All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 14-9 loss to the Indians, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Weber comes back to earth: Last week, Ryan Weber made his first start for the Red Sox and it was a beauty -- six strong innings in Toronto, during which he allowed just three hits and one run. His craft mix of sinkers and slider, located with precision, kept the Blue Jays off-balance. Toronto hit only a couple of balls hard all afternoon. It was a master class in doing more with less. But Wednesday night, Weber looked like a completely different pitcher. For someone who doesn't throw hard -- Weber's fastball barely hits 90 mph -- there's very little margin for error and too often, Weber missed his spots with predictable results. Not wanting to exhaust his bullpen, Alex Cora didn't even get anybody up in his bullpen until the bottom of the fourth, by which time Weber already trailed 6-3. But despite being given numerous opportunities to settle down and remain in the game, Weber was done after four, having been pounded for seven runs on eight hits. "Because of where we were pitching wise, we were trying to extend him as long as possible,'' acknowledged Cora. "It just didn't work out.''
Bullpen falters again: When Weber faltered, it was time to turn to relievers in the fifth inning, but they did little to stop the Indians' offensive onslaught. Rookie lefty Josh Taylor had a forgettable major league debut, allowing a one on two hits in the fifth. Next up was recent returnee Colten Brewer, who also was knocked around, allowing two runs on two hits in the sixth. Finally, Hector Velazquez was belted for four runs in the seventh. "It was a tough spot as far as the bullpen,'' said Cora. "We had to extend some guys who we were trying to stay away from for multiple innings. Brewer pitched a lot on Saturday and then he went out there and got hit by a line drive (and remained in the game). We went to Hector, and he's pitched a lot lately and he had to go two. And (Heath Hembree). It was a tough one all around. It's hard to manage a game like that, but you still have to get 27 outs.''
Homers aren't enough: The Red Sox had plenty of sock themselves -- but it wasn't nearly enough given how badly their pitching staff was knocked around. The Sox got a solo homer from Mookie Betts in the first, a solo belt from Jackie Bradley in the fourth, a two-run homer by Andrew Benintendi two batters later and, finally, a two-run homer from Xander Bogaerts in the eighth. In total, it was a pretty good offensive night for the Red Sox. Any time you bang out 12 hits and score nine runs, you should win. And it wasn't as though the 12 hits were a bunch of singles -- the lineup banged out eight extra-base hits in total. Give the Red Sox credit: they kept grinding and loaded the bases in the ninth, forcing the Indians to bring in closer Brad Hand. For a couple of at-bats, the Sox even had the potential tying run in the on-deck circle. But on this night, it wasn't even close to being enough for the Sox to pull one out.
TURNING POINT: As one-sided as the game seemed, the Sox seemed to be generating enough offense to offer at least a modicum of hope through the middle innings. But the Indians re-loaded against Velazquez, tacking on four more in the top of the seventh, to pull away for good.
ONE UP:
Jackie Bradley Jr.: The long slow climb to .200 continued for Bradley, who had a three-hit night with a homer, single and double to boost his average to .185 after hitting just .144 as recently as May 19.
TWO DOWN
Michael Chavis: It was the rare rough night at the plate for the rookie, who went 0-for-5 and fanned twice.
Rafael Devers: The Sox' hottest hitter got cooled off by Cleveland, going hitless in his first four plate appearances with two strikeouts before finally managing a single in the ninth.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"It wasn't a good one for (Ryan Weber)….or for us.'' - Alex Cora.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Red Sox tied a season high with four homers.
- The loss marked the fifth time this season that the Sox allowed double figures in runs scored.
- Xander Bogaerts has scored 31 runs in his last 32 games.
- Of Jackie Bradley Jr's last 14 hits, nine have gone for extra-bases.