All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 7-2 loss to Seattle, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Rodriguez not the same: Eduardo Rodriguez entered Saturday with a personal six-game winning streak, having allowed two runs or fewer in that stretch, including last Sunday, when he limited this same Seattle team to two runs over six innings. But Rodriguez struggled from the beginning this time, allowing a run in the first, another in the third and three more in the fourth, leading to an early exit. "I would say today was just (about) the command of the pitches,'' he said. "I missed with a lot of cutters and changeups around the plate and this is the big leagues — that's what's going to happen when you miss.'' Twice, Rodriguez got burned when he couldn't get cutters in on outfielder Mitch Haniger. In the first, Haniger doubled to center to score the first run. Three innings later, it was more of the same when another cutter hung over the plate, resulting in a double to left -- this one for two runs.
Cora knew first inning would be key: After the Red Sox stormed back to overcome a five-run deficit Friday night and steal a game from the Mariners when they had scored 10 runs in the first four innings, Alex Cora expected that the Mariners would be amped up in the first inning, looking to make amends. "We needed a shutdown inning after what happened (Friday) night,'' said Cora. "When you lose that game, you come in with a lot of energy and try to set the tempo right away and we didn't get the shutdown inning.'' Then, in the bottom of the inning, the Red Sox had a chance to answer quickly. They managed to load the bases with two outs on two singles and a walk and looked like they were going to tie the game at a minimum. Instead, Rafael Devers chased two straight pitches out of the strike zone and ended up rolling over on an inning-ending groundout to second, stranding three. The Sox didn't put a man in scoring position again until the sixth. "If we score a run there,'' Cora said, "probably the feel of the game was going to be a lot different.''
Moreland remains a triple threat: In his first 922 career games before this season, Mitch Moreland hit three doubles. On Saturday, he collected his second in as many nights and fourth this season in his 61st game. Moreland joked earlier this season that he told his teammates to take a picture of him standing on third, since it wasn't likely to happen again anytime soon. But it's becoming a semi-regular occurrence for him. Of his four triples this season, all have come at Fenway and three of them have come on balls he's hit to the triangle in center field. On Saturday night, his three-base hit came in the ninth inning and scored J.D. Martinez with the Red Sox' first run of the night.
TURNING POINT
The Sox were trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the third when Andrew Benintendi singled with one out, bringing up the heart of the Red Sox order. But that evaporated quickly when J.D. Martinez hit into a force play to erase Benintendi at second, and then got himself thrown out trying to steal second, ending the inning.
TWO UP
J.D. Martinez: Martinez continues to hit like a metronome, collecting two more hits while scoring a run. He's hit safely in 73 percent of his games this season and has reached base in 86.5 percent of the games.
Brandon Workman: Workman continues to impress out of the bullpen, throwing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, resulting in a 1.13 ERA since being promoted from Triple-A.
ONE DOWN
Tzu-Wei Lin: Called up from Pawtucket earlier in the day, Lin had a rough return to the big leagues, committing a costly error and going hitless in four at-bats as the leadoff hitter.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"Last week, he was all over the place with his cutter. It seemed like he wasn't able to control it. Not tonight.''
— Alex Cora on the difference between facing Seattle starter Mike Leake last week in Seattle and Saturday night.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Red Sox allowed the opponent to take the lead in the first inning for the second straight game and third time in the last four games.
- The Sox are now 14-16 when they make at least one error.
- Moreland has driven in a run in three straight games and has scored seven runs in his last four games.
- Martinez has reached base in his last 28 straight home games.
- Andrew Benintendi is hitting .355 at Fenway this season.
- In his last 20 at-bats with runners in scoring position, Eduardo Nunez is hitting .400 (8-for-20).