Few things in baseball have been as automatic as the Red Sox in interleague play.
Coming into Friday, the Red Sox were 14-3 in games against National League teams this season. They split two two-game series with the Phillies in the middle of the summer. Before that, their last loss to an NL team came the day before Memorial Day.
In fact, over their last 29 interleague games, the Sox were an incredible 25-4, for an .862 winning percentage. They were 19-3 in their last 22 interleague games at Fenway. It's been four years since they've lost an interleague series at home.
There's something about the more shallow lineups in the National League. Or something. The Red Sox have regularly feasted, even against competitive teams in the NL, as they did in sweeping the Braves, on the road, only last week.
Then came Friday night.
The Sox were throttled 8-0 by the New York Mets in one of their most lopsided setbacks of the season, right up there with another desultory performance suffered almost two weeks ago when the Red Sox lost by the same score to the Chicago White Sox, another club with a losing record.
Friday's loss was the dual result of the offense being shut down by Mets ace Noah Syndergaard (seven innings, four singles allowed) and a parade of spare pitchers being hit around by the New York lineup.
Everything else you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 8-0 loss to the Mets, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Scott flunks a test: It seemed like a good spot for someone who has been tough on lefties: In the third inning, after getting 2.1 innings from emergency starter William Cuevas, Robby Scott was brought in as three lefties were due for the Mets. But after retiring Jeff McNeil on a flyout, Scott hit Michael Conforto and then allowed a three-run homer to Jay Bruce. It got worse from there, as Scott issued a walk, hit another batter and walked one more to load the bases and end his night. "(Poor) command,'' concluded Alex Cora of the lefty. "I think he's hit five lefties this season in the time he's been here. He was getting ahead, but after that, he's hasn't been able to throw his breaking ball for strikes. ... It was a good spot for him, but it just didn't happen.'' The Sox are at least open to the idea of putting a lefty matchup guy on their postseason roster, but it won't be Scott.
Johnson tries to get re-acclimated to the bullpen: Brian Johnson has bounced back and forth between the rotation and bullpen this season. But with the playoff rotation full, Johnson is in competition for a reliever's role -- either as a lefty specialist, or someone who can give the Sox length. He was easily the most effective of the five Red Sox pitchers utilized Friday night, tossing 4.2 innings and allowing just one run -- a solo homer to McNeil. Johnson came on in the third in relief of Scott and immediately cleaned up the mess, getting out of the bases-loaded jam by inducing a double play from Dominic Smith. Johnson is unsure of his path to the postseason roster, but is willing to take on whatever role that might be available. "I don't know how that works,'' he said of the team constructing the post-season roster. "I don't know what my role would be — whether it would be more of a left-on-left guy or long relief. I've done both. But I don't know what they're looking for, so I'm just coming to the field every day and going day-to-day.''
Sox bats no match for Syndergaard: Noah Syndergaard may not be in the class of Jacob deGrom, the Mets' Cy Young Award contender, but he does possess elite stuff and reminded the Red Sox of that with seven shutout innings. Boston managed just three singles off him in seven innings and other than a second-and-third threat in third, never really threatened. "His stuff was there, obviously,'' said Cora. "We put a little pressure on him (in the third), but then we couldn't get that big hit. Stuff-wise, he's one of the best in the big leagues. You can see it.'' Syndergaard can have difficulty controlling the running game at times and the Sox executed a double-steal on him in the third, but he then made an adjustment with his delivery and timing to thwart any other steal attempts the rest of the way.
SECOND GUESS
The choice of Cuevas was a curious one as a last-minute fill-in for Hector Velazquez, who was scratched from his scheduled start because of illness and sent home. Cuevas didn't pitch badly -- two runs in 2.1 innings -- but the Sox could have started Johnson and given themselves a chance. If the idea was to keep Johnson in the bullpen to see if he could succeed as a specialist, they didn't do that during the game and had him eat up innings (4.2 innings). He could have done that as a starter and given the Sox a chance.
TWO UP
Ian Kinsler: Kinsler was 2-for-3 off Syndergaard, and early on, took advantage of the pitcher's slow delivery by swiping two bases.
Drew Pomeranz: It may have only been a mop-up appearance, but the lefty retired four of the five batters he faced, including two by strikeout.
ONE DOWN
Tyler Thornburg: His lost season continued as he allowed two mammoth homers in the span of three hitters as the Mets tacked on three more in the top of the eighth.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"It happens throughout the season. It's part of it. I'm OK with the quality of at-bats. It's nothing to be worried about.''
— Cora, on the team's recent trend of starting slowly with their offense in the early innings.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Jackie Bradley stole his 15th base, establishing a career high.
- The Sox have 115 stolen bases, their most through 148 games since 1916.
- The four homers allowed were the most since Aug. 2.
- Mookie Betts has reached base in each of his last six games on the homestand.
- Johnson has a 1.99 ERA in his last 14 relief appearances.