Final: Diamondbacks 15, Red Sox 8

And you thought it couldn't get worse.

But it did Friday night, as the Sox allowed a season-high 18 hits in a 15-8 drubbing by the Arizona Diamondbacks that wasn't as close as the final score indicated.

Red Sox pitchers allowed five homers, while Red Sox bats offered little until the final two innings, long after the game had been decided.

Rick Porcello was shelled for seven runs and couldn't get through the fifth. Brian Johnson was worse, batted for seven runs in an inning and a third.

The Sox got a three-run homer from Mitch Moreland in the ninth that didn't mean much as they dropped to 2-7.

WHO: Red Sox vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
WHEN: 7:10 p.m.
WHERE: Chase Field
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Rick Porcello (0-1, 13.50) vs. RHP Zach Godley (0-1, 11.81)
TV/RADIO: NESN/WEEI FM 93.7 FM

IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS

10:30  More window dressing in the ninth, but signs of life from Red Sox bats: a  ground-rule double from Betts and a three-run, opposite-field homer from Moreland.

10:20   We'll always remember this game as the night that Eduardo Nunez was very nearly the most effective Red Sox pitcher.

10:07  In garbage time, the Red Sox bats have come alive. Two-run homer for Mookie Betts and two-run double by Swihart produce four runs in the eighth -- long after the game has been decided, of course.

9:54    Tyler Thornburg tosses the first scoreless inning for a Red Sox pitcher since the second.

9:28    If that doesn't typify the Red Sox' season to date: intentionally walk a hitter to set up the next. And the next guy -- Ketel Marte -- hammers a ball to left for a grand slam. On an 0-and-2 pitch. Thud

9:15     Third time in the last two games that the Sox have left the bases loaded.

8:50   That's it for Porcello, who has another lousy start. Two homers allowed, three walks and a ton of hard-hit balls. And, one more start in which the Boston starter fails to get into the sixth inning. That's happened just once in the first nine games.

8:34    Ugly, ugly inning all around for the Red Sox -- a low liner that Holt couldn't glove, a ball falling between three defenders, a walk to the No. 8 hitter and a bobble by Moreland, allowing a run to score.

8:27    For the second straight day, poor communication in the outfield comes back to bite the Red Sox. Ball falls in between Betts, Holt and Martinez.

8:19   A slider from Porcello leaks into Ketel Marte's swing path and it's driven out to right-center. Incredibly, Red Sox starters have allowed at least one homer in each of the first nine games.

8:06   A couple of nice plays by Blake Swihart behind the plate -- first, blocking a curveball in the dirt with a runner on third, and then making a strong, accurate throw to second on an attempted double steal to get the Sox out of the inning.

7:49   Evidence that perhaps Andrew Benintendi is coming around at the plate. Following a slow start, he tripled on Wednesday night, collected three hits Thursday and goes the other way for a double off the wall in left, scoring Betts.

7:44   Porcello was a force at the plate last year, with multiple extra-base hits, including a run-scoring double against Max Scherzer. No such luck tonight, however, as he taps out to first.

7:37: Porcello looks strong through the first two innings, using all of his pitches and showing good command. His two strikeouts looking in the second featured good action -- one a four-seamer and another a two-seamer.

LINEUPS



RED SOX

Benintendi LF
Betts CF
Moreland 1B
Martinez RF
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Swihart C
Holt 2B
Porcello P

DIAMONDBACKS

Dyson CF
Escobar 3B
Peralta LF
Jones RF
Walker 1B
Marte 2B
Ahmed SS
Avila C
Godley P

WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox are reeling, coming off their worst loss of the season in Oakland, where they dropped 3-of-4...At 2-6, the Red Sox have the most losses of any team in the big leagues...The 2-6 start to the season, this is the worst beginning since 2011...One thing that could help: the Sox have consistently been one of the best teams in interleague play. They were 16-4 last year and in their last 46 games vs. NL teams, have an .804 winning percentage (37-9)...They're also 27-5 (.844) in their last 32 interleague games and unbeaten in their last 13 interleague series (10-0-3)…All-time, the Sox are 243-160, for a .603 winning percentage, the best winning percentage since interleague play was introduced in 1997...The Sox and Diamondbacks have played in six series, but five of those have come in Boston...The last time the clubs met in Phoenix was in 2007....The last series between the teams took place in 2016 in Boston...Also, the Sox have won each of Rick Porcello's 14 starts against NL teams...In those outings, Porcello is 10-0 with a 3.43 ERA...Last season, he was 4-0 with a 2.74 ERA in his four interleague starts...Porcello has also done damage at the plate in those games, having hit safely in his last three NL starts. He became the only Red Sox pitchers in the DH era (1973-onward) to have multiple extra-base hits in the same season...J.D. Martinez, getting his second start in the outfield tonight, has hit safely in all eight games this season. With a hit tonight, he can tie his previous high of hitting in the first nine games to start a season, which he accomplished in 2012...Martinez, of course, played half a season with the Diamondbacks in 2017. In 38 career games at Chase Field, Martinez is hitting .345 with an OPS of 1.237 with 18 homers and 40 RBI...The Red Sox are 7-for-8 in stolen base attempts this season...Boston relievers have allowed just one run over the last 10.1 innings over the last three games, with opposing hitters going just 6-for-36 in that span...Since the 8th inning in the season opener, Red Sox relief pitchers have allowed just four runs in the last 26.1 innings for a 1.37 ERA...Four members of the bullpen -- Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Colten Brewer and Brandon Workman -- have yet to allow a run in 2019...Porcello is 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA lifetime against Arizona...David Peralta is 2-for-3 lifetime against him while Jarrod Dyson is just 3-for-14 and Adam Jones is 13-for-60 (.217)…No one on the Red Sox roster has more than two career at-bats against D'backs starter Zack Godley.