All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Royals, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Bullpen lights flame: The Red Sox had tied the game in the top of the seventh, when Alex Cora turned to Darwinzon Hernandez to come in for a 3-3 game in the bottom of the inning. To say it didn't go well would be a giant understatement. Hernandez, promoted from Worcester earlier in the day, walked the No. 9 hitter to start, then allowed two singles and a homer. Four batters faced, four runners scored. There was some dispute over whether Salvador Perez had cleared the fence in the front of the left field foul pole -- it was ruled a homer on the field, then upheld as part of a crew chief review -- but even if Perez had been given a double, the Royals would still have scored three runs in that inning. Cora said he wanted a lefty with the first two hitters lefthanded that inning, but with nine outs to go, it seems like that would have the spot for either Garrett Whitlock or John Schreiber. When a game's on the line, Cora's usually pretty attuned to going for it, but that wasn't the case Thursday night, as he several times noted to reporters in Kansas City that the Sox have three more games to play in the series. That's true, but this one seemed in the grasp until Hernandez blew things up.
Pivetta still off: Nick Pivetta's up-and-down season continued. Pivetta was brilliant in May and June, and awful in both April and July. In his first August outing, Pivetta was somewhere in between. Over five innings, he allowed three runs -- which wasn't great, but wasn't terrible. After the Sox provided him with a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, he handed the Royals the lead back when he allowed two in the bottom of the inning, including one on a homer to leadoff hitter M.J. Melendez. He then pitches out of trouble in the second, stranding two and then retiring six of the next seven. But he got back into trouble in the fifth, in part because he issued a leadoff walk to No. 9 hitter Nicky Lopez, who came around to score on a two-out single by Salvador Perez. "
Hosmer makes Sox debut: It was undoubtedly an emotional day for first baseman Eric Hosmer. Not only was he joining his new team, the Red Sox, but he was also back in Kansas City for the first time since 2017, where he had begun his major league career and was part of the 2015 World Champion Royals team. Hosmer took part in a press conference in the afternoon, then watched a video tribute the Royals presented before the start of the game. He then got a standing ovation at the plate when he hit for the first time, in the first inning, hugging former teammate Salvador Perez as he got into the box. As for the game itself, Hosmer was 0-for-3 with a walk. In his first at-bat, he tagged a ball that fell two feet shy of the wall in deep center, and later hit the ball hard on a lineout to right. He also demonstrated that he'll provide tough at-bats, as he saw a total of 30 pitches across his four plate appearances.
TURNING POINT
This wasn't a single point, but rather two: In the span of three innings, the Red Sox twice opened an inning by issuing a walk to No. 9 hitter Nicky Lopez, a light-hitting shortstop batting .249. And both times, Lopez came around to score. That's asking for trouble, and both times, Lopez provided it once he got on base.
TWO UP
Matt Barnes: It wasn't the most high-leverage of spots, but Matt Barnes was impressive in his first outing in the big leagues in more than two months, retiring the Royals in order on nine pitches in the sixth inning.
Christian Arroyo: Arroyo continued to rake, leading off the second inning with a single, then cracking a two-out double and scoring a run in the seventh.
TWO DOWN
J.D. Martinez: Martinez was given the day off Wednesday, but the rest didn't do much good. Martinez was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in four plate appearances.
Xander Bogaerts: Bogaerts, like Martinez hitting directly behind him, was without a hit, and also struck out twice in four trips.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"I was very surprised to thrown out of that one. I was pretty calm, asking what happened, and he threw me out.'' Alex Cora, on his seventh-inning ejection by Bill Welke.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* The loss was only the ninth this season for the Red Sox in a game when facing a lefty starting pitcher.
* The loss dropped the Sox to 27-27 on the road.
* Eric Hosmer became the 14th player this season to make his debut in a Red Sox uniform.
* The Royals stole four bases against the Red Sox.
UP NEXT: In the second game of the four-game series, the Red Sox will go with RHP Josh Winckowski (4-5, 5.00) vs. RHP Zack Greinke (3-6, 4.41) at 8:10 p.m.