All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Marlins' 10-1 win over the Red Sox, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Can someone — anyone — tell me what the point of this Red Sox season is?
They have stretches, for about a week, where they appear that they might be capable of putting it all together to make a run at a playoff berth.
And then the next week, they can't do anything: can't pitch, can't hit well enough and certainly can't field like a representative professional baseball club.
The Red Sox, after reaching 39-35 just a week ago, are in one of the latter stretches now. They were blasted 10-1 at home by the Marlins to lose for the fifth time in six games. It was over at 3-0 in the first against one of the best teams in the NL, a league that continues to smoke the Red Sox this season. They are now back at .500 for what seems like the 50th time this season — and we're not even to the All-Star Break.
"Hmmmph," Alex Cora mumbled positively when asked if .500 is about right for his club. "I mean, no more, no less. Like I said, we're not great. We're not bad. We are where we're at obviously. We've got a long ways to go. Tomorrow is halfway game of the season right? And we just gotta be better, man. That's the bottom line. We've got a lot of work to do."
You know what the biggest joke of Tuesday night was, aside from the Red Sox' overall play? The fact that the official scorer didn't give the Red Sox one error. You had Rafael Devers and David Hamilton throwing balls not close to first base. Hamilton dropped a routine high chopper. Triston Casas continued to butcher ground balls and throws. Alex Verdugo sailed a throw from the outfield.
AND NOT ONE ERROR WAS CHARGED TO THE SOX.
No wonder the Red Sox gave up a season-high 19 hits. MLB games are now scored like T-ball games so the offensive stats get boosted. Wouldn't want any feelings hurt — expect the pitchers, apparently, who get hung out to dry. These are supposed to be professional baseball players. They should be expected to field their positions like professionals, not a 12U rec fastpitch softball team (have some experience with that ... and I score those games much harder than this).
How much more of this season do we need to see in order to declare that the Red Sox must be sellers at the trade deadline? When someone shows you repeatedly who they are, then believe them.
This is not a good baseball team. The Red Sox have three players — infielders Marcelo Mayer and Nick Yorke, and pitcher Shane Drohan — playing the All-Star Game's Futures Games, most in the AL. That's great.
Start the future now. Trade off any and all assets you have. Build around the future. Because the present isn't worth anything.
TURNING POINT
The game started great for Garrett Whitlock, as he whiffed MLB batting champ Luis Arráez to lead off the game. Then it was single, two-run homer, double, RBI single. It was 3-0 and it was over at that point.
ONE UP
Alex Verdugo: Had the only RBI hit during the game with his 2 for 3 effort to extend his season-long 13-game hitting streak.
FOUR DOWN
Garrett Whitlock: Set career highs with hits (11) and runs (six) allowed, and also served up two homers. It felt like batting practice at times.
Relief: It's not like Joe Jacques and Justin Garza were much better, as the Sox tried to conserve arms. They combined to allow four earned runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings.
David Hamilton: Next contestant on the "Who's worse at SS?" game was Hamilton, who couldn't catch anything and was 0 for 3 with two whiffs.
Jarren Duran: Was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.
NOTABLE
- Allowed 19+ H for the 1st time since 10/1/22 at TOR (21) and 1st at home since 7/22/22 vs. TOR (29)...Allowed a season-high 10 R for the 5th time (last: 6/8 at CLE).
- Were held to 1 R in back-to-back games for the 3rd time this season (also: 5/14-15 vs. STL and 4/4-5 vs. PIT).
- Casas is hitting .366 (15-for-41, 3 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 4 BB) in his last 11 games.
- Sandy Alcantara retired 12 of his next 15 batters faced through the 4th inning after allowing 2 baserunners and 1 run in the 1st inning.
- Tanner Houck today underwent a successful open reduction and internal fixation of a right orbito-zygomatico-maxillary complex (OZMC) fracture. The procedure was performed by Dr. Branko Bojovic at Mass General Hospital.
UP NEXT
Wednesday, 7:10 p.m.: TBD (likely Kaleb Ort as an opener) vs. LHP Braxton Garrett (3-2, 3.64)
Thursday, 6:10 p.m.: RHP Brayan Bello (5-4, 3.27) vs. LHP Jesus Luzardo (6-5, 3.77)