BSJ Game Report: Red Sox 4, Royals 4 (10, Susp.) - Sox, Royals can't finish for another two weeks

All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox-Royals suspended game, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

HEADLINES



Game suspended until Aug. 22: The game was halted because of torrential rain in the top of the 10th inning, with the score 4-4. Following a delay of 1:49, it was announced that the game would resume in two weeks, on Aug. 22, at 1 p.m. This is the Royals' only trip to Boston this season, so every effort was going to be made to complete the game. But after more than 90 minute, with water pooling in the outfield and on the warning track and inclement weather expected through at least 2 a.m., the decision was made to suspend the contest. The Red Sox were to have left for San Diego the night before for the start of a West Coast trip, but now will get a later start. The Royals, meanwhile, will be on a trip with an open date between series in Baltimore and Cleveland. Now, they'll detour to Boston and play a game that could last all of an inning if one of the teams score. The game was the first suspended at Fenway since 2010.

Eovaldi blows save: Heading into Wednesday night, eight Red Sox relievers had been charged with blown saves in 2019, and now Nathan Eovaldi can claim that same ignominious achievement. Eovaldi entered the game in the top of the seventh with the Sox clinging to a 4-3 lead. But he allowed a leadoff single to Hunter Dozier, then wild pitched him to second. Dozier then took third on a groundout to right and scored when Nick Lopez snaked a ball through the infield and into shallow center. Eovaldi then fanned Meibrys Viloria for the third out to strand the go-ahead runner in scoring position. He also came back out for the eighth and struck out three, sandwiched around a two-out single. Still, more than two weeks into his transfer to the bullpen, Eovaldi doesn't seem especially comfortable or terribly confident in his new role and Wednesday night, that was costly.

Bradley's arm vs. Hamilton's legs: One of the highlights of the night came in the fourth inning. Royals outfielder Billy Hamilton was on second following a leadoff single and a steal of second when Whit Merrifield hit a ball to center field. Jackie Bradley Jr. lined up the catch, and Hamilton tagged at second and took off for third. This would be a battle between one of the strongest outfield arms in the league vs. arguably the fastest player in the game. Bradley's arm won easily, with Rafael Devers waiting to apply the tag. It wasn't Hamilton's first run-in with Bradley's arm -- when the teams played in Kansas City in the first week of June, Bradley cut him down trying to advance from first to second on a fly ball. The assist was Bradley's ninth of the season, tying him for second in that category among American League outfielders.

https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1159265931996094465

TURNING POINT

The wild pitch by Eovaldi in the seventh opened the door for the Royals comeback. Had Dozier not advanced to second, it's likely he wouldn't have been in position to score on the ball that Lopez got through the infield.

ONE UP

Xander Bogaerts: Bogaerts had a three-hit night - singling in the fourth and coming around to score the Red Sox' first run; doubling home two runs in the fifth; and singling again in the seventh. He's now hit safely in 19 straight games at Fenway and knocked in 24 runs in that span.

ONE DOWN

Rafael Devers: Devers is an honest-to-goodness slump of late. He was 0-for-4 with a walk Wednesday and in the month of August, is just 5-for-33 (.152) with nine strikeouts and only one walk.

QUOTE OF NOTE

"It is what it is. That was our only option. We'll play it and then move on.'' Alex Cora on scheduling the resumption of the suspended game.

UP NEXT

The Red Sox host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the first of four Thursday night, with LHP Chris Sale (5-11, 4.68) vs. LHP Dillon Peters (2-0, 3.20) at 7:10 p.m.