All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Tigers, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Sox win streak ends at three as Tigers tee off: The Red Sox' winning streak ended at three in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Tigers at Fenway. Boston remains 3.0 games back of Toronto for the final Wild Card Spot in the American League following the Blue Jays' loss earlier. Kerry Carpenter led the way for Detroit with a pair of home runs as part of four on the day for the Tigers with one each coming from Spencer Torkelson and Eric Haase.
Offense sputters behind struggling Bello: Brayan Bello made it through just 4.2 innings, giving up nine hits (two home runs) and four runs (earned). Meanwhile, the Sox didn't muster a hit until the fourth inning, totaling just three going into the seventh inning and four going into the eighth. They were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position, stranding eight in total and leaving five on in scoring position with two outs. Justin Turner (2-for-4, HR, RBI, 2 R) led the way for Boston, who had just two extra-base hits on the day.
TURNING POINT
Top of the fifth: After Nick Maton gifted Boston a run in the bottom of the fourth when he muffed a routine grounder at third, the Red Sox had a chance to get continue to right the ship, down just 2-1, but a two-run top of the fifth for the Tigers put a quick stop to the momentum. Haase picked up his first home run in 32 games on a belt-high cutter from Bello, who then gave up back-to-back singles. Matt Vierling chased Bello from the game when his RBI force-out scored Akil Baddoo to make it 4-1.
ONE UP
Justin Turner: Unsurprisingly, Turner was one of few Red Sox to really bring it at the plate today. Playing through a bone bruise in his left heel, which caused him to miss four straight games and seven of 10, Turner went 2-for-4, including a solo homer. His two runs accounted for all the action Boston had on the scoreboard.
JT blasts his 18th HR of the season. pic.twitter.com/1oAmOP5kJn
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 12, 2023
FIVE DOWN
Brayan Bello: The Red Sox needed length out of Bello, and his pitch count ballooned to 90 pitches before the end of the fifth when Brennan Berardino had to finish off the inning for him. Again susceptible to the home run ball. Leaving a middle-middle slider for Carpenter doesn’t help, either. Feels like that shelling against the A’s broke Bello, at least for now. It just hasn’t been as smooth for him coming out of All-Star, even if he remains pretty serviceable.
Impactful offense: The Red Sox couldn’t muster any sort of meaningful offense, especially against the susceptible Manning. By the time Turner homered in the eight to set up a faux rally, it was too little, too late, once again for the sleepy bats. Since the San Francisco series, the Sox rank 24th in batting average and 27th in OBP, per Red Sox Stats. Boston struck out a season-low one time, but it didn't feel like it, given how quiet the bats were for most of the game.
Alex Verdugo: Batting leadoff for the first time since July 6 didn’t go well for Verdugo, who went 0-for-5 and grounded into the game-ending double-play. Cora’s wish to help jumpstart Jarren Duran backfired as the speedster went 0-for-2 before getting pinch-hit.
Brennan Bernardino and Kyle Barraclough: Couldn't limit the damage, each giving up a home run. Bernardino left a sinker in the middle of the zone, which Torkelson gladly took for a ride in the sixth to extend Detroit's lead to 5-1. Barraclough left a four-seamer about as down the middle as it gets, which Carpenter smoked for his second homer of the game for additional insurance in the eighth.
NOTABLE
In what is his final series at Fenway, Boston honored Miguel Cabrera (0-for-4 Friday; DNP Saturday) before the game. The 21-year veteran received a No. 24 placard from the Monster and a donation to his foundation.
The Tigers snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Red Sox.
The Red Sox are 13-48 when scoring five or fewer runs, compared to an MLB-best 48-7 when scoring five or more.
Mauricio Llovera struck out both of the batters he faced to close out the sixth inning. John Schreiber struck out the side in the seventh inning.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"[Bello] battled, and the bullpen did O.K. Good to see [Llovera] throw the ball there, and [Bernardino]... they gave us a chance," Cora said. "I think offensively, I'm more... not concerned, but we've been at this. I think we were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. ... We gotta roll. Everybody has to contribute in this.
"I think offensively we've been O.K., but we're not you know, like moving the needle. You know, we've been kind of like... this homestand, it hasn't been great. So, have a good day tomorrow, win the series and move on."
UP NEXT
The Red Sox are back at it against the Tigers in search of a series win during a Sunday matinee. First pitch is set for 12:05 p.m. RHP Kutter Crawford (5-6, 3.80 ERA) will face LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (8-5, 2.75 ERA).