BSJ Game Report: Dodgers 7, Red Sox 4 - Offense stalls as Mookie Betts wins first series back in Boston

All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 7-4 loss to the Dodgers, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

Mookie Betts wins series with career-high 35th home run: Betts hit a 364-foot home run over the monster to extend the Dodgers' lead to 4-0 in the sixth inning as part of a 3-5 afternoon, 7-15 series in Boston and 15-game hit streak where he's batting 32-59 (.542) with four homers, seven doubles and 16 RBI. Betts committed a key error and flew out with the bases loaded down by three in the ninth inning of Saturday's Red Sox win, but scored revenge and a series win for LA on Sunday, playing both second base and right field again. He began the afternoon with a single and ending it with an RBI to push the Dodgers up 6-2. Betts later scored in that eighth inning on Amed Rosario's ground out. The weekend went about as expected for the MVP candidate, dominating his former team alongside James Outman, who hit a home run and RBI single in the win, and Max Muncy, who went 5-14 with 7 RBI in the series. Call-up LHP Chris Murphy pitched four innings, allowing nine hits and six runs as Alex Cora preserved the bullpen for the Houston series. 

“It would be cool to win (MVP),” Betts said post-game. “It would be super cool. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it wouldn’t be cool. The No. 1 thing is winning the World Series, winning the division, just playing well. In this clubhouse it’s so much fun, so much fun to come to work and be in the dugout and amongst these guys that it’s easy to play well. I think that’s why we are doing so well. It’s a little easier to play well when everybody is pulling for you.”

Sox offense sluggish vs. Dodgers bullpen without Devers: The Red Sox offense struggled after recording 12 runs and 24 hits to start the series following their 17-run outbreak to close the road trip on Thursday. Boston hit 7-34 (.206) against Dodgers opener Caleb Ferguson and bulk righty Gavin Stone, who entered with a 12.75 ERA in four major league appearances this season, but retired 12-of-14 Red Sox he saw to begin a run of four shutout innings in relief. Triston Casas hit a two-run homer to left after Adam Duvall doubled, trailing 4-0, in the sixth inning. Duvall and Justin Turner hit back-to-back home runs too late in the eighth after LA extended its lead to 7-2, before Ryan Brasier and Evan Phillips closed with 2.0 one-hit innings. Rafael Devers (wrist) missed the game as a late scratch after Bryan Hudson hit him in the hand with a pitch during Saturday's win. He received an X-Ray today.

THREE UP

Adam Duvall: Hit his fifth home run in seven games to go with his sixth-inning double that broke the Red Sox' slump against Gavin Stone and gave Boston a chance. Duvall remained on fire, finishing the series 5-13 with four extra-base hits, including his game-winning three-run homer on Saturday. During his seven-game hit streak dating back to Aug. 21, he went 14-29 (.483) with 10 extra-base hits, improving .410 since his 1-10 letdown in Washington that left me questioning whether he should remain in the lineup before Jarren Duran went on the IL. Boston's outfield will play a large role in the team remaining in the playoff race in the closing weeks of the series. 

Triston Casas: Received another start against the left-handed Dodgers opener and batted fourth, launching a double to begin a 2-4 afternoon where he also gave the Sox a chance in the sixth with his two-run homer that grazed over the monster. It counts, and he improved to 20-76 (.263) and arguably the most exciting development of a season filled with disappointments like Sunday's loss. 

He didn't start on Saturday, so Sunday gave him a four-game hitting streak where he's 6-17 including yesterday's pinch-hit entrance, where he walked. Casas' production also rivals rare company in Sox history for his age. 

Mauricio Llovera: His shutout inning in the ninth didn't mean much, but marked an improvement over the pitching the Sox received earlier in the game. The July addition to Boston's bullpen following his designation for assignment from San Francisco has now only allowed one earned run over his past six appearances (8.2 IP, 12 SO, 2 BB) and may deserve a longer look at pitching in some more consequential relief roles. It's no surprise the team optioned Chris Murphy rather than cutting ties with Llovera when it activated Tanner Houck last week. Today, they might've fared better seeing more from Llovera. 

