BSJ Game Report: Phillies 6, Red Sox 1 - Streak ends as lineup, bullpen come up short

All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Phillies, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

All good things must come to an end: The streak is ... over.

After winning their last eight games — the team's longest win streak since July 2021 — the Red Sox regressed to the mean in this one. Everything that had been working for them — namely offense and the bullpen (they again got good-enough starting pitching) — let them down.

The offense managed just five hits, two from Masataka Yoshida, against starter Taijuan Walker (3-2), Jose Alvardo and former Sox lefty Matt Strahm, who didn't allow a run in the final two innings.

And the bullpen, which had been unreal during the streak, let them down as Richard Bleier allowed a two-run bomb to old friend Kyle Schwarber, who picked a rough time to break out of a horrendous slump that dropped him from leadoff to the five-hole and produced a 2-for-3, 3-RBI day.

Later, Zack Littell, in his debut after being acquired in a deal from the Rangers, made this one a no-doubter late as he allowed two hits, walked two and yielded two runs in the eighth.

Cora's move backfired: Despite Tanner Houck only being at 74 pitches in the sixth inning, Alex Cora elected to lift Houck for the lefty Bleier against Schwarber, and the former Sox slugger almost immediately deposited the ball 434 feet away and gave Philly a 4-1 lead.

“Today, (Houck) was very efficient. He did a good job," Cora told reporters. "It’s just a matchup we didn’t like late in the game and we went with our lefty. It just didn’t pay off. ... In that spot, we recognized Kyle before the inning started. If he gets there, it’s Bleier there. Tried to go in (with a sinker), left it over the plate and he hit the ball out of the ballpark.”

Might want to rethink that matchup. Lefties are batting .444 against Bleier (two homers); righties .184.

“If you go back to the one in Tampa, there were a lot of ground balls,” Cora said of Bleier against lefties. “He’s not giving up damage. ... I don’t think he’s struggling but that one, obviously he wanted it in. It stayed over the plate. And that’s what Kyle does.”

Cora said that Houck, who had another rough fourth inning as the first five hitters reach, would stay in the rotation even with James Paxton set to be activated Tuesday. Boston could go to a six-man rotation.

SECOND GUESS, PART II

How does Ramiel Tapia get thrown out stealing with Rafael Devers up in the fourth inning?

THREE UP

Masataka Yoshida: Extended his hit streak to 16 games, the longest active streak in the majors. He is the 6th player born in Japan to record a hitting streak of 16+ games, joining Ichiro Suzuki (14x), Hideki Matsui (2x), Nori Aoki, Shohei Ohtani and So Taguchi.

Triston Casas: Hit his fourth home run of the season (416 feet to dead center) to extend his on-base streak to 18 games, tied for the third-longest active streak in the majors at the end of today’s game

Conor Wong: Threw out two more would-be base stealers. 

TWO DOWN

Zack Littell: He retired two of the first three batters he faced, including Bryce Harper on a great diving play by Tapie, around a walk. Then Nick Castellanos doubled, Schwarber was intentionally walked, JT Realmuto drove in two with a single. Imagine if Tapia didn't snag that ball. Could have been real ugly.

Alex Verdugo: Cooled off with an 0-for-4 with team-high two strikeouts.

NOTEWORTHY

The Red Sox placed INF Christian Arroyo (right hamstring strain) on the 10-day IL and recalled INF Bobby Dalbec from Triple-A Worcester. Dalbec struck out swinging as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning.

UP NEXT

After an off day Monday, Boston starts a two-game series at Atlanta on Tuesday night with RHP Nick Pivetta (2-2, 4.99) against RHP Charlie Morton (3-3, 3.38).