Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move everyone saw coming. Rich Hill was placed on the Injured List with a sprained knee, joining other injured starters Garrett Whitlock and Nathan Eovaldi. That leaves just Nick Pivetta and Michael Wacha as the only opening day starters left heading into the three week death march through the AL East. The rumor is the Sox are going to start 23 year old rookie Brayan Bello at some point down the line. As it is, Phillips Valdez was called up from Worcester to take Hill's spot. God help us/
As for the game, another unmitigated disaster for the Red Sox. Two batters into the game, Chicago Cubs starter Alec Mills left with an injury forcing the 31-46 Cubs bullpen to get the next 26 outs. In one of the most humiliating losses this season, the Cubs bullpen held the incompetent Sox to just 4 hits and a run the rest of the game. The game was over in the second inning when Rafael Devers and Josh Winckowski made back to back errors which led to Chicago taking a 2-0 lead. The Sox rallied in the top of the sixth but all Devers could do was hit into a double play to score a run. After Tanner Houck gave up a run in the bottom of the eighth, the Sox did get the tying runs on in the top of the ninth...but Alex Verdugo lined out to Rafael Ortega to end it. The Sox knocked the starter out 2 batters in and the Chicago bullpen combined to win the game 3-1 at Wrigley Field.
Mills got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran struck out swinging at a pitch over his head to start. Rafael Devers smashed a double to center and Mills suddenly keeled over grabbing his quad. He had to leave the game and Mark Leiter Jr was pressed into emergency action. Naturally the Sox did nothing as JD Martinez struck out swinging and Xander Bogaerts lined out to right to end the inning.
Winckowski got the ball in the bottom of the first and Rafael Ortega flied out to center to start. Wilson Contreras grounded out to second and Ian Happ struck out swinging to end the inning.
Alex Verdugo ripped a base hit to right to start the top of the second but Trevor Story struck out swinging. Franchy Cordero forced Verdugo at second then immediately got thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. Things went south real quick in the bottom of the second as Patrick Wisdom hit a routine grounder to Devers who threw the ball into the Cubs bullpen for an error. Nick Hoerner dropped down a bunt and Winckowski threw that ball away too for another error to score Wisdom, putting the Cubs up for good. Hoerner moved to third on the Yan Gomes grounder to first and scored on the sac fly by Narciso Crook to center to ice the game. Alfonso Rivas struck out swinging to end the inning with the game all but over, 2-0 Cubs.
Kevin Plawecki grounded out to third to start the top of the third before Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging. Duran flied out to left to end the inning. Christopher Morel got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the third before Ortega drew a full count walk. Contreras banged into a double play and Happ took strike three to end the inning.
Devers struck out swinging to begin the top of the fourth before Martinez grounded out to short. Bogaerts lined out to left to end the inning. Wisdom struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the fourth but Hoerner singled past the diving Winckowski. Gomes forced Hoerner at second and Crook struck out swinging to end the inning.
Verdugo grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth but Story struck out swinging. Cordero walked but Plawecki grounded out to short to end the inning. Cordero bobbled a routine grounder by Rivas for a "single" to start the bottom of the fifth but Morel popped up the bunt to Winckowski. Ortega lined out to right and Contreras forced Rivas at second to end the inning.
The Sox got lucky in the top of the sixth as JBJ somehow got a double to center to start. Duran ripped a base hit to center to put runners at the corners but all Devers could do was hit into a double play to score JBJ. That was it for Leiter who held the Sox to just a single run in emergency relief and Mychal Givens came in to pitch. Martinez flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox back in it down 2-1.
Winckowski came back for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth as Happ singled off the glove of Cordero to start. Wisdom took strike three, Hoerner flied out to left and Gomes grounded out to third to end the inning. That was it for Winckowski who'd be working on a shutout if he and Devers could throw the ball accurately to first. As it was he allowed 6 hits and 1 earned run while striking out 6 batters.
The Sox did nothing in the top of the seventh as Bogaerts lined out to center to start. Verdugo grounded out to second and Story flied out to left to end the inning. Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Crook struck out swinging to start. Rivas grounded out to second and Morel went down hacking to end the inning.
Cordero grounded out to third to start the top of the eighth before Plawecki popped up to first. David Robertson came in for the four out save and JBJ grounded out to short to end the inning. The Cubs put the game away against Tanner Houck in the bottom of the eighth although Ortega struck out swinging to start. Contreras singled to center and Nelson Velazquez ran for him. Velazquez stole second before Happ struck out swinging. A wild pitch moved Velazquez to third and Nelson scored on the Wisdom base hit to left. Wisdom stole second as well but Hoerner struck out swinging to end the inning with Chicago up 3-1.
Robertson came back to close out the top of the ninth and Duran tried to start a rally with a double to left. Duran moved to third on defensive indifference but both Devers and Martinez just watched strike three go by. Bogaerts walked to put the tying run on but Verdugo lined out to center to end the game. The Cubs had humiliated the Sox 2-1.
Jackass of the Night is Tanner Houck. Allowing that third run prevented small ball in the ninth after Duran doubled.
The Good:
Jarren Duran was 2 for 4.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with a run scored.
One of the rare times the losing pitcher is on the Good list but Josh Winckowski was solid. He allowed 2 runs but only 1 was earned in 6 innings of work. He allowed just 6 hits while striking out 6.
Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless seventh inning.
The Bad:
JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Trevor Story was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.
Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 3.
The Ugly:
Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error.
Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 but walked.
Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4.
Franchy Cordero was 0 for 2 but walked.
Final Thoughts:
This is NOT how the Sox wanted July to start. After doing so well in June to get to 12 games over .500 they've dropped 2 out of 3 to Toronto and the first two games against the lowly Cubs. The Sox have a 3 week march through the AL East starting Monday and they've lost four out of five so far. Today was a comedy of errors between the two field errors, Cordero getting thrown out trying to steal and Devers hitting into a double play when a base hit might have rocked the Cubs enough to give up the lead. Devers was visibly frustrated in the dugout and hopefully he gets mad enough to hit some balls out of Wrigley tomorrow. Winckowski did well apart from throwing the ball away and he's looked damn good since his ML debut disaster. If the Sox get Chris Sale back healthy, the Sox are going to have to make a choice on either Rich Hill in the rotation or keep Winckowski. Its too bad Houck gave up the run because the Sox may have played some small ball in the ninth if it was just a one run game. Oh well, can't win them all. The loss dropped the Sox to 43-35, 1/2 a game back of the Jays for the first wild card spot. The Sox look to salvage the series tomorrow afternoon against the Cubs when rookie Connor Seabold gets the start for Boston against Keegan Thompson of Chicago. The game begins at 2:20 PM eastern time at Wrigley Field.
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