All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss against the Royals, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
German exits without an out: Alex Cora started the afternoon previewing recalled right-hander Franklin German, assured by his 98-99 mile per hour fastball, but acknowledging his off-speed pitches needed some work. The Red Sox designated catcher Kevin Plawecki for assignment after three seasons with the team to promote German on Friday. He debuted in the sixth inning after starter Rich Hill (L, 7-7) allowed four runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings pitched, walking Edward Olivares on five pitches after trying out his slider for a pair of balls before his fastball went wide to go behind 3-1. Michael Massey fouled off three straight 98 mph fastballs, singling to right on the sixth pitch, then Hunter Dozier walked on a 3-2 count to load the bases after a pair of off-speed German pitches hit the dirt. Nate Eaton drove in Olivares to push the Royals ahead 5-0 and knock German out of the game without recording an out, then all three runners scored on right-hander Eduard Bazardo on a fielder's coach and pair of RBI singles. Kansas City led 8-0 and German left his debut with an infinite ERA. German said he needs to attack more next outing.
"I think the secondary pitches, we'll take a look at it, but it seems like (the Royals) never offered to him when they were away or non-competitive," Cora said post-game. "But at the end of the, like I said, he's a big-leaguer and we'll go from here and make it better."
Missed opportunity: The bottom of the Sox order loaded the bases on Royals starter Brady Singer to start the third inning on a single from Kiké Hernández, four-pitch walk from shortstop Yu Chang in his debut at bat, and infield hit from catcher Connor Wong after trailing 2-0. Tommy Pham flew out on a first-pitch slider, Rafael Devers watched a sinker catch the inside of the zone for strike three, staring down home plate umpire Dan Merzel in disbelief before J.D. Martínez popped out in foul territory on a 1-1 count to end the inning. Boston only recorded three hits the rest of the way, Singer riding his sinker to six shutout innings as Kansas City retired 12 of the final 13 Sox batters, including 11 straight between the sixth and ninth innings.
"Tommy (Pham) got a pitch he can handle," Cora said post-game. "That slider was a good pitch to hit, he missed it. (Singer) made a pitch on (Devers) with two strikes to put him back. Then J.D., he got beat on a fastball, but too many of those, we had a chance to cash in there and get closer in the game and then we didn't do it and they kept putting good at bats (together)."
Goodbye Plawecki: Plawecki became the latest Sox veteran designated for assignment in what's become a revolving door at the back of the active roster in the second half of the season. Cora said pre-game that it was a difficult decision, but a forward-facing one for the franchise by promoting a reliever prospect in German who had succeeded between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester this season. Plawecki hit .270 in three seasons in Boston across 148 games, Cora comparing him to important Red Sox role players like himself and Brock Holt, crediting his conversations with former backstop partner Christian Vázquez to becoming better behind the plate. The team gathered to send off Plawecki after Friday's win. Hill called his loss a big hit to the locker room.
"You can't call up 15 guys like in the past," Cora said. "We love him, he's been amazing, he was great, not only on the field and in the clubhouse, but also in the community. His family fell in love with the city. He was a huge part of what we did last year, the double against (Gerrit) Cole in that wild card game, and a lot of things that he did offensively and defensively, calling games and having a presence behind the plate."
TURNING POINT
Hill nearly finished five solid innings, recording the first out of the inning on Eaton before putting MJ Melendez on base with a single, who stole second base. Bobby Witt Jr. drove in Melendez four pitches later to make it 3-0, Hill got Salvador Perez to fly out to left field, then Alex Verdugo dropped a Vinnie Pasquantino fly ball in right field and allowed Witt Jr. to round the bases. A 4-0 deficit looked daunting for a flat Sox offense, and one inning later German's collapse made Kansas City's lead insurmountable.
TWO UP
Kiké Hernández: Put the in position to strike in the third inning with a leadoff single to start the third inning then hit another to start the fifth inning, but got left on base again.
Yu Chang: Played solid defense at shortstop after allowing a third inning infield single to Nate Eaton, who scored the first Royals run. He recorded a walk in his first Red Sox at bat to help load the bases in the third inning, but would not score.
TWO DOWN
Tommy Pham: A pair of first-pitch outs against Singer's slider proved costly with the bases loaded and no outs in the third inning and with Hernández on and two outs in the fifth before the Sox fell behind 8-0. This one's on the pitching staff, but Pham's 0-4 showing and a 1-12 finish from the top of the order gave Boston no chance to compete regardless of runs allowed.
Alex Verdugo: His dropped ball to finish the fifth inning took Hill out of the game, took a 3-0 game to 4-0, then the afternoon spiraled from there. Somehow the scorer reversed the initial call of an error against him, but Verdugo nonetheless finished the game 0-4 and got caught stealing running before Singer's pitch in the second inning after reaching on an error. Christian Arroyo got a hit after and Triston Casas grounded into a double play, another lost opportunity for the starving offense.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"What everybody sees on the field and in the dug, what you don't realize is the humanity side of this game and we're not just numbers. We're human beings and removing a guy like (Plawecki) from the clubhouse is a big hit for a lot of guys." Rich Hill
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
*German recorded a rare infinite ERA to start his MLB career with four earned runs allowed in 0.0 IP.
*Devers fell to .224 over his last 30 games as his second-half slump continues.
*Casas' 0-4 day lowered his average to .094 through his first 32 MLB at bats.
*Hill's ERA increased to 5.08 over his last seven starts in the losing effort.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox will play the final game of their weekend series with the Royals, sending RHP Nick Pivetta (9-11, 4.31) vs. LHP Kris Bubic (2-12, 5.55) at 1:35 p.m. on Sunday.