All you need to know about the Red Sox' loss to Oakland, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Sox offense shut down again: For the second straight night, the Red Sox lineup looked punchless, resulting in another loss. Boston managed just four hits and a run in the road trip finale in Baltimore Monday night and Tuesday night, back home at Fenway, wasn't much better. Once again, the Sox mustered just four hits, though this time they managed a pair of runs. Oakland starter Chris Bassitt, after some first-inning wildness (two wild pitches) that led to the only run against him, Bassitt dominated Sox hitters, with four straight 1-2-3 innings. "You're going to run into this,'' said Alex Cora. "You're going to go through stretches.'' Cora noted that the Sox had the potential tying run on third and winning run on first in the ninth inning "on a night when we didn't do too much offensively, so we'll take that and get ready for tomorrow.'' Still, this doesn't seem to be the same determined lineup that found ways earlier this season to beat the likes of Lucas Giolito, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Glasnow.
The mystery of Darwinzon Hernandez continues: When Hernandez has pitched on the road this season, he's been a dominant weapon out of the bullpen - unscored upon in seven appearances with just two walks and 10 strikeouts in 6,2 innings. At home, unfortunately for the Red Sox, it's been a completely different story. Hernandez came into a 1-1 game in the seventh and before long, the A's were up 3-1 after Hernandez walked the first hitter he faced, and allowed two singles. The go-ahead run came while he still on the mound and a second run was charged to him after he left, leaving Hernandez with a 10.80 home ERA and nine walks in five innings. "That's not something that I reallly focus on. Obviously, I'm just trying to do my job when Alex hands me the ball. Whether my splits are different at home or when I'm on the road, that's just what it is right now. It's never something that's actually on my mind.'' Whatever the explanation, Hernandez -- and the Sox -- need to figure it out.
TURNING POINT
Oakland starter Chris Bassitt was tough all night, retiring 15 hitters in a row between the first inning and the sixth. A one-out single by Michael Chavis in the sixth gave them their first baserunner since the second batter of the game. But with the lineup flipped and the top of the order due with Chavis on base, the Red Sox couldn't do anything more as Bassitt caught Marco Gonzalez looking at a called third strike before shutting down the threat by retiring Alex Verdugo on a routine flyout to left field.
TWO UP
Hirokazu Sawamura: Sawamura delivered two scoreless innings of relief and racked up four strikeouts.
Nathan Eovaldi: Eovaldi gave the Sox six strong innings, allowing just one run on two hits. A leadoff walk in the fourth came back to hurt him, but he was otherwise excellent in going six innings (or more) for the fourth time this season.
ONE DOWN
Franchy Cordero: The three-hit breakout game now seems like a long time ago. Since that day, Cordero is 0-for-14 with another hitless (0-3) night, including two strikeouts.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"I just wasn't able to locate today -- that's really the issue here. There's going to be some days when that's going to happen and today was one of those days.'' - Darwinzon Hernandez.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- J.D, Martinez has 11 RBI in his last 11 games
- Alex Verdugo is second on the Red Sox with 25 runs scored.
- Rafael Devers became just the fifth Red Sox player, 24 years or younger, with at least 30 RBI in the first 35 games of a season.
- Nathan Eovaldi still hasn't allowed a homer in 45 innings this season.
- The loss marked just the second time this year in which the Sox were defeated in a game in which their starter went six innings or more
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and A's meet again Wednesday night with LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (5-0, 3.82) vs. TBA at 7:10 p.m.