All you need to know about the Red Sox' loss, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
If it's not one thing, it's another: In the first two games, the Red Sox were done in by an anemic offense and sloppy defense. On Sunday, they didn't commit an error and scored a season-high three runs, so both areas reflected at least some improvement. But the pitching? It was, to be polite, horrendous. Garrett Richards' first start in a Red Sox uniform was a disaster. He was shelled for three runs in the first and then allowed the first three hitters he faced in the third to reach before getting the quick hook. His immediate replacement, Josh Taylor, might have been even worse, shelled for four runs and unable to get himself through the inning. Before the Sox came to bat in the bottom of the third, they were down 10-0. Mind you, Sunday's defeat -- and the previous two losses -- came against a Baltimore team that was projected to be one of the worst in either league. Yes, it's only three games, but it's felt like 30. The Red Sox have yet to hold a lead on the young season.
You had to look hard, but there was a bright spot: Rookie Garrett Whitlock, a Rule 5 pick last winter, made his MLB debut in the third and turned in a highly memorable and impressive outing. Whitlock went 3.1 shutout innings, striking out five and allowing three hits. His riding fastball touched 97 mph and he also flashed a quality sinker and changeup. What's more, Whitlock has not appeared intimidated in his new surroundings and pitches with a maturity far beyond his years and previous experience. Having never pitched above Double-A until now and bouncing back from Tommy John surgery in 2019, he was a highlight of the spring, and he's carried that into the first weekend of the regular season. It will be interesting to see how he's utilized going forward. Alex Cora could choose to try him in some high-leverage situations, or he could get stretched out and serve as a spot starter potentially. That's to be decided. But on an otherwise forgettable afternoon. Whitlock represented some hope.
TURNING POINT
Where to start? After allowing three runs in the top of the first, Richards seemed to get it together somewhat in the second, with the hope that he had figured some things out. But then, he walked two of the first three hitters he faced in the third and was yanked. The inning was far from over, but for the Red Sox, the game might as well have been.
TWO UP
Christian Vazquez: The catcher had a nice afternoon at the plate, collecting three hits (two singles and a double) and scoring one run.
J.D. Martinez: Martinez (6-for-12, three RBI) has been the lone bright spot through the first three games, hitting the ball hard in nearly every plate appearance. On Sunday, he kept his hot start going with a double and a homer -- the latter, the first (and only) homer by the Sox so far this season.
TWO DOWN
Hunter Renfroe: Renfroe has been fine in right field in his two starts there, but he looks lost at the plate. On Sunday, he was hitless in four at-bats and only managed to get the ball out of the infield once, with two weak grounders and a popup.
Josh Taylor: Who knows what might have happened had Taylor done a better job coming into an unenviable mess in the third? But he poured more fire on an already raging inferno and allowed four runs on five hits in just two-thirds of an inning of work as the game got completely away from the Sox.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- This is the first time the Sox have begun the season by losing three straight at home since 1948.
- It's the first season since 2001 that the Sox haven't allowed a homer in the first three games.
- Garrett Whitlock became the first Red Sox pitcher to ever to allow no walks and no runs while striking out five or more in his MLB debut.
- Marwin Gonzalez and Alex Verdugo made franchise history by each starting at three different positions in the first three games.