BSJ Game Report: Royals 13, Red Sox 2 - Paxton and offense blown out in fifth straight loss

All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 13-2 loss to the Royals, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

James Paxton blasted in second-shortest start of his career: Paxton finished only 1.1 innings, putting the Red Sox behind by allowing solo home runs to Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez in the first inning. He walked Drew Waters and Nick Loftin, Loftin making his MLB debut, to load the bases. Then, Kyle Isbel and Maikel Garcia drove in another pair of runs in the second. Mauricio Llovera relieved a clearly burnt-out Paxton after 36 pitches, five hits, two walks and eventually six runs that crossed charged to Paxton before the start of the third inning. Brandon Walter, called-up from Triple-A Worcester, wore a beatdown familiar over the past week for Triple-A Sox pitchers, allowing 10 hits and seven runs over four innings and 82 pitches. 

"We're getting punched," Cora said. "And we have to bounce back tomorrow. It hasn't been easy, obviously we're running out of time here and we need to play better baseball ... throughout the season, this is kind of who we are, we win eight, we lose six. Hopefully, now that we lost five, we get into a hot streak." 

Sox shutout by one of the major's worst pitchers: RHP Jordan Lyles entered Friday 3-15 with a 6.51 ERA, the second-worst in MLB, having just allowed seven runs in a loss to the Mariners and 26 across five appearances in August, including four runs at Fenway. He retired the first six Red Sox he saw before Kansas City built a 6-0 lead, then 15-of-17 hitters through the fifth inning. Lyles gave up three hits, no runs or walks while striking out seven until Alex Verdugo hit a two-run homer off him in the eighth inning with the Royals ahead 13-0. He logged 114 pitches, saving Kansas City's bullpen the correct way. Boston's offense finished 5-32 in one of its worst-hitting efforts all season. 

"He's able to move the fastball both ways," Cora said. "He can sink it to righties...he can cut it too...he throws strikes. They got the lead and he kept pounding the strike zone with good stuff, and that's why he went as far as he did." 

ONE UP

Alex Verdugo: Homered in the eighth inning to extend his .297 August into September, entering Friday hitting .317 with three home runs since taking over the leadoff spot. The blast, on a 3-2 cutter, came too late and followed his slow right field relay on Isbel's double that extended Kansas City's lead in the sixth to 8-0 while Loftin scored. With his Red Sox future uncertain, it provided little silver lining. 

"When you get beat down, it sucks," Verdugo said. "(But) we still gotta control our at-bats ... to only put up two runs ... we could've had better at-bats, maybe seen what Lyles was doing out there, how he was pitching to guys and made a couple of adjustments, but it's the name of the game. They took the momentum early and ran with it." 

Prospect playing time: Boston's trio of prospects saw their share of playing time versus regulars like Verdugo uptick into the final month given the lagging competitiveness of the veteran starters. Enmanuel Valdez, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu all entered the game in the seventh inning. Rafaela recorded a hit in his third straight appearance with a ninth-inning single. 

THREE DOWN 

James Paxton: Threw only 19-of-36 pitches for strikes and gave up home runs on a curveball over the middle to Witt Jr. and high fastball that clocked in at 95 miles-per-hour to Perez. Paxton escaped the first inning by forcing Freddy Fermin into a double play, giving himself a chance, but he took the team's chance away in the second by leaving a fastball over the middle to Nelson Velázquez. He walked the following two Royals across 12 pitches. Garcia knocked him out of the game four pitches later, including a wild one in the dirt.

Paxton entered Friday allowing at least four runs in each of his last two starts and posting a 5.82 ERA over his last eight starts since mid-July. His swinging strike rate fell to 12% and hitters posted an .882 OPS against him. A strength of the team earlier in the season became one of its biggest weaknesses, and Chaim Bloom's decision not to trade him at the deadline now looks like the year's biggest second guess. 

"The secondary (pitches) are the ones that are putting us in trouble," Cora said. "Separation is key for him, he can go up in the zone, but if he doesn't have one of the two pitches that he can expand down-and-in to righties, then they start hunting up in the zone ... it was a tough one for us. We talk about (hitting the wall) ... he's ok. At this stage, a lot of guys, their stuff is trending backward, but we've been taking care of him throughout the season. We gave him an extra day today. We'll see what we do in the next one." 

Brandon Walter: Another call-up incapable of stopping the bleeding, recording two quick outs in the third before back-to-back hits brought home another Royals run to fall behind 7-0. After working around baserunners in the fourth and fifth, Loftin, Isbel and Garcia jumped on three different Walter pitches to extend the Royals' lead to 9-0. Luis Urías failed to turn a double play on Witt Jr.'s grounder, then Perez and Velazquez launched additional home runs in a six-run sixth. Lefty Joe Jacques closed the final two innings, allowing one hit, one walk and no runs. 

Trevor Story: Slid to seventh in the lineup and finished hitless again. Cora said pre-game that Story would close the season without limitations before he fell to .184 in his 76 at-bats since returning from surgery. His pop at the plate didn't carry over from his minor league rehab stint, with only five doubles and one home run in 19 games following his call-up. The Red Sox hoped he'd provide a boost, and while his fielding looks sharp at shortstop, his hitting proved a step behind what Pablo Reyes brought there. 

"It's not easy," Cora said. "He needs at-bats. We're gonna keep playing him. He's playing good defense and he's grinding offensively. He's here for a reason and we're gonna keep running him out there." 

NOTABLE 

The Red Sox recalled INF Enmanuel Valdez from Triple-A Worcester with Major League rosters expanding to 28 players beginning today through the end of the season. Boston optioned IF David Hamilton. Both OF Wilyer Abreu, reinstated from paternity leave, and OF Ceddanne Rafaela remained with the big league team. The Sox' array of call-ups started tonight on the bench, finishing 1-4 after entering in the seventh inning.

Boston stayed 6.5 games back of Texas in the AL wild-card race after the Twins beat the Rangers tonight.  

UP NEXT 

Saturday at Royals at 7:10 p.m., TBD vs. RHP Tanner Houck (3-8, 4.93 ERA)