All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Tigers, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Brasier loses battle: The Red Sox bullpen has performed superbly on the young season, with just one earned run allowed in its first 13 innings of work through the first three games. But that hot streak ended in a hurry in the eighth inning of a 1-1 game. Tied with the Tigers, Austin Davis allowed a leadoff single to Austin Meadows. The Sox then summoned righty Ryan Brasier to face Javier Baez, and when Brasier tried to beat the powerful infielder with a fastball at the letters, Baez unleashed a fearsome swing and drove the pitch deep to left field for a two-run homer that proved to be the difference in the game. Noting that it was the fourth straight fastball of the at-bat, manager Alex Cora noted: "It feels like Javy was just trying to beat him to the spot and he did.'' Until then, the bullpen had again done all it had been asked, with Matt Strahm, Matt Barnes and Austin Davis providing eight outs and allowing just one baserunner between them before the eighth inning. But in a close game, one mistake can be critical and Brasier couldn't execute against Baez when he needed to.
Offense slow to get going: After scoring five runs in an Opening Day loss, the Red Sox offense has cooled considerably, with just seven runs in the last three games. The Red Sox are getting nothing out of the leadoff spot, very little from the No. 3 hole, and almost zero from the final four spots in the batting order. On Monday, they didn't have so much as a baserunner until J.D. Martinez homered to lead off the fifth. That remained the only Sox player to reach base until the seventh inning. "When you see us hitting flyballs and fouling off fastballs,'' said Cora, "the fastball was getting on us.'' In the big picture, there's little doubt the Sox will mash this season. They were fifth in baseball in runs scored a year ago and might be even better this year, but it hasn't manifested itself yet as a number of hitters are mired in early-season funks.
Story time delayed: When the Red Sox sat second baseman Trevor Story Sunday night with an illness, the expectation was that he would be available for the series opener in Detroit. Instead, Story stayed back in New York after the Sox chartered out after the game, and didn't arrive until about gametime and was given the night off. Asked after the loss about Story's availability for the middle game of the series Tuesday, Alex Cora noted that Story was still weakened by his illness and was doubtful and said the Sox were instead hoping to have back in the lineup for Wednesday's road trip finale.
TURNING POINT
In both the seventh and eighth innings, after being held to just one hit over the first six innings, the Red Sox produced leadoff base hits in a tie-game. But in the seventh, after Rafael Devers singled to start things, he never advanced as the Sox produced two strikeouts and a flyout. In the eighth, a leadoff single by Christian Vazquez was similarly wasted when he was erased on a fielder's choice.
TWO UP
J.D. Martinez: Martinez supplied the only run of the game for the Sox with his leadoff homer in the fifth, then crushed the ball in the ninth, driving it to the warning track in right before it was hauled in for the final out of the game.
Matt Barnes: After being held out of the series in New York with a bad back, Barnes made his first appearance of the season, tossing a scoreless sixth inning. He threw four fastballs -- 93 mph, 94 mph, 94 mph and 95 mph -- and seemingly answered any questions about whether he could recover his velocity after he had a lifeless fastball in spring training.
TWO DOWN
Xander Bogaerts: After a strong Opening Day, Bogaerts has been slumping since at the plate. He was 0-for-4 Monday, with two strikeouts, a groundout and a routine flyout.
Ryan Brasier: For the second straight game, Brasier failed to retire the first batter he faced with a baserunner on. In happened in relief of Tanner Houck Sunday night and again Monday when he was victimized by the two-run homer from Baez.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"It's not about travel. It's about that guy (Detroit starter Matt Manning) and the other guys who came in. They did an amazing job. -- Alex Cora, declining to use the Red Sox' 4 a.m. arrival in Detroit this morning as an excuse for the loss.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* The homer by J.D. Martinez was his 60th of his career at Comerica Park. Fenway (61) is the only ballpark where Martinez has hit more home runs.
* Two Red Sox outfielders are still searching for their first base hits of the season. Kike Hernandez is without a hit in 17 at-bats while Jackie Bradley Jr. has begun the year 0-for-9.
* Rafael Devers (single, double) has hit safely in all four games to date.
* For the first time this season, Alex Verdugo failed to reach base.
* Matt Barnes made his 2022 debut, meaning that all 15 pitchers on the staff have now appeared in a game.
UP NEXT
The series continues with another afternoon start-time, as the Red Sox send LHP Rich Hill out to face LHP Tyler Alexander at 1:10 p.m,