All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Twins, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Red Sox pitchers can't throw strikes: In the early going of their 8-4 win at Fenway, the Minnesota Twins pounded Nick Pivetta pretty hard, collecting five hits in the first two, including a two-run shot into the Monster Seats by Miguel Sano. But for much of the afternoon, they got plenty of help from a Red Sox pitching staff that couldn't stay in the strike zone. The Sox issued eight walks on the afternoon -- and hit two other Minnesota hitters. Of the eight players who walks, four came around to score. That alone helped account for the margin of victory. Of the six pitchers utilized by the Sox, Ryan Brasier, who worked a perfect seventh with three strikeouts, didn't issue a single walk.
Defense didn't help In the first week, the Red Sox defense had shown significant improvement over a season ago, with the left side of the infield offering improved range. But that wasn't the case in the home opener. In the first inning, shortstop Xander Bogaerts drifted back on a routine pop up to shallow left, and, either peeled off to give way to left field Alex Verdugo, or lost the ball in the afternoon sun. Either way, the ball dropped in and the Twins were off to a 1-0 lead. Later, with the infield drawn in and Twins baserunners at second and third, Gary Sanchez managed to snake a ball through the infield and out of the outstretched hands of Bogaerts, whose diving effort proved futile. Later still, Kike Hernandez tracked a ball into the triangle in the deepest part of the ballpark and had the ball nestle into his glove, before he then juggled it and dropped it for a two-base error.
Sox slow to start with bats: For the third time in the last four games, the Sox couldn't get out of the gate with their offense. As happened twice in Detroit, the Sox barely did anything with the bats in the early going, limited to just one run in the first seven innings. Some credit goes to Twins starter Joe Ryan, who worked ahead in the count consistently and attacked them a little differently than they had expected, but the Sox weren't sustaining anything at the plate. Only once in the first seven innings did they send more than four batters to the plate in the same inning and their only run in that time was a solo homer (Verdugo). That creates the additional problem of falling behind early in games, and having to spend the rest of the game attempting to catch up -- not exactly a recipe for success.
TURNING POINT
In the fourth inning, trailing 4-1, it finally seemed as though the Red Sox were showing life against Twins starter Joe Ryan. After a couple of singles the Sox had runners at the corners and one out for Alex Verdugo, who had homered in his first at-bat off Ryan. But Verdugo rolled into a rally-killing 4-6-3 double play and the Red Sox didn't manage another run until after Ryan was out of the game.
TWO UP
Rafael Devers: Devers had an infield hit, then golfed a two-run home run in the eighth inning as one of the few offensive highlights of the day for the Red Sox.
Phillips Valdez: Valdez was sharp in relief of Nick Pivetta, giving the Red Sox two scoreless innings from the third through the fourth while racking up four strikeouts along the way.
TWO DOWN
Xander Bogaerts: After misplaying a fairly routine popup in the first Bogaets proceeded to go 0-for-4 at the plate with three strikeouts and since Opening Day is 2-for-18 with eight strikeouts.
Hirokazu Sawamura: In two innings of relief work, tasked with keeping the Twins within reach, Sawamura allowed two more runs on two hits with two walks.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"It's really disappointing on my part. I want to go out there and pitch really well, not only for my teammates, but for the fans the city of Boston as well. This is where it stops, here, and I have to continue to move forward the next time.'' Starter (and losing pitcher) Nick Pivetta.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* Devers extended his hitting streak to all seven games this season, and dating back to the end of last season, a dozen, a career high.
* Devers has seven RBI in the first seven games.
* While the Red Sox issued eight walks as a staff, Red Sox hitters didn't work a single walk.
* Jackie Bradley Jr. has three doubles in his last two games.
* J.D. Martinez has hit safely in all seven games to date.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Twins play the second game of their series Saturday at 4:10 p.m. with RHP Tanner Houck (0-0, 8.10) vs. RHP Sonny Gray (0-0, 3.86)