All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 8-4 loss to the Marlins, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Martinez showing signs: The night didn't begin well for slumping slugger J.D. Martinez, who came into the game in the throes of a 1-for-29 skid and promptly fanned in his first plate appearance. But in his next at-bat, it began to turn around for Martinez. He hit a hard fly ball deep to right for a sacrifice fly to plate the first run of the night. Following another strikeout in the fifth, Martinez went to the opposite field for a two-run homer -- just his fifth of the season. Finally, he topped the night off with a line single to right, scoring another run. For the night, he was 2-for-4 with three RBI. "Good swings,'' said Ron Roenicke. "Oppo here (in Marlins Park) you've really got to kill it to get a home run, so that's really good to see. But I thought he had good swings all night. We hope he follows it up tomorrow with another good one.'' It's tough to overstate how much the Red Sox have missed Martinez's run production as their cleanup hitter in the middle of their lineup.
Munoz continues to shine: Say this for Yairo Munoz -- he's making the most of his playing time. Munoz collected two more hits in the loss -- both hard-hit line drives to left field and threw in a stolen base for good measure. He's also looked comfortable in both corner spots in the outfield. Exactly where he fits in the Red Sox picture for 2021 and beyond is uncertain, but if he continues to have these kind of at-bats on a consistent basis, the club will be forced to find a spot for him. It would seem that Christian Arroyo is making his case at second base, and that could limit Munoz to the outfield. He's a natural infielder, but he demonstrating that he's capable of playing either left or right. "He's doing a good job,'' said Roenicke. "He's got good instincts out there. The speed plays and he's got a good arm. And he knows how to hit. I know he's a free swinger, but he can hit. We've been seeing it since he's been here. He's doing his job and we're all liking what we're seeing.'' Roenicke isn't kidding about the "free-swinging'' part -- Munoz hasn't walked in 43 at-bats. But when you're hitting .349, that gets easier to overlook.
Tapia throws flames: Domingo Tapia waited a long time to make his major league debut. When he finally did so last week in Tampa, it came after Tapia had pitched 10 seasons and appeared in 242 minor leagues. Tapia has an explosive fastball that regularly sits 98-99 mph and occasionally touches 100-101 mph. Naturally, there's a problem, or else Tapia wouldn't have had to wait until he turned 29 to reach the big leagues. His control has been an issue. Another obstacle: he sometimes falls so in love with his triple-digit fastball that he throws it almost to the exclusion of everything else. Wednesday was a case in point, as Tapia threw 18 consecutive fastballs. "No doubt, if he puts it where he wants to, it's going to be tough to hit,'' said Roenicke. "He's got movement on the two-seamer, but he has to command it.'' If the Sox can unlock something when it comes to control, Tapia could be an intriguing late-inning weapon.
TURNING POINT
Three times in the first five innings, the Red Sox managed to put the first two hitters of an inning on base, yet came away with just two runs in those three chances. In fact, the Sox managed to get the leadoff man on base six times in the first seven innings, but didn't have a lot to show for the opportunities, going just 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
ONE UP
Alex Verdugo: Verdugo continues to be an on-base machine, reaching in his first four trips (single, single, double, walk) while scoring two of the four Red Sox runs.
TWO DOWN
Michael Chavis: Chavis was the only Red Sox hitter in the lineup who failed to reach base, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
Mike Kickham: Looking to build on a strong effort last time out when he fanned eight in four innings, Kickham fell behind 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning and didn't get to finish the third, as he was charged with six runs.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"When the Red Sox made their offer, it was a team I grew up watching as a kid. It was one of my favorite teams growing up, so when they presented me with the offer, I accepted it because I knew I can play at this level and I knew there were going to be opportunities for me to do this at this level, so I was just trying to take advantage of it.'' - Yairo Munoz.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Rafael Devers extended his hitting streak to nine straight game, as did Bobby Dalbec.
- Alex Verdugo has now scored runs in 12 of his last 13 interleague games.
- The Sox dropped to 7-9 against National League opponents this season.