CHICAGO -- All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 6-0 loss to the White Sox, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Red Sox can do little against Shields: White Sox starter James Shields entered the game with a 4.54 ERA. Two starts ago, he was blasted for 10 hits and seven earned runs in just 6.2 innings. But Shields looked like an ace on the mound against the Red Sox, who managed just four hits -- all of them singles -- in six innings. Shields wasn't exactly sharp, as he walked two and hit another. But the Sox couldn't generate anything against him all afternoon in a lifeless effort. This hardly looked like the same lineup that produced six or more runs in four of the previous five games. The Sox never got a baserunner as far as third base, and on the rare occasions when they had a runner in scoring position, could do little with the opportunity, going 0-for-3.
Worst start of the season for Johnson: For much of the season, Brian Johnson has been invaluable to the Red Sox, filling in when injuries arose and others struggled with performance. As a starter, he had compiled a 3.51 ERA, more than acceptable for someone in his role. True, he didn't often go deep into game, often lifted in the fifth. But he at least ate some up some innings and far more often than not, he pitched well enough to put the Red Sox in a position to win a game -- which is reflected in the fact that the Sox had been 9-2 in his first 11 starts. But Sunday wasn't one of those days; in fact it was one of those days. Johnson had very little from the beginning, falling behind and throwing too many pitches over the heart of the plate, with predictable results. Johnson faced just a dozen hitters before being hooked with one out in the second and eight them reached with seven hits allowed and a walk issued. "From the get-go, I wasn't very good,'' said Johnson. "It was bad, it sucked. There was no way around it. I threw a lot of strikes, but they weren't where I wanted them.''
Cuevas leaves with heat exhaustion: Temperatures were in the upper 80s with high humidity in Chicago and in his third inning of work, reliever William Cuevas was, in this summer of the 25th anniversary of Sandlot, ''baking like a toasted cheeser out there.'' Cuevas, whose uniform was drenched with sweat, motioned to the dugout and was visited by Cora and a trainer, and was removed from the game after he told Cora he was experiencing some dizziness because of "heat-related illness.'' Cora said he was recovering after the game and expected to be available for the Atlanta series.
TURNING POINT
Given the lopsided nature of this one, it's tempting to suggest that the solo homer by Tim Anderson -- the second batter in the White Sox first -- qualifies. More seriously, this one was in the books by the second, when Johnson gave up two runs to add to the two he had yielded in the first. The Sox were down 4-0 after the first 12 hitters and it would only get worse.
TWO UP
Xander Bogaerts: There wasn't much to get excited about up and down the Red Sox lineup on a pretty listless day, but Bogaerts tapped out two hits and made a couple of nice plays in the field.
Robby Scott: It wasn't until the fourth pitcher of the afternoon that the Sox stumbled upon someone who could shut down the White Sox. Scott tossed an inning and a third, punched out three and allowed two hits.
ONE DOWN
Eduardo Nunez: Nunez had been on fire at the plate of late, but on a steamy afternoon, he cooled down considerably, going 0-for-3, stranding two in the first inning and hitting into a double-play in the sixth before being taken out of the game.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"We were able to get some guys off their feet. It sucks to lose, don't get me wrong. But if there's a positive, that was it.''
— Cora
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Red Sox finished the season series with the White Sox with a losing (3-4) record.
- The Sox have committed only four errors in the last 20 games.
- J.D. Martinez extended his major league-leading hit total to 168.
- This marked the first time in the last five years that the Sox didn't win their series at Guaranteed Rate Field.