Red Sox starters continued their year-long struggle Monday as Colten Brewer was charged with five runs on eight hits in just four innings of work, sending the Sox to a 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
When Brewer took the mound to start the fifth, the Sox and Braves were tied 2-2. But two walks and a double filled the bases and resulted in Brewer being lifted for Phillips Valdez, who two pitches later yielded a bases-loaded triple to Austin Riley.
Alex Verdugo and Rafael Devers combined for five of the Red Sox' eight hits, with Verdugo collecting three doubles.
WHO: Red Sox (12-22) vs. Atlanta Braves (19-14)
WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Colten Brewer (0-2, 4.57) vs. LHP Max Fried (5-0, 1.35)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI 93.7 FM
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Verdugo RF
Vazquez C
Devers 3B
Bogaerts SS
Chavis 1B
Dalbec DH
Bradley CF
Arauz 2B
Peraza LF
BRAVES
Swanson SS
Freeman 1B
Ozuna DH
Markakis LF
Riley 3B
Duvall RF
Camargo 2B
Flowers C
Inciarte CF
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
10:37 Eighth-inning rally stalls out as Will Smith fans Chavis and Dalbec back-to-back with runners at the corners.
9:58 Bobby Dalbec's second game isn't quite as momentous as his first -- he's gone down swinging each time tonight.
9:49 Robinson Leyer's debut is a rocky one. Two hits, a walk and a run allowed.
9:27 The Red Sox have five hits -- three of them are doubles from Verdugo, who bangs another one off The Wall with one out in the fifth.
9:14 Phillips Valdez had allowed just two extra-base hits in his first 13 appearances. But inheriting the bases loaded, he gives up a three-run triple to Austin Riley.
9:11 The streak lives. It looked like Brewer was poised to become the first pitch other than Nate Eovaldi or Martin Perez to get through five innings. But entering the fifth 2-2 with just 61 pitches, he allowed a walk, double and another walk and was lifted before he could record an out.
8:42 Adam Duvall hammered a cutter at the top of the zone and sent it over the light tower in LF. What a shot.
7:46 Fresh off a four-hit game Sunday, Rafael Devers singles sharply to CF, scoring Verdugo to tie the game.
7:43 Alex Verdugo has now hit safely in 22 of the last 24. He's got 10 doubles.
7:32 Some hard contact off Colten Brewer in the first. Nick Markakis slices an oppo double into LF corner to score Dansby Swanson from first.
PRE-GAME NOTES:
- Following the trade of Kevin Pillar and LHP Josh Osich, the Red Sox had two open major league roster spots. A third one materialized when the Sox placed LHP Darwinzon Hernandez on the IL with a strained SC (shoulder) sprain. Hernandez had struggled to duplicate his velocity in recent outings. "There's inflammation there,'' said Ron Roenicke. "It shouldn't be (a long-term issue). We're obviously taking care of him and making sure we do everything right with him. He's felt this, but he hasn't really told anybody that it's an issue. When he's pitching, he doesn't feel it. He feels it maybe a little bit the next day, but not while pitching.''
- To take the spots, the Red Sox promoted three from their alternate training site: INF/OF Yairo Munoz, LHP Mike Kickham and RHP Robinson Leyer.
- The Red Sox find themselves down an outfielder. For Monday night, the Sox had Jose Peraza in left field,. It's likely that with Pillar gone and Andrew Benintendi (strained ribs) still on the IL, Tzu-Wei Lin could get some time out there along with Munoz and J.D. Martinez. "I don't know I'll play somebody everyday there, but we've got it covered OK,'' said Roenicke.
- Roenicke said there could be some rotation in the outfield, depending on the combination. Lin is more comfortable in CF, so that could move Jackie Bradley Jr. to right and Alex Verdugo to left. But most nights, it will be Bradley in center and Verudgo in right.
- A day after being hit in the left wrist by a 95 mph fastball, Martinez was out of the lineup, with Bobby Dalbec serving as the team's DH. Roenicke was unsure pre-game whether Martinez would be available to pinch-hit.
- Roenicke offered a spirited defense of Pillar, who was caught up in some controversy last week in the wake of the team deciding to postpone Thursday's game. At the time, Pillar disagreed with the team's need to "lift up" Bradley, the team's lone African-American player, noting that everyone needs to be lifted up. Pillar later posted a video on social media to clarify his comments. "I know there's been some negative things said the last few days about comments that he made,'' said Roenicke. "If people want to get on him for the way he plays, or something like that, OK. But nobody should ever question what type of guy this is. This is a really good person. He's a great teammate and a really great leader for these guys. I felt bad for him because it really bothered him, the comments that were made. When you get on this mic, you're not going to say everything perfect. Nobody does. He said some things that didn't come out the way he wanted to. But this is a really good guy. And it bothers me, because when things come out that aren't true, I don't like it. The last few days, this guy was a mess. He doesn't like things that come out that he doesn't feel are justified. So I wanted to clear that up because you should not question what sort of person this is.''
- LHP Martin Perez, who was scheduled to start Tuesday, will be pushed to Thursday because of a blister on his left index finger. RHP Ryan Weber will start Tuesday, but the Sox don't yet have a starter for Wednesday.
- INF Jonathan Arauz, who hadn't played in eight days, was back in the lineup at second base and was available all along, but Roenicke said it was a matter of wanting to see Michael Chavis into the lineup and some other matchup issues.