BSJ Game Report: Orioles 4, Red Sox 1 - Three things we learned

The Red Sox returned home and lost to Baltimore, 4-1. Here are three things we learned:

1. Eovaldi's season was a disappointment from start to finish.

When the Red Sox signed Nathan Eovaldi to a four-year, $68-million contract last December, they thought he was poised to have a breakout season. Instead, he missed half the year with an elbow injury that was complicated by a biceps setback and he never got untracked. He didn't pitch well in April, went on the IL, returned in July to help out in the bullpen, then was transferred back to the rotation in August but never seemed to get untracked. In that regard, Friday, his final outing of the year, was perfectly emblematic of his season: Five innings, three runs allowed and four walks. The three runs came on a three-run homer, his 16th allowed in just 67.2 innings. "It was definitely frustrating,'' said Eovaldi of his season. "I couldn't run off consecutive good starts. I felt like there was always something going on.'' There's no doubting the quality of his stuff, but too often, there were issues with his cutter and splitter -- arguably his two best pitches. "I'll be able to work on those and come into spring training healthy and strong.''

2. Right to end, Bogaerts and Devers grouped with some greats.

The left side of the infield has been one of the few bright spots for the team and as the final series of the season got underway, that was still true. Rafael Devers had a double, No. 53. He now needs one more to join Alex Rodriguez as the only other player to hit 54 doubles in a season before turning 23. He also has 197 hits and needs just three more for, something no one has done at this age in the American League since ... Alex Rodriguez in 1996. Meanwhile, Xander Bogaerts singled home Devers in the ninth to produce the only Boston run and that RBI was his 500th of his career. He's just the fourth player in team history to reach that level before turning 27. The others? Bobby Doerr (621), Jim Rice (583) and Ted Williams (514) -- Hall of Famers all. Bogaerts needs one more extra-base hit in the final two games to tie Nomar Garciaparra (85) for most in a season by a Red Sox shortstop. Bogaerts set career highs in RBI, homers, doubles and extra-base hits last season...and has topped each category again this year.

3. Home woes continue

The Red Sox won 3 of their last five on the road to finish with an impressive 46-35 mark away from this season. But returning to Fenway, it was the same old story with another defeat, their 42nd this year. The Sox averaged nine runs in the recent road series in Texas, then came home and were shutout for eight innings by the second-worst team in the American League before breaking through in the ninth. This year will mark the first time since 1980 with the team posting an overall winning record for the season, but end up with a losing record at home. It's also only the second time in team history that happened. With virtually the same personnel as a year ago, the Sox saw their home record dip from 57 home wins in 2018 to just 37 this season, with only two games remaining. It's a mystery why the Sox have underperformed so much at Fenway. Statistically, there hasn't been a wide variance in their pitching or hitting splits between home and road. But it sure hasn't translated to wins, and it's an issue that needs to be addressed if the Sox are to bounce back at all in 2020.