped a big game to the M's. Eduardo Rodriguez and Logan Gilbert battled to 2-2 tie after 5 innings with Jose Iglesias driving in both runs. Then in the bottom of the seventh, Mitch Haniger hit a three run bomb off Ryan Brasier (0-1, 4.15 ERA) to put the Mariners on top. Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers hit back to back home runs in the top of the eighth but couldn't complete the come back. The Mariners took this crucial game 5-4 at T-Mobile Park.
Gilbert got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez grounded out to first to start. Kyle Schwarber and Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. The Mariners struck first in the bottom of the first as JP Crawford doubled down the left field line to start. Mitch Haniger got a base hit to left to move Crawford to third, and JP scored on the ground ball double play by Ty France. Kyle Seager grounded out to short to end the inning with the Mariners up 1-0.
Rafael Devers struck out swinging to start the top of the second before JD Martinez walked. Alex Verdugo lined out to center and Hunter Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning. The Mariners struck again in the bottom of the second as Abraham Toro walked to start. Luis Torrens singled to right but Renfroe booted the ball for an error to put runners at the corners. Tom Murphy beat out a double play ball to score Toro and Jarred Kelenic took strike three. Dylan Moore struck out swinging to end the inning with the Mariners up 2-0.
Murphy drives in a run
The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Christian Vazquez popped up to short to start. Jose Iglesias smashed a home run to cut the lead in half but Hernandez flied out to left. Schwarber struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.
Home run Iglesias
Crawford struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third but Haniger got a base hit to left. France flied out to left and Seager struck out swinging to end the inning.
Bogaerts lined out to center to begin the top of the fourth before Devers struck out swinging. Martinez also went down hacking to end the inning. Toro took strike three to begin the bottom of the fourth before Torrens struck out swinging. Murphy popped up to short to end the inning.
The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth as Verdugo got a base hit to right to start. Renfroe struck out swinging but Vazquez got a base hit to center. Iglesias blooped a base hit to right to score Verdugo to tie the game. Hernandez flied out to center to move Vazquez to third but Schwarber flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.
Bogaerts doubled to center to start the top of the sixth but Devers popped up to short. Bogaerts moved to third on a fly out to center by Martinez but Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning. Seager grounded out to first to start the bottom of the sixth before Toro flied out to center. Torrens grounded out to short to end the inning. That was it for Rodriguez who fired 6 strong innings while allowing just two runs on six hits and a walk.
Diego Castillo came in to pitch the top of the seventh as Renfroe struck out swinging to start. Vazquez grounded out to first and Iglesias struck out swinging to end the inning. Ryan Brasier came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the seventh as Murphy flied out to center to start. Kelenic flied out to left and Jake Bauers pinch hit for Moore. Bauers hit a routine grounder to Schwarber....booted for an error. The inning continued and Crawford got a base hit to left. Naturally Haniger hit a home run all the way to Oregon to put the Mariners up for good. France singled to right to chase the ineffective Brasier. Austin Davis struck out Seager swinging to end the inning with the Mariners up 5-2.
Haniger puts Seattle ahead
The Sox did fight back in the top of the eighth with Paul Sewald on the mound. Hernandez struck out swinging and Schwarber took strike three, but Bogaerts hit his 21st home run of the season to cut the lead. Devers then belted his 34th home run of the year for back to back jacks. Martinez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 5-4.
Bogaerts cuts the lead
Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Toro singled to right to start. Torrens flied out to right and Murphy walked. That was it for Ort as Josh Taylor came in to pitch. Kelenic struck out swinging and Bauers flied out to center to end the inning.
Drew Steckenrider came in to close out the top of the ninth and Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Renfroe earned the golden sombrero by taking strike three and Vazquez flied out to center to end the game. The Mariners had won it 5-4.
Mariners win
"Yeah you're out, Jackass, now beat it!"
Eduardo Rodriguez pitched well allowing just 1 earned run (2 total) in 6 innings while allowing 6 hits and one walk. He also struck out six.
Austin Davis struck out the only man he faced.
Jackass of The Night is Ryan Brasier. He allowed the backbreaking 3 run home run in the seventh.
The Good:
Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a home run.
Jose Iglesias was 2 for 3 with a home run and 2 total rbis.
Eduardo Rodriguez pitched well allowing just 1 earned run (2 total) in 6 innings while allowing 6 hits and one walk. He also struck out six.
Austin Davis struck out the only man he faced.
Kaleb Ort got the first out of the eighth inning.
Josh Taylor got the final two outs of the eighth inning.
The Bad:
Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Kyle Schwarber was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts and an error.
Hunter Renfroe earned the golden sombrero by going 0 for 4 with 4 strikeouts and made an error.
The Ugly:
Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a home run.
JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.
Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.
Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4.
Final Thoughts:
The error by Schwarber might have been the difference in the game but Brasier still allowed a three run bomb two batters later. Renfroe and Schwarber were a combined 0 for 8 with 7 strikeouts and two errors, possibly their worst games of their careers. The good news is its only one game and there's quite a few to go. Rodriguez pitched well but the bats didn't do enough in this one. Brasier imploding didn't help and he was supposed to be the secret weapon with Hansel Robles and Davis to spell the battered A-Team. Mitch Haniger was a one man wrecking crew in this game and hopefully the Sox can shut him down in the next one. Its sad the Sox collapsed this hard since the end of June but you could see it coming after Sox manager Alex Cora rode the bullpen into the ground. The less said of this game, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 81-65, 9 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East and one game behind the Blue Jays for the wild card. If the season ended today, the Sox would be out. Luckily there are sixteen games left and the Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night against the Mariners. Nathan Eovaldi goes for the Sox against Tyler Anderson of Seattle. The game begins at 10:10 PM at T-Mobile Park.
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