Most nights, it's been either the starting rotation or the offense which has let the Red Sox down. On Tuesday, it was all about the bullpen.
Leading 4-2 after five, Red Sox relievers gave up 11 runs over the next three innings, including seven in the sixth inning that saw 12 hitters come to the plate as the Sox lost their ninth straight, 13-5 to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Heath Hembree didn't record an out and allowed four runs and suffered the loss.
The Phillies banged out 16 hits and the Sox, for the seventh time in the nine-game losing streak, allowed eight or more runs.
WHO: Red Sox (6-17) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (8-9)
WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Zack Godley (0-2, 8.16) vs. RHP Zack Eflin (0-1, 3.60)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI 93.7 FM
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Verdugo LF
Devers 3B
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Moreland 1B
Pillar RF
Chavis 2B
Lin CF
Plawecki C
PHILLIES
McCutchen LF
Hoskins 1B
Harper RF
Realmuto C
Gregorius SS
Bohm 3B
Bruce DH
Kingery 2B
Quinn CF
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
11:02 Jay Bruce to straightaway center and into the bleachers off Marcus Walden. Three-run shot. Phils have outscored the Sox 11-1 since the sixth inning.
10:23 Phil Gosselin, who was not in the starting lineup, has a double, a homer and two RBI -- in the last two innings. The beating of the Boston bullpen continues unabated.
10:12 Finally, some mercy as Colten Brewer fans Jay Bruce. Twelve hitters come to the plate for the Phils, seven score, two are stranded, three pitchers used by Red Sox.
10:01. What. An. Inning. Boston bullpen takes a torch to this one, with Bryce Harper hammering four-seamer at the bottom of the zone over the bullpens in right. Three run homer and the Phils, who trailed 4-2 when this inning began, now lead 8-4. Six run inning....and counting.
9:54 Third straight two-out hit -- a sharp single inside the third-base bag by Andrew McCutchen -- and what had once been a three-run lead has been wiped out. Phils 5-4.
9:50 Rough outing for Josh Taylor, who is pitching on consecutive nights. Hit Didi Gregorius, the first man he faced then, after getting two outs, gives up consecutive doubles. Tie game, runner in scoring position.
9:26 Jonathan Arauz is hitting for Martinez here in the fifth -- awaiting some explanation on Martinez.
9:16 Eight pitches into his first inning of work, Valdez allows an opposite-field homer to right to Rhys Hopkins. First home run allowed this season by Valdez.
9:05 Godley managed to escape, getting a flyout to left to strand two runners. But he's at 84 pitches through four innings; have to believe that's it.
9:01 Godley appears to be coming apart here in the fourth, with a double, walk, single and run in. Two on, and a visit to the mound. Phillips Valdez is warming.
8:35 Make it three straight doubles to left as J.D. Martinez joins the parade and the Sox lead is now 3-0.
8:34 Rafael Devers goes the other way for the second time in as many at-bats. Just his second RBI in the last nine games.
8:33 Alex Verdugo starting to learn now to use the wall to his advantage. High fly ball scrapes the top of the scoreboard on the way down and Verdugo has a leadoff double. Hitting streak now at nine games.
8:17 Five of the six Red Sox outs by strikeouts.
8:06 Zach Godley has gotten himself into trouble in both innings -- a hit batsman in the first and a single and wild pitch in the second -- but has wiggled out both times. He's got three strikeouts after two.
7:52 Red Sox grab a 1-0 lead as Xander Bogaerts goes the other way with a single to RF. Bryce Harper came up throwing, but his toss home was a bit off line and Rafael Devers is in easily.
PRE-GAME NOTES:
- Jackie Bradley Jr. remained out of the Red Sox lineup for the third straight day, bothered by a sore left wrist that he first injured two weeks ago at Tropicana Field. At the time, Bradley made a diving catch in center and rolled the wrist on the artificial turf. It's been bothering him off-and-on since, and the Sox are trying to give him a few days to have the problem quiet down. "It's still a little sore today,'' said Ron Roenicke. "We'll give him another day. I'm hoping he can be in there tomorrow, but I'll just have to see after working through the trainers today and see where he ends up.'' Roenicke said the wrist has flared up off-and-on and has contributed in part to Bradley's struggles at the plate in recent weeks. In Bradley's place, Tzu-Wei Lin was in center field.
- Christian Vazquez got the night off, battling a case of plantar fasciitis. "He's better,'' said Roenicke, who said it was likely that the catcher would be given the entire game off and not used off the bench as a late-inning pinch-hitter.
- Roenicke said he might speak with players soon about the upcoming Aug. 31 trade deadline. "The rumors are going to start flying and wen our guys are mentioned in those rumors, I think I just need to have a quick conversation,'' he said. "Not as a whole, but with the individuals whose names are coming up. I know in the past, it really affects players. It's a hard time because players are impacted.''
- Kyle Hart will get a second start for the Sox, pitching the brief homestand's finale. Hart was roughed up in his debut last week against Tampa Bay but learned from that outing, too. " I know it wasn't ideal but there were some positives,'' he said. "I made a few good strikeout pitches, and for me, tomorrow, I'm just going to go on the attack, do what I do best, which is get ahead and stay ahead, and try to get those guys in as many defensive counts as I can. That's where I'm comfortable operating. Ultimately, it was what I tried last time. I didn't succeed at it, but I'm going to stick to my game plan. I made a few tweaks (with pitching coaches Dave Bush and Kevin Walker) and I'm feeling good going into (Wednesday).''
- Mitch Moreland said the Sox haven't been consumed by the impending deadline. "Not really,'' he said. "We understand this time of the year that kind of stuff is a possibility, but we've got things going on kind of in the immediate future for us right now, just to get back to playing some good baseball and get on track here. I don't think it's something anybody's thought about a ton yet.''