The Red Sox bullpen has been a strength all season long, but you wouldn't know it by watching the eighth inning.
Three Red Sox relievers -- Josh Taylor, Brandon Workman and Austin Brice -- combined to allow eight runs, turning what had been a one-run game into a nine-run blowout loss, 11-2 to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The loss snapped the Red Sox' nine-game winning streak at Fenway.
The Sox collected just four hits on the afternoon. The lone Boston runs came on a solo homer from Xander Bogaerts in the second and a throwing error by Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto in the third.
WHO: Red Sox (55-34) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (42-44)
WHEN: 4:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: BOS 3-1
SERIES TO DATE: BOS 1-0
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Martin Perez (7-4, 3.89) vs. LHP Matt Moore (0-1, 5.60)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM 93.7
LINEUPS:
PHILLIES
Segura 2B
Realmuto DH
Harper RF
McCutchens LF
Hoskins 1B
Bohm 3B
Williams CF
Torreyes SS
Knapp C
RED SOX
Hernandez CF
Verdugo LF
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Renfroe RF
Arroyo 2B
Vazquez C
Dalbec 1B
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
T8; It's open season on the Red Sox bullpen. Six runs and counting, bases loaded...and still no out.
T8: Josh Taylor's scoreless streak is over, as he gives up a two-run double to Rhys Hoskins, upping the Phillies lead to 5-2. Last time Taylor gave up a run was April 24. He falls one appearance shy of tying club record held by Koji Uehara at 27.
B6: Red Sox offense has gone to sleep the last few innings. They have one hit in their last 12 at-bats and just two hits since the second inning.
B5: Red Sox keep squandering chances. They're 0-for-3 with RISP and have stranded four.
T4: Hirokazu Sawamura inherits a first-and-second, two-out mess from Perez and quickly gets a an inning-end forceout. Sawamura has stranded 18-of-21 inherited runners this season.
B3: Unforced error on the part of the Phillies lead to a run for the Sox. Catcher J.T. Realmuto tries to back-pick Kike Hernandez at first, but the throws skips past first all the way down the RF line, enabling Christian Vazquez to score from second and Hernandez to advance to third.
B2: Home Run Derby heats up as Xander Bogaerts takes a four-seamer on the outer half and hammers it off one of the back signs on top of the Monster Seats. First homer in almost a month for Bogaerts, some 82 at-bats ago.
T2: Alec Bohm takes Perez, deep, too, also well into the Monster Seats. This is only the second start all season for Perez in which he's given up multiple homers -- he allowed three June 13 vs. Toronto.
T1: Lately, it's been Kike Hernandez putting the Red Sox on the board early with a leadoff homer. Today, it's Jean Segura giving the Red Sox a taste of their own medicine, hitting the eighth pitch of the afternoon from Martin Perez over everything in left. It's Seguta's first leadoff homer since 2016.
WHAT'S UP: : At 55-34 (.618), the Red Sox are tied for the MLB lead in wins and own the AL’s best record. The Sox have won 11 of their last 14 games...They are 23-11 (.676) beginning June 3...Seven of the Red Sox’ last 11 games have been decided by one run, including five of the last seven...They own the majors’ third-best record in one-run games (17-9, .654). The Sox are an MLB-best 27-15 (.643) in games decided by either one or two runs....Since losing their first three games of the season to the Orioles, the Red Sox have not been swept in a series of any length...The Sox have swept nine series, including one four-game set and four three-game series. The Sox are one of two teams without a losing streak of longer than three games (also NYM)....The Red Sox have won each of their last nine home games, their longest win streak at Fenway since 2011 (9-0 from July 5-24)...They have not had a longer win streak at home since 2009 (10-0 from Aug. 28-Sept. 16)... During their win streak, the Sox have posted a 2.56 ERA and out-scored opponents, 65-27. The Sox are 28-17 (.622) at home, the third-best record in the AL (ninth-best in MLB). Since the Red Sox were allowed to operate Fenway Park at full capacity on May 29, the team is 13-4 at home. The Sox own MLB’s best road record (27-17, .614)....The Red Sox are 11-2 vs. NL teams this season...They are 274-182 (.601) all time against the NL, the highest Interleague winning percentage in MLB. The Red Sox are 2-4 in their last 6 home games vs. PHI, after going 16-4 in their previous 20....The Red Sox lead the majors with 29 come-from-behind wins this season. The Sox lead the majors in runs scored with 2 outs (195)...With RISP and two outs, the Sox lead MLB in AVG (.289), SLG (.507), and OPS (.879). The Sox lead MLB in two-strike RBI (181)...Rafael Devers leads the majors in 2-strike RBI (34 )....The Red Sox rank in the top five in the majors in runs scored (second, 458), AVG (third, .259), SLG (third, .441), OPS (third, .763), doubles (1st, 189), and extra-base hits (first, 312). The Red Sox have hit four or more HR in a game an MLB-best eight times...They lead MLB with 20 three-run homers. The Sox have scored 10 or more runs an AL-best 12 times. The Sox are an MLB-best 48-6 (.889) when scoring four or more runs...They're 42-4 when scoring five or more runs, 35-2 when scoring six or more runs, and 26-0 when scoring seven or more runs....Kiké Hernández has hit a leadoff HR in four of the Red Sox’ last 12 games, including last night vs. PHI. Hernández has five HR and 10 RBI in his last 12 games... He has a .294/.412/.647/1.059 batting line in 19 games since June 19....In their last 15 games, the Red Sox lead the AL with a 2.85 ERA....Sox pitchers have issued three walks or fewer in 11 of their last 12 games...In that time, they lead MLB in SO/BB ratio (4.70). In their last three games, Sox pitchers have 31 strikeouts and three walks....The Sox lead the AL with 1.03 HR allowed per 9.0 IP. Sox starters have thrown five or more innings 70 times, tied for the second-most in the majors (LAD-78)....Josh Taylor has made 26 consecutive scoreless appearances (21.2 IP), MLB’s longest streak of 2021... No pitcher has had a longer single-season streak since MIN’s Taylor Rogers in 2018 (28 games). J.D. Martinez owns MLB’s longest active on-base streak (26 G), tied for the longest of his career (26 G in 2018)...:Martin Perez is 7-3 with a 3.48 ERA in his last 14 starts...He's allowed two earned runs or fewer in 11 of those 14 starts.The Sox have won his last four starts.
NOTES:
* Alex Cora welcome the recent power surge from Kike Hernandez, but says the key for his turnaround has been a more disciplined approach at the plate. "He started taking his walks and his swing decisions have been a lot better,'' said Cora. "He's not expanding when he's up in the count, and winning the battle in the 3-and-2 count, which is very important. The home runs are the icing on the cake. We were looking for someone to do damage up there. I love the fact that he can do that and create instant offense. But the fact that he's been getting on base at a high rate and get into deeper counts in something we like. It looked bad for a while (in the leadoff spot). We tried anybody and everybody, but in the end, (Hernandez) showed that he setting in and we decided as a group to hit him leadoff again and so far he's been amazing.''
* The Red Sox placed righty reliever Matt Andriese on the 10-day IL with a strained right hamstring. To take his spot, RHP Austin Brice was recalled from Worcester. "It's been on-and-off,'' said Cora of the hamstring issue. "He came out (Friday) limping. He was going to go out for a second inning, but we decided this was the best thing we can do. Mechanic wise, he hasn't been right. To unplug him and get him right is the best course of action.''