All you need to know about the Red Sox' loss to the Blue Jays, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
Rotation has hit a rough patch: For much of the first two months of the 2021 season, the Red Sox starting rotation qualified as a pleasant surprise. The Sox' five-man group has made every start, maintaining good health and performance and gone deep enough in games to make sure that bullpen usage doesn't get out of hand. But in the last week or so, that performance has seen a big dropoff. It was evident with the work of Nick Pivetta, pounded for four homers and six runs in five innings. In total, over the last eight starts, the starters' ERA is 8.36 with 60 hits allowed over the last 37.2 innings. Still, manager Alex Cora isn't concerned, believing this is part of the normal ebb-and-flow of a long season. "It's part of the season,'' Cora said. "Overall, it's been a bad stretch, but I still have confidence. It's only one time through the rotation. I still believe the stuff is still good. If you take away the week and go by individuals, they've each had like, what, one bat start over the season. We'll take that.''
Matz limits bats: Last month in Dunedin, the Sox teed off on Blue Jays lefty Steven Matz for 10 hits and six runs. But Matz turned the tables on the Sox Saturday, allowing just one run over 5.2 innings. Cora said Matz's fastball had more life than last time and the Sox weren't able to do much with him. It didn't help that when they got some runners, they couldn't collect the big hit -- twice, the Sox had a baserunner at third with one or no outs and yet couldn't get the run in.
Silver lining: Cora said the best thing that came of the loss was that newcomer Brandon Brennan and recent returnee Brandon Workman were able to cover four innings of relief. That meant another day of rest for the team's high-leverage relievers like Adam Ottavino and Matt Barnes. Starting Sunday, the bullpen is back in order and the Sox will have a re-set with their best relievers available again. The hope is, of course, that they get six or more innings from Martin Perez. Failing that, they have relief options now ready to go.
TURNING POINT
In the span of 13 pitches, Nick Pivetta surrendered three homers in the fifth inning, turning what had been a close game into a rout. In recounting the inning, Pivetta, who was taken deep by Cavan Biggio, Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette, didn't have to think long and hard about what had gone wrong: "Hanging curveball, hanging slider, hanging curveball,'' he said glumly. The three homers in one inning were more than the Sox had previously given up in a single game this season.
TWO UP
Rafael Devers: Devers has two of the team's five hits with a single in the second and a triple in the eighth, knocking in one of the two runs.
Brandon Brennan: Making his Red Sox debut, he didn't dazzle, but he did provide three scoreless innings in relief of Pivetta and helped save the rest of the bullpen.
ONE DOWN
Marwin Gonzalez: Filling in for Xander Bogaets at shortstop, Gonzalez continued to struggle mightily with the bat, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a soft tapper back to the mound and is now hitting .189.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"We've been doing a good job keeping the ball in the ballpark. It just happened that today, we weren't able to do that.'' - Alex Cora.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* Christian Vazquez stole second base and is now 6-for-7 in stolen base attempts.
* Kike Hernandez threw out Joe Panik at the plate for the 18th outfield assist for the Red Sox this season.
* Rafael Devers is batting .338 with runners in scoring position.
* The four homers allowed by Nick Pivetta were a career high.
UP NEXT
The two teams meet again Sunday at 1:10 p.m. with LHP Martin Perez (4-3, 3.38) vs. LHP Robbie Ray (3-2, 3,.36)