McAdam: Three thoughts on Tuesday's marathon Red Sox loss

Chances are you didn't stay with the Red Sox-Twins game all the way until its inglorious end, just before 2 a.m.

Whether you did or didn't, here are five leftover thoughts from the Sox' excruciating loss:

1-The bullpen needs reinforcements. Now.

This point may have been obvious from, oh, I don't know, spring training? But it's crystalized in the last 10 days.

The issue, though, isn't necessarily quality as much as it is quantity. In the modern game, it's not at all unusual for managers to go through a minimum of three relievers nightly. But in the last week and a half, the strain has been particularly heavy.

On three recent occasions, the Red Sox starter failed to get an out in the fourth inning. That, in turn, has required Alex Cora to utilize anywhere from seven (in relief of David Price's cameo outing on the last homestand) to Tuesday's night's eight relievers to complete a game. Add in another extra-inning game Sunday in Baltimore and the workload has been staggering.



Every night, it seems, a pitcher or two is unavailable, having worked the two previous games, or three of the previous four. And keep in mind: these limitations are coming with an eight-man bullpen.

Already, a number of key relievers are on pace to set career highs for appearances. Brandon Workman is on pace for nearly 80 games. A handful of others -- Matt Barnes, Heath Hembree, Ryan Brasier -- are on pace to hit or exceed 70. And that's with Hembree currently on the IL and Brasier just back from a week on the bereavement list.

What will happen when the Sox get to the proverbial dog days of August, when the weather gets hotter, the games take on added significance and the days off are almost non-existent?

So, yes, the Red Sox need an upgrade or two before or by the July 31 deadline. But they also need internal solutions, pitchers who can come up from Pawtucket and provide a fresh arm for a while.

The Sox have already tried this. Josh Taylor, who has shown an explosive fastball on occasion (he fanned four of the seven hitters he faced in the 10th and 11th innings Tuesday night), and Mike Shawaryn has demonstrated an ability to pitch through traffic.

Others, however, have shown themselves either not yet ready (Darwinzon Hernandez) or insufficient for today's game (Ryan Weber, Josh Smith).

2-Something seems odd about how the team is handling David Price.

Price had his worst outing of the season last week, pounded for six runs in just an inning and a third. He started Tuesday night and limited the Twins to just one run in the first five innings.

And then, mysteriously, he was done, lifted after a mere 73 pitches. That proved problematic as the game drifted deep into the night until the Sox had no choice but to turn to Brian Johnson, who had started only two days ago.

The expectation was that there would be some in-game announcement from the Red Sox about Price's status, some indication that he had been removed for physical reasons. But nothing came.

After the game, Cora was cryptic in explaining Price's short night.

"David, he was short the other day and today was one of those we felt like I was going to take care of him,'' Cora told reporters. "He threw the ball well but, as you guys know, he's a guy we really need to take care of.''

Asked whether it been pre-ordained that Price would have a shorter outing, Cora said: "Kind of. We talked about it. We're going to take advantage of the next 10, 12 days with the off days and all of that. With him going off the IL, and the short starts and all that stuff, we have to make sure he's OK. He's OK, actually.''

Well, that clears that up.

Shouldn't the fact that Price only threw an inning and a third last time out allowed him to pitch longer Tuesday night? Price didn't leave his last start because of a physical issue (that we know of); he left because of poor performance.

If Price is nursing some sort of physical issue, or the Sox fear that he's vulnerable, they're really in trouble. Nathan Eovaldi is still weeks away from returning and the Sox have already demonstrated that they lack sufficient depth for their rotation.

Hector Velazquez hasn't consistently given the Sox a chance to win when he spot starts. Johnson didn't on Sunday, though, to be fair, it was his first crack at the role this season, fresh off a rehab assignment. Smith? Nope. Weber? Nope. Hernandez? Not yet, anyway.

Say what you want about trust issues with the bullpen, but if the Sox can't stabilize their rotation -- a supposed strength -- they'll never gain sufficient traction in the division to make up lost ground.

3-Situational hitting has reached a crisis point.

Even the best lineups are going to have off-nights. Slumps happen, hitters go cold and the big hits can't always be provided.

But at some point, this to be about approach, too.

On Tuesday night, the Red Sox didn't necessarily need a home run or extra-base hit. They merely need a fly ball to the outfield, and they couldn't get one.

Item: In the 10th inning, Brock Holt hits a leadoff double and advanced to third on a groundout. But after Jackie Bradley Jr. is hit by a pitch, Christian Vazquez hits a bloop fly ball to shallow right, not nearly deep enough to score  Holt. Mookie Betts then flied to right.

Item: In the 12th inning, Holt singles and goes to right on a single by Michael Chavis. Bradley then bunts Chavis to second as Holt is forced to remain at third. Again, Vazquez comes to the plate, needing just to get the ball in the air to medium somewhere. And again, he falls short, popping out to second. After an intentional walk to Betts, Andrew Benintendi then grounds out to leave the bases loaded.

Item: In the 17th inning, Benintendi singles, steals second and moves to third on a throwing error by catcher Mitch Garver. Once again, the Sox need a routine fly ball, and once again, they don't get one. J.D. Martinez takes a called strike and Rafael Devers grounds out with a drawn-in infield. Xander Bogaerts then ends the inning with another groundout.

Three times, the Sox needed just a flyball and didn't get one. That's not a slump; that's just inexcusable.