All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Orioles, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Hill shelled: The night began poorly for starter Rich Hill, who, for the second time in the last three starts, encountered some problems tipping pitches in the first inning as the Orioles jumped on him for two hits and two runs. Even after those were corrected, Hill's night didn't get any better. He wiggled out of a first-and-third jam in the second before some more hard-hit balls in the third led to two more runs. He finally had a 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, but in the fifth, the first two batters reached and he was given the hook. In all, he was charged with six runs, marking a string of 78 straight starts in which he had allowed four earned runs or fewer -- the longest MLB streak since Greg Maddux had a 106-game stretch from 1991-94. Hill said after the game that about half the pitches didn't come out of his hand the way he had wished, indicating that he's got some work to do on his mechanics.
Lineup squelched: The Red Sox managed a grand total of just four hits -- their fewest in more than a month -- and never threatened the Orioles. Two of the four hits -- a double by Christian Vazquez and a single from defensive replacement Bobby Dalbec -- came long after the game had been decided. The Sox had just finished up a stretch of games in which they had collected seven or more hits in the previous 11 games, but not Monday, when Baltimore starter Tyler Wells befuddled them for the first six innings and three relievers then took an inning each to continue more of the same. Only twice all night did the Sox get a baserunner in scoring position, and just once they did have anyone reach third base.
More personnel losses in bullpen: A few days ago, the Red Sox had to place Hansel Robles on the IL with back spasms. It looks as though it might be a while before he returns. Then, just before gametime Monday, the Sox placed Matt Strahm on the COVID-19 IL, and replaced him with Hirokazu Sawamura. Strahm hadn't tested positive before the game, but he was showing symptoms. There's no telling how long he could be lost, but given that he's been one of the few consistent weapons out of the bullpen, the Sox can hardly afford to be without effective relievers. As it is, injuries have forced the Sox to recall two pitchers -- Ryan Brasier and Sawamura -- who were optioned out recently because they weren't performing. They're back, but only because there aren't better options in the system.
TURNING POINT
The Red Sox were already behind 4-0 in the fifth inning when Hill allowed a leadoff walk and a double. He was then lifted, and the Sox turned to Hirokazu Sawamura, who allowed both inherited runners to score -- the first on a sacrifice fly, the second on a groundout to third. By then, it was 6-0 and the way the offense was going, that proved insurmountable.
TWO UP
Christian Vazquez: He's arguably been the team's hottest hitter over the last two weeks and that continued with an opposite-field line-drive double in the eighth inning.
Xander Bogaerts: Along with Vazquez, he had the only other extra-base hit for the Red Sox -- a two-out double in the fourth that was squandered.
TWO DOWN
Top Three in the Order: The trio of Kike Hernandez, Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez combined to go 0-for-11, and as a result, the Red Sox could never get anything going offensively all night.
Matt Barnes: Looking to get him some work to continue to pitch through things. the Sox gave Barnes the ninth and he promptly gave up two hard-hit singles and a three-run homer. Clearly, there's a lot to fix still.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"I take ownership for it. Did not pitch well and put us in a big hole to start off, so that's something that, for me, I take a lot of pride in and giving us an opportunity to win. So it's something that's extremely frustrating.'' -- Rich Hill on his outing.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* Xander Bogaerts was 7-for-17 with five RBI in the just-completed five-game series.
* Bobby Dalbec extended his hitting streak to five games with a single to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning.
* With May coming to a close, Christian Vazquez is hitting .356 with a .920 OPS for the month.
* The shutout loss was the third of the season for the Red Sox.
* The six earned runs allowed by Rich Hill were the most he's allowed since April 14, 2018.
UP NEXT
The Cincinnati Reds come to Fenway for the first time since the 2014 season. It's a two-game interleague series, with the first one at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday, featuring RHP Michael Wacha (3-0, 2.83) vs. RHP Luis Castillo (1-2, 4.35)