THREE DOWN 

Tanner Houck: Rough from the start, allowing one run on five hits and a pair of walks over four innings, which doesn't look bad, but he loaded the bases in the first inning with one out, put a runner in scoring position in the second and third, while also allowing a hard hit to right off Freddie Freeman's bat that Alex Verdugo snagged. James Outman sent his 3-2 sinker 387 feet to break the scoreless tie in the fourth, and Cora didn't feel comfortable allowing Houck to face the Dodgers' lineup a third time despite the limited damage in terms of runs. Houck fell to 0-2 since his return from his facial fracture.

"With a lot of my pitches, hindsight's twenty-twenty, go back maybe throw a few different pitches," Houck said. "Pitch count was a little high in the fourth, but feels good to be back out there still, a little tweaking here and there, but just keep working. It feels good, I also thanked the Red Sox ... for not letting me go to the 100-pitch mark today, understanding that I'm still coming back, still building up the arm ... I'm excited to go back out there and get to the 100 pitches and just go out there with no leash on." 

Chris Murphy: Called up from Triple-A Worcester following Houck's activation last week and Brennan Bernarndino's COVID-19 designation, pitching four innings and allowing six runs on nine hits while providing some innings relief for Boston's battered bullpen. Murphy allowed a leadoff double to Freeman, who hit 7-13 with two walks in the series, who later scored before Mookie Betts hit his two-run homer the following inning. Three hits Murphy gave up in the seventh and eighth came around to score, putting the Sox behind 7-2 after Casas' home run in the sixth pulled Boston within two. No good.

"They put good at-bats, fouled off some tough pitches, were able to stay back on the breaking balls and hit them off the wall. Obviously, the pitch to Mookie changed (the game), but we needed to do that," Cora said. "Tanner was at 80 (pitches), we know where we're at with him and Chris, we've gotta be smart with it. We tried, but they were really good today. It's tough, but we have to do it, player health right? ... they were fouling off pitches early on ... (Houck) did a good job, but this is where we're at." 

Alex Cora: Gave him a pass on Saturday after a difficult bullpen handoff between Kutter Crawford and Nick Pivetta cost the Sox Friday's game. The management of the pitching in this one proved as strange as the defensive adjustments he made following Pablo Reyes' injury on Saturday. Murphy gave up three runs already when Cora returned him for two more innings to allow another two on his way to 90 pitches. 

The roster gave him some excuse, trying to preserve an exhausted bullpen for a more important series against Houston beginning tomorrow, but this game stood within reach if Rosario didn't take second and Murphy allowed three of his final five hits allowed to all cross home plate in an eventual three-run loss. Wins by rivals in the wild card race make the virtual punt on Sunday's game look worse. 

NOTABLE 

The Red Sox scratched 3B Rafael Devers after Dodgers pitcher Bryan Hudson hit him in the right wrist with a 91-mile-per-hour fastball. Devers looked in severe pain before taking first base and later scoring in the eighth inning, then finishing the game at third base in the ninth. Boston scratched Devers shortly after 10 a.m. X-Rays returned negative, confirming Cora's pre-game hope that the injury wouldn't prove severe. He's considered day-to-day. 

"He's sore, so (we'll) stay away from him," Cora said pre-game. 

The Red Sox have placed LHP Brennan Bernardino on the COVID-19 Related Injured List. Bernardino will miss at least seven days. Cora said the team could make another move for relief tomorrow after recalling LHP Chris Murphy to pitch four innings on Sunday. 

RHP Kenley Jansen (hamstring) did not pitch again after leaving Wednesday's win over the Astros after only three pitches but he was available.

Former Red Sox RHP Ryan Brasier made his first appearance against the team that designated him for assignment, ending his six-year tenure in Boston, striking out Casas and Trevor Story before Pablo Reyes grounded out to end the eighth inning. Brasier received a chorus of boos, improving his ERA to 0.99 in 26 games with the Dodgers after posting a 7.29 ERA in 20 with Boston. 

A win by the Astros over Detroit dropped the Sox 4.5 games back in the wild-card race. Houston visits Boston for a three-game series starting tomorrow.

UP NEXT

Monday vs. Astros at 7:10 p.m., RHP Christian Javier (9-2, 4.52 ERA) vs. LHP Chris Sale (5-3, 4.68 ERA)