All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Orioles, complete with BSJ analysis and insight.
HEADLINES
Offense again non-existent: In dropping their fifth game in the last six, the culprit wasn't hard to find: the offense. In each of those five losses, the Red Sox scored three runs or fewer. Things looked promising when Kike Hernandez hit a homer on the first pitch of the night. But the Sox only had two more hits through the sixth inning. When they finally managed to score their only other run of the night, it had as much to do with the Baltimore bullpen as anything Sox hitters did. Following a leadoff double by J.D. Martinez in the seventh, reliever Joey Krehbiel issued a walk and two wild pitches to produce a run. The only other hit of the night came in the ninth when Hunter Renfroe reached on an infield single off the glove of shortstop Pat Valaika. In their two losses in this series, matched against the worst pitching staff in the American League, the Sox totaled eight hits.
One pitch proves costly for Pivetta: As was the case with the Sox' lineup, things started well for Nick Pivetta. He struck out the side in the first, then retired the Orioles in order in the second, too. But he seemed to lose the strike zone temporarily in the third, allowing a leadoff walk followed by a single. He also threw two wild pitches as he frequently spiked breaking balls in the dirt that catcher Kevin Plawecki. Pivetta seemed to be on the verge of getting out of trouble when he got the next two hitters looking at called strike three, but a pitch on the inner half to Ryan Mountcastle was hammered into the left field seats for a three-run homer. The Orioles never looked back after that. "It was the right pitch, right location,'' insisted Pivetta. "He was just able to keep his hands in and put a really good swing on the ball.'' Pivetta would go to record five more outs and left after 5.2 innings, but by then the damage had been done.
TURNING POINT
In retrospect, it came in the very first inning. Hernandez hit the first pitch of the game out of the park for a quick Boston lead, and one out later, a walk and a single gave the Sox two baserunners with one out and J.D. Martinez at the plate. It seemed that Baltimore starter Alexander Wells, who came into the game with a 7.61, was quickly on the ropes. He fell behind Martinez 3-and-0 before Martinez swung at a hanging breaking ball and flied out to center. Had Martinez made better contact, the Sox may have been on their way to a big first inning and who knows whether Wells would have unraveled? Instead, he got the next out, too, and went on to retire 14 of the next 15 hitters he faced.
ONE UP
Kyle Schwarber: He had only one hit -- a single in the third -- but did work two walks and reached base three times, which is more than can be said about anyone else in the Sox lineup.
TWO DOWN
Xander Bogaerts: The Red Sox shortstop had a first inning walk, but after that, went 0-for-3, including hitting into two inning-ending double play.
Garrett Richards: In an inning of relief, Richards uncorked two wild pitches and allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"They outplayed us here. It's a bad time to be doing that, playing worse than the Orioles.'' Xander Bogaerts.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* Hunter Renfroe extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
* Kike Hernandez hit his sixth leadoff homer of the year. In Red Sox history, only Nomar Garciaparra (seven in 1997) has ever hit more in a single season.
* Matt Barnes made his 384th career appearance, moving him into a tie with Derek Lowe for fifth most in team history.
* The Red Sox have a losing record (26-27) since Aug. 1.
UP NEXT: The Red Sox move on to Washington, D.C. Friday for the final series of the year, with LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (11-8, 4.93) vs. LHP Josh Rogers (2-1, 2.73) at 7:05 p.m.