All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Mariners, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Error by Schwarber highly costly: Kyle Schwarber is still learning a new position, and a certain amount of mistakes have to be expected. But the one he made in the seventh inning Monday night cost the Red Sox the game. Ryan Brasier had retired the first two hitters he faced when pinch-hitter Jake Bauers hit a one-hopper toward first. Schwarber was playing behind the bag, near the line, and gloved the ball only to have it squirt loose and roll into foul territory, allowing Bauers to reach. A single followed, and then Mitch Haniger cranked a three-run homer off Brasier that snapped a 2-2 tie. "Frustrating...I wanted to make that play,'' said Schwarber. "A one-two-three inning turns into a lot more.'' Alex Cora termed Schwarber's effort to get acquainted with first base "a work in progress,'' and praised the work Schwarber has put in at the position. Indeed, earlier in the game, he turned a nifty 3-6-3 double play. But the error in the seventh couldn't have been more costly, coming as it did in the middle of a playoff race, against a team trying to catch the Sox in the wild card standings.
Rodriguez strong: Having learned on their bullpen heavily in the last three games, the Red Sox were desperate for a long quality start from starter Eduardo Rodriguez. In the first two innings, that didn't seem to be in the cards, as the Mariners stubbornly fought off pitches and ran up the lefty's pitch count to 51 pitches after two innings while taking a 2-0 lead. But Rodriguez made some adjustments after that and pitched four more innings without allowing another run. He also became far more efficient, needing 56 pitches over the next four frames. Rodriguez issued just one walk and struck out six. In the first two innings, the Seattle hitters were extending and driving the ball on the outer half, but Rodriguez became far more effective when he began pitching inside more, tying up the Mariners' righthanded hitters. Cora said he briefly gave thought to sending Rodriguez back out for the seventh, but thought better of it, given the fact that Rodriguez was nearing a season-high in pitches.
TURNING POINT
While the error by Schwarber was clearly the biggest key to the game, another sequence proved costly offensively. In the sixth inning, with the game still tied, the Sox had a golden chance to take the lead when Xander Bogaerts smoked a double to straightaway center. The Sox had Rafael Devers, Hunter Renfroe and Alex Verdugo due. But Devers popped to short, and while a deep flyout to center by Martinez advanced Bogaerts to third, he couldn't move beyond that as Verdugo went down swinging, Just one hit from any of the Sox' big three hitters could have produced a run, but it never came.
ONE UP
Jose Iglesias: Getting a rare start at second base, the infielder supplied the first two runs with his bat, belting a solo homer in the third and contributing a run-scoring bloop single in the fifth.
TWO DOWN
Hunter Renfroe: It was a rough night all the way around for Renfroe, who committed an error in the second that led to an unearned run and fanned in all four of his plate appearances.
Kike Hernandez: There was nothing generated from the top spot in the order as Hernandez was hitless in four at-bats.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"Like I always says, you give the opposition more than 27 outs, most of the time they're going to take advantage. It seems like right now, whenever we open the door for them, they take advantage and we pay the price.'' Alex Cora
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* The back-to-back homers by Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers in the eighth inning marked the ninth time this season that Sox players have homered in consecutive plate appearances.
* The homer by Jose Iglesias was his first for the Red Sox in eight years.
* When reliever Kaleb Ort made his major league debut for the Sox in the eighth, he became the 33rd pitcher used by the Sox this season, extending a club record. He's also the 10th player to make his MLB debut for the Sox this season.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Mariners play the second game of their series Tuesday at 10:10 p.m., with RHP Nathan Eovaldi (10-8, 3.57) vs, LHP Tyler Anderson (6-9, 4.20)