All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 5-2 loss to the Phillies, complete with BSJ insight and analysis:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Interleague no relief this year: In recent years -- really, since interleague play was introduced -- the Red Sox have made sure to clean up against National League opponents. The Sox sport the best winning percentage all-time in interleague play and in their previous 46 interleague games before this season were a sparking 37-9. But like just about everything else about their season in 2019, that hasn't gone well either this year. The Sox have played four interleague series this year and are 0-3-1, having lost series to Arizona in April, the Dodgers last month, the Phillies this week and having split a two-game set with Colorado back in May. Since 2003, the Sox went into Wednesday night with a winning percentage of .650, easily the best in MLB in that span, with the next-closest being the Yankees at .593. But this year, the Sox are just 3-7 when playing teams from the other league, helping to contribute to a disappointing overall record.
Porcello guilty of one bad pitch: Though he struggled with his control in the early going, issuing one walk in each of his first three innings, starter Rick Porcello blanked the Phillies through the first four innings, pitching out of jams when necessary. In the fifth, he cracked some, with a wild pitch and an error on the part of Rafael Devers resulting in Philly's first run of the night. But with one on and one out, he was a double play away from getting out of the inning. Instead, ahead 1-and-2 to Bryce Harper, he hung a slider to the outfielder, who swatted it into the Monster Seats for a two-run shot, giving the Phillies a lead they wouldn't relinquish. "It was supposed to be back-door,'' said Porcello. "We got him out on one in the first at-bat. It was a little bit lower than we'd like to throw it. We were in a favorable count and we had some options and we could have wasted some pitches, see if he would chase and do some different things. But we went with that and he got it. It was a good swing. It just needed to be a better pitch.''
Situational hitting dooms Sox second night in a row: In the series opener Tuesday, the Sox were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and failed to produce a run over the final five innings, despite putting the leadoff man on, on four different occasions. On Wednesday, it was more of the same. The Sox stranded nine baserunners and were just 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position. They had a runner on second and no out in the first and couldn't deliver the run. They had first-and-second with no out -- and eventually the bases loaded with one out -- in the fourth and again came away empty-handed. "It seems like we've expanded (the strike zone) a little bit,'' conceded Alex Cora. "Usually, we hunt pitches in the middle of the zone and do damage and stay away from the edges. The last, what, 15 days, it seems like we're (not being as selective). We're preparing the same way we have for a year and a half, but right now, it seems like we're in one of those ruts. We're not putting the ball in play in certain situations early in the count and then we're getting in the hole (and hitting) with two strikes is tough to do.''
SECOND GUESS
In the eighth inning, with two runners in scoring position and Marco Hernandez due, Cora opted to have Chris Owings pinch-hit, saying that the matchup with lefty Jose Alvarez was a good one for Owings. But Owings went down swinging, and there seemed like something was off with the Sox going down with a castoff from the Kansas City Royals, who had spent much of the season at Triple-A, as their best late-inning option off the bench.
ONE UP
Ryan Brasier: Since being recalled last Friday, Brasier has made three relief appearances and has yet to allow a run. He had two strikeouts in a scoreless sixth inning.
ONE DOWN
Chris Owings: On Tuesday, he made the final out of the loss when he was doubled off first base. On Wednesday, he swung over some changeups as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning and stranded two runners in scoring position.
QUOTE OF NOTE:
"We can't have nights like that as a team.'' โ Cora.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING:
- Mookie Betts has 11 extra-base hits in his last 11 games eight doubles, a triple and two homers.
- The Red Sox now have eight different players with 50 or more RBI.
- Rafael Devers has 31 go-ahead RBI.