All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Pirates, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Sox can't do anything with Brubaker: Pirates starter J.T. Brubaker came into the game with a 2-10 record and 4.45 ERA, but you wouldn't have known it by the way he manhandled the Red Sox lineup, allowing just two hits over seven shutout innings to earn just his third victory of the season. Brubaker didn't issue a single walk, either, and got the Red Sox to chase pitches for most of the night, consistently expanding the strike zone. Both hits off Brubaker were singles and the Sox never really threatened him. Thanks to a couple of double plays, the Red Sox sent just one batter over the minimum to the plate for the first six innings. Finally, in the late innings, the Red Sox put a little pressure on the Pittsburgh bullpen in the eighth inning, sending eight hitters to the plate. But without a big blow -- all three of their hits in the eighth were singles -- the Sox were incapable of digging out from the deep hole they had dug for themselves.
Winckowski falters: Josh Winckowski was coming off a pretty good stretch that had seen him throw 15.2 innings over his last three starts, during which he allowed just six runs. But by the fifth inning Thursday night at PNC Park, Winckowski had allowed six runs to the light-hitting Pirates, thanks in no small part to two two-run homers belted by Bryan Reynolds. The issue with Winckowski remains the same -- because he doesn't have wipeout stuff with which to miss a lot of bats, he has to induce weak contact. When he misses and the ball is hit hard, it's likely to be more damaging precisely because he can't rely on strikeouts. "I definitely walk a tighter rope than most guys, I feel like,'' acknowledged Winckowski. "I know my miss rate is definitely Guys put the ball in play against me, so that amplifies hits. And when home runs happen, they tend not to be solo (shots). It's definitely something I'm working on.''
TURNING POINT
Maybe the Red Sox should have known what was in store for them in the top of the second inning. After Alex Verdugo led off with a single to right, giving the Sox their first baserunner, he was quickly -- and easily -- erased at second on a strike-'em-out-throw-'em-out double play, with J.D. Martinez swinging through strike three and Verdugo out by 10 feet at second base. It's unclear whether it was a hit-and-run or a straight steal, but either way, it fizzled and the Sox didn't get a baseunner to second base again until the seventh inning.
ONE UP
Xander Bogaerts: The offense was stifled from top to bottom, but Bogaerts at least figured out a way to get on base three times with a single, walk and a hit batsman.
TWO DOWN
J.D. Martinez: Martinez hasn't been able to pull himself out of the offensive doldrums. His four walks in the first two games looked like a good sign, but Thursday, Martinez was 0-for-4 and couldn't get the ball out of the infield.
Christian Arroyo: One of the more consistent hitters in the lineup the last two weeks, Arroyo had one of his worst games in months, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"We're not going to win every game, either. It's going to happen. It's disappointing, but we took two-of-three. Now, we've got Baltimore, Toronto and Tampa Bay. Now, you've got to win series. To gain ground, these other teams are ahead of us. It's time to go.'' Alex Cora.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* The two homers off Josh Winckowski marked the third time this season he allowed multiple homers.
* The loss dropped the Red Sox to 30-30 on the road this season.
* Boston is now 8-10 in interleague play this season.
* The Red Sox had just three at-bats with runners in scoring position for the entire game.
* The Red Sox failed to hit a single home run in the entire three-game series.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox move on to the second stop of their road trip with a 7:05 game in Baltimore. They'll send RHP Kutter Crawford (3-4, 4.18) vs. RHP Jordan Lyles (9-9, 4.18).