All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 7-5 loss to the Indians, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Brasier falters, Lakins follows: To suggest it wasn't a good night for the Red Sox bullpen would be an understatement. The relievers allowed seven runs over the final two innings, turning what seemed like a safe lead into a brutal loss. Ryan Brasier, who had tossed four perfect innings in his last four outings, faced three hitters and allowed a solo homer, a walk and a two-run homer as the Indians tied it up. "Really no excuse right there,'' acknowledged Brasier. "Three-run lead, should be in-and-out. But I made a couple of bad pitches and they made me pay for it.'' Most disconcerting of all was the fact that the game-tying two-run homer was hit by Greg Allen, who was 4-for-46 before hitting a shot into the right-field seats. Lakins wasn't any better — of the first five hitters he faced, he walked two, hit another and allowed a two-run double.
https://twitter.com/SportsTimeOhio/status/1133581001307742210
Cora sticks with plan: Before the game, Alex Cora was effusive in his praise for the late-inning relievers, and in particular, Matt Barnes. He noted that he would like to get Barnes a day or two off, but was then forced into using him in the eighth to get out of the mess created by Marcus Walden. "We were lined up -- (Brandon Workman in the seventh), Waldy and then go to Barnesy (in the ninth),'' said Cora. But that plan got tossed aside and in the ninth, things imploded for the Sox as the Indians sent 11 men to the plate, with five of them scoring. The loss marked just the second time that the Sox have lost a game after leading after eighth innings, but it was the fourth time they've lost a game in which they've led after seven. Still, Cora was insistent that the Sox would not abandon the current set-up in which Barnes is tasked with the toughest outs and a rotating group is used in the ninth to close things out, based on usage and matchups. "We feel that we've done an outstanding job so far, so nothing's going to change for now,'' Cora said.
Price start spoiled: Returning to the mound just three days after his last start was cut short after 15 pitches because of flu-like symptoms, David Price had arguably his best outing of the season, tossing six shutout innings while allowing just three hits and a walk. The start was even more impressive when you consider that it involved a 69-minute rain delay which Price had to wait out. "It's still baseball ... just part of it,'' shrugged Price of the delay. Price was able to utilize all four of his pitches and after his four-seam fastball was clocked at 92 mph early in the outing, that eventually hit 94 mph. "I commanded the ball on both sides of the plate well,'' said Price, "and was able to make pitches in big spots. That was key.'' His toughest test came in the fifth when a leadoff infield single and stole base by Jose Ramirez gave the Indians a runner in scoring position with no out. But Price shut the Tribe off, getting a strikeout, foul pop-up and flyout to strand Ramirez. They got only one baserunner into scoring position against him other than that.
TURNING POINT:
If you searching for where this one started to get away from the Sox, look no further than the eighth. Leading 3-0, the Indians used a leadoff walk, a single and a two-run double by Francisco Lindor off Walden to cut the lead to 3-2. After Walden then got the first out of the inning, the Sox were forced to go to Matt Barnes to try to strand Lindor at second, representing the tying run. Barnes did his job, but that took him out of the ninth, and neither Brasier nor Lakins could close it out.
TWO UP
Michael Chavis: Chavis had a run-scoring single in the eighth as the Sox added on. Defensively, he turned in two sparkling plays in the field, snaring a low line drive inches off the ground for the first out in the fourth, then making a sprawling stop of a sharp grounder in the seventh, saving a run.
J.D. Martinez: After belting two homers Monday, Martinez continued to wield a hot bat with two doubles.
ONE DOWN
Marcus Walden: He's been among the most dependable relievers on the team with a 1.48 ERA coming in, but he faced four hitters in the eighth and allowed three to reach and two to score.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"There's trust there -- it was just a bad night. Too many walks, not command pitches and we paid the price.'' -- Alex Cora on his bullpen.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The triple by Rafael Devers was the first of his major league career.
- Red Sox starters have allowed only seven walks in the last six games.
- J.D. Martinez is slugging .709 in the last 15 games.