All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 9-4 loss to the Rays, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Cashner can't through enough strikes: Making his fourth start since joining the Red Sox, Andrew Cashner was all over the place with his pitches. He issued five walks, including three in the second inning, one of which came with the bases loaded to force in a run. He gave up a season-high seven runs, and, as has been typical for Red Sox pitchers of late, couldn't supply any shutdown innings after the Sox scored runs. "I can't tell you the last time I walked five guys,'' said Cashner. "I wasn't very good. I didn't command the ball very well. I didn't really command my fastball and that's what makes me good.'' Cashner did pitch into the sixth for the third straight start -- which is more than the Sox were getting from their other No. 5 starters earlier this year. But he's also given up at least four earned runs in three of his four outings.
Bogaerts shines: There wasn't a lot of positives to be taken from the loss, but Xander Bogaerts did his part, going 4-for-4 with two homers, a single and double. The two homers gave him the team lead in that department (25) and also established a career-high for him with almost two full months remaining in the season. It was his third multi-homer game this season and Bogaerts is now slashing .407/.452/.779 n the 20 games since the All-Star break with eight homers and 19 RBI in 20 games. At Fenway this season, Bogaerts has really begun to take advantage of his home ballpark, batting .372 here with 48 RBI in 53 games.
Hitting in the clutch again an issue: Since June 11, the Red Sox were batting .333 with runners in scoring position going into Thursday's game. But in the last week, they've reverted back to bad some habits and not been able to come up with big hits with men on base. Case in point: Andrew Benintendi led off three different innings with doubles and didn't score once. "We didn't put the ball in play,'' lamented Alex Cora. "It happened from the first game of the series. We had men at second, no outs and we didn't get the guy over twice and wound up swinging and missing. In those situations, you have to put the ball in play. They know it. They made some pitches, but at the same time, we're good offensively. We're not a team to swing-and-miss that much and it seemed like the last few days, we did.''
TURNING POINT
In the bottom of the fifth, the second Bogaerts homer of the night brought the Red Sox back to within a run at 4-3. But Cashner couldn't shut the Rays down in the top of the next inning. With the bases loaded and one out, he got what looked like a double play hit to Bogaerts. But the turn was slow by Michael Chavis and the Sox couldn't complete the double play and a run scored. It got worse from there with a couple of wild pitches from reliever Darwinzon Hernandez and two more runs crossing the plate.
ONE UP
Andrew Benintendi: After going hitless Wednesday, snapping a run of three straight three-hit games, Benintendi picked up where he left off, belting out three hits again -- all doubles.
TWO DOWN
J.D. Martinez: Martinez continues to run hot-and-cold, and Thursday night, he was frigid. After drawing a walk in the first inning, he proceeded to strike out in his next three plate appearances -- each one was the final out of an inning -- stranding two baserunners along the way.
Darwinzon Hernandez: After seven straight scoreless appearances out of the bullpen, Hernandez, pitching for the third straight day, hit a wall -- throwing two wild pitches, issuing a walk and a run-scoring double.
QUOTE OF NOTE:
"It was a rough one. It started as a great homestand and it didn't finish that way.'' โ Cora.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Red Sox homered for the 17th straight home game, their longest such streak since 1969.
- The Rays won the season series at Fenway, 8-1.
- The four-game losing streak is tied for the longest this season.
- Mookie Betts scored his 100th run of the season in Game No. 110, the fastest for a Red Sox player since Ted Williams reached 100 runs in 102 games in 1949.