All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 3-2 loss to the Phillies, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Sox handcuffed by Nola ... again: Last July 30, the Phils' Aaron Nola came into Fenway and limited the Red Sox to a single run over eight innings. On Tuesday night, he was very nearly just as good, allowing only two runs over seven innings. He allowed a two-run homer to Jackie Bradley Jr. in the third inning, but only two hits thereafter while striking out seven and walking only one. "He's good, man,'' sighed Xander Bogaerts. "His curveball is pretty big. He keeps you off-balance. He doesn't leave a lot of balls in the middle of the plate. He has kind of a weird delivery and kept us off-balance.'' The Sox had their chances, including putting the leadoff man on base in four of the last five innings. But they couldn't produce the big hit when necessary, going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. "We had chances,'' said Alex Cora. "But it's one of those that he was better than us tonight.''
Bullpen bails out Johnson: Brian Johnson relied on breaking pitches too much in the first inning and the Phillies were ready, knocking him around for four hits and three runs. After that, Johnson adjusted and went with his hard stuff more, but could only get the Sox into the fourth inning before getting his pitch count to 67 pitches. But the bullpen was masterful in relief, providing 5.1 innings of scoreless relief. After Marcus Walden allowed an infield single to the first batter he faced in the fourth, Red Sox relievers retired the next 15 hitters in succession. The only other baserunners to reach off the bullpen came in the ninth when Matt Barnes issued a two-out walk followed by a wild pitch/strikeout. "I think it kind of goes underrated,'' said Johnson of the bullpen's work. "All the bad spots kind of get brought out and nights like this kind of get overseen. But everyone did outstanding.''
Bogaerts' baserunning blunder costly: The Sox posed a threat in the bottom of the ninth when Bogaerts lashed a hard double to left, giving the Red Sox the potential tying run on second with no out. But the threat didn't last long. When J.D. Martinez hit a grounder to short, Bogaerts inexplicably broke for third and was easily cut down as the lead runner, sapping the Red Sox of any momentum and draining the energy from Fenway. "Based on how the game was going,'' offered Bogaerts, "I felt like we were on second base a lot and we kind of got stranded the whole game. It's just a risk that I took to try to get to third. It was a mistake and obviously, it wasn't the right decision.'' Bogaerts is ordinarily one of the team's better baserunners, but he let his aggressiveness get the best of him, trying to create something with the Sox trailing by a run. And still, the Sox weren't done with baserunning miscues. Pinch-runner Chris Owings broke too soon off first and was doubled up for the final out when Andrew Benintendi lined to first.
TURNING POINT
In the seventh inning, Mookie Betts led off with a single and swiped second with Rafael Devers at the plate, giving the Sox the potential tying run in scoring position with no out. But Nola fanned Devers, and got Bogaerts on a flyout and Martinez on a groundout, stranding Betts.
ONE UP
Jackie Bradley Jr.: The Sox managed just six hits, but Bradley had two of them -- a two-run homer in the third and a sharp single to center in the eighth.
ONE DOWN
Rafael Devers: It was a rare quiet night at the plate for the red-hot Devers, who was 0-for-4, snapping an eight-game hitting streak, while stranding two baserunners in the process.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"He knows it. That ball's right in front of him. That's a big mistake right there.'' Alex Cora on Bogaerts' baserunning blunder in the bottom of the ninth.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Marcus Walden has stranded 75 percent (24-of-32) of inherited baserunners this season.
- For the fourth time in history, the Red Sox have seven players with 15 or more homers.
- The loss to the Phils was just the fourth in the last 17 games at Fenway.