All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 4-1 loss to the Orioles, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Smith has rough first start: Josh Smith was making his first start for the Red Sox and his first start anywhere in the majors since 2016 and it showed. After working around a one-out walk in the first inning, Smith wasn't nearly as successful in the second inning. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases and when Smith struck out Pedro Severino and Richie Martin, he was an out away from getting out of a far bigger mess. But Jonathan Villar golfed a curveball down in the zone deep to center field to clear the bases, giving the Orioles the only four runs they would need. Smith doesn't throw hard, which means his margin for error is greatly reduced, and too often, Smith was around the middle of the plate with a fastball that was registering 90-91 mph. He didn't help matters by walking two, adding to traffic on the bases. His pitch count escalated quickly and when, after allowing two more hits to start the fourth, he finally got the first out of the inning, he was done. Even for a spot start, the Sox would have liked to get four innings from Smith and he couldn't give them that.
Offense quieted: On Sunday, the Red Sox scored nine runs. On Saturday night, they scored nine runs in a single inning. But there was nothing explosive at all Monday night when the Red Sox were limited to just three hits by three Orioles pitchers. Starter John Means, who allowed just a single run over five innings in a win at Fenway last month, was even more effective this time, going seven innings and allowing just three hits. All the hits for the Sox came in the bottom half of the lineup. Meanwhile, the Big 3 of Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez was a combined 0-for-12. For that matter, the team's two hottest hitters of late -- Michael Chavis and Rafael Devers -- were a combined 0-for-8. The only Red Sox run came in the fifth when Christian Vazquez stroked a leadoff double, moved up on a flyout to right and scored on a sacrifice fly by Eduardo Nunez. The Sox had just two baserunners in scoring position all night.
Weber shines in debut: While Smith was making his first start for the Sox, journeyman Ryan Weber was making his first appearance for the Sox of any sort. He came on in the fifth and tossed four super scoreless inning in relief. He retired the first six in order -- three by strikeout -- and worked out of a jam in the seventh when he allowed a leadoff double, but escaped without further damage. The Orioles used two hits -- one in the infield -- and a hit batsman to load the bases in the eighth, but he stranded all three runners. Like Smith, Weber doesn't overpower anyone, using a sinker/slider pitch mix and a funky three-quarters delivery, but he was far more effective and may have made a good case for himself if the team needs a spot start in the near future, waiting for two starting pitchers to return from the Injured List.
TURNING POINT
The Red Sox never really got untracked at the plate, but had a runner on first and one out in the third with their 1-2-3 hitters due. But Mookie Betts forced Eduardo Nunez at second and Xander Bogaerts did the same with Betts and the threat was over before it began.
ONE UP
Christian Vazquez: The Red Sox catcher continued to swing a hot bat, generating two of the team's three hits with a single to right in the second and a double to left in the fifth.
ONE DOWN
Mookie Betts: It was a rare off night for Betts, who was 0-for-4 and saw his 15-game streak of reaching base safely come to an end.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"Just one pitch and it wasn't that bad of a pitch -- it was a breaking ball and it seems like (Jonathan) Villar was sitting on it and put a good swing (on it).'' Alex Cora on the grand slam allowed by Josh Smith.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The loss to the Orioles was just the sixth in the last 27 games for the Red Sox.
- The Sox have lost the first game of a series nine times in 12 tries.
- Rafael Devers failed to get on base for the first time in 20 games.