All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Brewers, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Sad streak continues: Sunday is July 31, the final day of the month. For the first 30 days of July, the Red Sox did not have a starting pitcher earn a win in a single game all month. (Only twice before has that happened -- the Pirates earlier this year and the Detroit Tigers in 1996. That streak was never really in jeopardy Saturday as Nick Pivetta allowed a run in the first and another in the second. After the Sox got a run back in the second, Pivetta gave two more back in the top of the fifth on a homer into the Monster Seats by former Sox outfielder Hunter Renfroe. It appeared that perhaps Pivetta had turned a corner with his last outing when he allowed just one run over 5.2 innings. But clearly, Pivetta still has things to work through, as he left a lot of hittable pitches over the middle of the plate, pounded for nine hits in just five innings of work.
Martinez slumping: If the Red Sox are intent on dealing veteran DH J.D. Martinez, he's not helping his trade value at all this weekend. With some scouts in town to take a last look before the trade deadline, Martinez had another hitless afternoon, going 0-for-3. He's now without a hit in his last 23 at-bats, with his average dipping to .287. He's also without a hit in the second half of the season. Martinez missed the first four games after the All-Star break, and has since gone 0-for-17. He did, however, manage an RBI with a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. That represented his first run batted in since July 11. It's hard to know what this last week has done to Martinez's value -- opposing teams could excuse it as a result of the missed time, or lingering issues with his back spasms. But one thing's for sure -- it's hard to get a bidding war going for a guy who hasn't homered in three weeks and doesn't have a hit since before the break.
Bullpen can't keep it close: Trailing 4-1 when starter Nick Pivetta left the game after 99 pitches and five innings, the Sox couldn't keep the score there. Kaleb Ort allowed a run in the seventh and Jake Diekman and Ryan Brasier combined to allow another run in the eighth. Just when the Sox appeared as though they might be mounting a comeback -- they had scored three runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh -- the bullpen allowed the Brewers to add on. Worse, Diekman hit the first batter he faced -- Milwaukee's No. 8 hitter -- then issued a walk to No. 9 hitter Tyrone Taylor. It's one thing to be hit around and allow runs, but issuing free passes as Diekman did only makes the outing feel worse. The onslaught didn't end there -- Brasier allowed an inherited run in the eighth before allowing two doubles and another run in the top of the ninth before Hirokazu Sawamura allowed a blast by Taylor into the CF bleachers. That's five runs off the bullpen in the final three innings.
TURNING POINT
Mounting a comeback effort in the seventh, the Sox had two runs in already in the inning and baserunners at first and third and just one out. But the best they could get from slumping cleanup hitter J.D. Martinez was a sacrifice fly to right field before Alex Verdugo ripped a hard, low line drive toward first that landed in the glove of Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez, ending the inning with a runner stranded. The Sox never threatened again.
TWO UP
Christian Vazquez: Playing first base again, Vazquez did a nice job defensively by cutting down a run at the plate with a good throw in the first inning and contributing two singles at the plate.
Christian Arroyo: Arroyo, reinstated from the IL after missing almost two weeks with a groin strain, returned to start at second base and had a big day at the plate with a team-high three hits.
TWO DOWN
Bobby Dalbec: Dalbec has looked far better at the plate of late with a number of hard-hit balls on this homestand, but Saturday represented a regression as he went 0-for-4 with groundouts, a pop-up and a strikeout.
Jarren Duran: Duran actually got on base twice (walk, single) which would ordinarily by a good day. However, after drawing a leadoff walk in the first, he found himself quickly picked off first -- without diving back into the bag and on a very short lead.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"We've been talking about, we need to get to the next level. It seems like we haven't been able to do that throughout the season -- let's be honest. We take a few steps forward and a lot of steps back. We've been very inconsistent.'' Alex Cora.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* Nick Pivetta's ERA for the month of July is 9.38.
* The Sox fell to 6-8 in interleague play this season.
* The Brewers stole two bases in two tries as Kevin Plawecki has thrown out one would-be base-stealer in 21 attempts.
* In their first nine games after the All-Star break, the Red Sox have scored more than four runs just twice -- and one came in a game in which they still lost by 23 runs.
* Ryan Brasier has allowed 10 of 17 inherited baserunners to score after allowing a sac fly to the first batter he faced in the eighth inning.
UP NEXT
The teams wrap up their weekend interleague series Sunday at 1:35 p.m. with RHP Josh Winckowski (3-5, 5.18) vs. LHP Aaron Ash (2-8, 4.38).