All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 10-3 loss to the Blue Jays, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Rodriguez rocked: After giving up six runs over the span of four starts, Eduardo Rodriguez suffered through his second poor start in a row. The lefty, who gave up five runs to the Rockies at Fenway last week, was smacked around for six runs over five innings, with all the damage coming on home runs. After tossing three shutout innings, Rodriguez threw a changeup down-and-in to Rowdy Tellez, who golfed it down the right-field line for a two-run shot. A solo shot by Randal Grichuk followed two pitches later. The two gopher balls got the attention of manager Alex Cora who made the unusual move of going out to the mound to give Rodriguez an apparent tongue-lashing with no reliever warming up. Then, in the next inning, with two aboard, Rodriguez again threw a pitch down-and-in to Tellez -- this was a slider, but the location was the same -- and got the same result. It's precisely these sort of mental lapses which have prevented Rodriguez from maximizing his considerable potential.
https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1130999879466143744
Red Sox offense all-or-nothing: The Sox got all sorts of offense in the series opener Monday, with every member of the starting lineup contributing at least one hit. That was far from the case Tuesday night, with the Sox consistently failing to come up with the big hit when they needed it most. The Sox had Marcus Stroman on the ropes in the second and third innings, and came away with nothing. Every time they threatened against Stroman, he would use his two-seamer to induce a ground ball and get a double play to get out of trouble. The Sox helped him out with double plays in the second, third and sixth innings. For the night, the Sox stranded 10 baserunners and were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. The only damage the Sox did was via the solo homer. Mitch Moreland hit one in the sixth, and in the eighth, both Rafael Devers and Jackie Bradley Jr. chipped in with bases-empty blasts against the Blue Jays bullpen. But by then, the game had long been decided.
Signs of life for Bradley?: If there was a bright spot for the Red Sox, it came from Jackie Bradley Jr. Bradley finally hit his first homer of the season on Monday, but in a postgame interview, wasn't about to get cocky. Asked if the homer was the beginning of a turnaround for him, Bradley said: "We'll see.'' Tuesday offered evidence that it might be the start of something after all. After going 0-for-2 in his first two at-bats, he had an infield single in the seventh, then cranked a second solo homer, and like the one hit Monday, this one was also to the opposite field. Bradley's entire career, of course, has been filled with streaks, both good and bad. The two-game outburst isn't enough to declare that he's figured everything out at the plate. But it suggests that Bradley has locked in his swing at least a bit and may be ready to go on one of his patented tears at the plate.
TURNING POINT
In the third inning, the Sox had the bases loaded with one out and their No. 3 and No. 4 hitters due. But Stroman fanned both Moreland and Xander Bogaerts, getting himself out of the jam, and the next inning, the Jays began teeing off on Rodriguez.
ONE UP
Steve Pearce: Like Bradley, Pearce is starting to stir at the plate. He had a walk, a sacrifice fly and a double Monday, and followed that up with two walks and a single Tuesday night.
TWO DOWN
Tyler Thornburg: Thornburg was belted around for two runs while issuing two walks in his only inning of work. It marked the sixth time in the last seven outings that he'd been scored upon.
Mookie Betts: Betts went 0-for-4 with a walk, including fanning with the bases loaded in the seventh inning.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"It was (about) missing my spots and throwing my pitches at the wrong time.'' Eduardo Rodriguez.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- After failing to homer in his first 33 games, Devers now has five homers in his last 16 games.
- This marked the first time in the last eight starts by Rodriguez that the Sox lost.
- The six runs allowed by Rodriguez were the most allowed by a Red Sox starter this month.
- Mookie Betts saw his five-game hitting streak come to an end.