All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Reds, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Seabold struggles: Rookie righthander Connor Seabold got his first start in the big leagues in more than two months and while he didn't exactly make the most of the opportunity, he was the victim of some pretty tough luck as well. Early in the outing, Seabold flashed an impressive changeup and piled up some swing-and-misses. But he became his own worst enemy as the game progressed, with a costly walk, hit batsman and a record-tying four wild pitches -- every one of them on changeups. The Reds didn't hit a lot of balls hard against him, but they a few were well-placed -- groundballs that slipped through the infield, and in particular, a blooper that just barely reached the outfield grass and fell in for two runs. Still, Seabold can't afford to give baserunners a free 90-foot advance by bouncing pitches past his catcher as often as he did.
Offense dips: Go ahead and try to figure out the Red Sox' offense. On Sunday, they pounded out 20 hits and scored 13 runs. On Tuesday, they made the most of their hits with three homers. But on Wednesday, the Red Sox couldn't get anything going at the plate. They finished with six hits, every one of them a single. The only run came in the fourth when Rafael Devers singled to a vacated hole at third, moved to third on a single to left by Xander Bogaerts and rode home on a sac fly to center from Alex Verdugo. Over the final five innings, the Sox had just four more baserunners and only got one as far as scoring position. What's more, after displaying a more disciplined approach of late, they didn't earn a single walk all night.
Struggles mount for Casas: Back in the lineup against a righthanded starter, Triston Casas continued to struggle at the plate. True, he did hit a ball well to the warning track in right to lead off the fifth, but he finished the night 0-for-3 and is now hitless in his last 16 at-bats. No one expected Casas to come up and set the game on fire in September and it's encouraging that he's shown some strike zone knowledge (six walks). But at some point, the Sox need to see better performance than the 3-for-38 that the hulking first baseman has shown them.
TURNING POINT
In 1-1 game in the bottom of the fifth and a runner on second, Seabold struck out Reds catcher Chuckie Robinson and was an out away from getting out of the inning. But next came up a walk, a stolen base, a soft single to center, a wild pitch and blooper just beyond the infield dirt scoring two more and the Reds had themselves a quiet three-run inning.
TWO UP
Rafael Devers: Devers has been on a tear of late, though his two hits Wednesday weren't exactly thumped -- both were opposite-field rollers toward third, made possible by the infield shift deployed by the Reds.
Xander Bogaerts: All eyes will be on Bogaerts this weekend as he attempts to thwart Aaron Judge's bid for the AL Triple Crown. Bogaerts got some momentum with two singles in four plate appearances to finish the night at .31.
TWO DOWN
Tommy Pham: Pham was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts at the plate, and his off-line throw to the plate in the third inning not only failed to cut down a run, it got past catcher Reese McGuire allowing the batter/runner to move into scoring position.
Franklin German: German struggled mightily in his major league debut Saturday and was only marginally better Wednesday, allowing a long solo homer in his only inning of work.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"I thought I made a lot of good pitches, got a lot of soft contact tonight. I think it was six singles and I don't think any of them were hit over 85 mph. They just put them in the right spot. There's not a whole lot I can do about that. It's just tough luck.'' Connor Seabold.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* Connor Seabold tied a record for most wild pitches in a game (4) for Red Sox pitchers, matching Daisuke Matsuzaka (2009) and Milt Gaston (1929).
* The Sox finished with a losing record against National League teams, going 9-11 in interleague play for the season.
* Rafael Devers extended his hitting streak to six consecutive games.
UP NEXT: The Red Sox move on to New York for a four-game series against the Yankees. The Sox will send RHP Michael Wacha (11-1, 2.61) in the first game vs. RHP Jameson Taillon (13-5, 4.04) at 7:15 p.m.