Red Sox recap: Errors highlight sloppy defense; offense remained silent in 5-1 loss in series finale; Boston finishes 5-5 in disappointing homestand

The Red Sox opened their four-game series with the Orioles on Friday night, scoring 19 runs off 20 hits, setting the tone for the weekend series. So they thought. Since the win on Friday night, Boston managed to score just eight runs on 22 hits and split the four-game series with the last-place Orioles (18-34).

Boston finished 5-5 on their 10-game homestand and dropped to one game below .500 (27-28).

The Sox turned to Walker Buehler, hoping he would provide more innings after his previous outing lasted only 2 1/3 innings before he was ejected for arguing balls and strikes with the home plate umpire. Buehler gave the Sox just five innings where he allowed two runs off four hits with two walks while striking out three in the 5-1 loss. He threw 85 pitches but only generated six whiffs on 41 swings.

“We were inconsistent this homestand,” Alex Cora said. “It seems like when we hit, we didn’t pitch, and then when we pitched, we didn’t hit, so I think 5-5 is what we deserved.”

Baltimore’s offense really didn’t muster much of a fight against Buehler until the fourth inning, when Ramon Urias hit a sacrifice fly, followed by Dylan Carlson connecting for his first homer in the fifth, sending a first-pitch 92.8 mph fastball into the right field seats.

One inning later, Ryan O’Hearn smoked his eighth blast of the season into the Red Sox bullpen off reliever Greg Weissert, making it 3-0 Orioles.

MARCELO MAYER FIRST BIG LEAGUE KNOCK

The Red Sox promoted Marcelo Mayer from Triple-A Worcester on Saturday afternoon, and he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his MLB debut. The top prospect quickly turned the page and looked more comfortable in his second game. With his family on hand from California, Mayer picked up his first career hit, smoking an opposite-field hit into left field in the second inning.

Mayer drew a giant pop from the Fenway Faithful as he was standing on first base. He got the ball back and tossed it to a Red Sox staffer who brought it into the clubhouse. In the ninth, Mayer laced a double to lead off the inning and would later score on an Abraham Toro single, driving home the only run for the Sox.

Jarren Duran was excited and proud of Mayer following his two-hit performance, specifically calling out his big league hit as the highlight of his day.

“It was awesome; I was screaming like it was my first hit,” Duran said. “That’s what makes baseball baseball; you can be losing 5-0, but to see a young guy like that get his first hit and then hit a double, it puts the game in perspective, and you’ve got to enjoy it sometimes.”

Mayer said after the game, his family will fly to Milwaukee to watch him play in the series against the Brewers. 

“It was awesome waking up as a big leaguer,” Mayer said. “The whole day getting prepared for the game with my family in town, it was a special day.”

Buehler thinks Mayer will be just fine but also emphasized that the rookie will have to get comfortable very quickly in the big leagues with Alex Bregman on the IL. 

“Special kid. Really, really good brain," said Buehler about the rookie. "I think he’s going to get really comfortable here really quickly. And I think we’re all looking forward to that. The cost of it right now for our team (he's here because of Bregman's injury), I don’t know if that’s how anyone would have kind of drawn it up. But I think for him pressure’s probably a good thing in terms of the personality. He reminds me a lot of how I was when I was that age. And that pressure stuff I think brings out the best in you if you’re kind of built the right way. So throw him into the fire and kind of see what happens."

BATS SILENT, AGAIN

Continuing an ongoing theme, Orioles starter Dean Kremer stifled the inconsistent Red Sox bats. Duran was the only hitter in the lineup outside of Mayer who had any life in his bat. The Sox’ leadoff man went 4-for-5, singling in the first, third, fifth , and seventh innings. It was his eighth career game with four hits or more and the second time he’s done that this season.

Duran’s strong offensive game was the Red Sox’ team-leading 20th multi-hit game and his eighth in the last 15 games dating back to May 10. He’s been swinging a red-hot bat, batting .355 with a .962 OPS with three doubles, two triples, and two homers, with 13 RBI over that span.

Boston had opportunities to cash in on Kremer, who looked good, tossing 5 1/3 scoreless frames, giving up seven hits with a walk and four strikeouts. In the bottom of the first, following Duran’s leadoff single, he reached second following a walk from the cleanup man Carlos Narváez (2-for-3); unfortunately, rookie Kristian Campbell grounded out to shortstop, ending the potential threat for the third and final out.

Toro (2-for-4) hit a ground rule double in the fourth when he flared a ball into right field that split the second baseman, Jackson Holliday, and Carlson and bounced into the stands. Boston was unable to drive Toro home, again ending a potential threat.

The Red Sox finished the day 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position while stranding nine men on base.

“He went to his split a lot, and we didn’t make adjustments,” Cora said of Kremer’s performance on the mound. “He kept going at it, expanding with it and inducing some weak contact and some swings and misses.”

BUSH LEAGUE DEFENSE

The eighth inning was ugly for the Sox; Cora summoned the recently recalled reliever Zack Kelly, who was greeted by an O’Hearn double into the right field gap that should have put two O’s in scoring position. Instead, horrendous defense cost the Sox. Ceddanne Rafaela's throwback into second base got away and wound up striking O’Hearn in the leg, bouncing away, allowing Gunnar Henderson to score.

O’Hearn saw the ball ricochet away, and he bolted for third base when Mayer made a rookie mistake and threw the ball away, allowing the runner to score, completing the embarrassing Little League homer. The Orioles’ O’Hearn finished 3-for-3 with a home run, double, walk, and RBI. He finished a triple shy of the cycle.

OFF TO THE CREAM CITY

The Red Sox begin a six-game road trip against the Brewers on Monday afternoon. Boston will play three with Milwaukee before getting a day off and then heading to Atlanta.

Garrett Crochet (4-3, 1.98 ERA) is scheduled to pitch against Brewers righty Chad Patrick (2-4, 3.23 ERA) at 2:10 p.m. Monday.

HELP IS ON THE WAY

Boston has not named a starter for Tuesday’s game with the Brewers. Richard Fitts is a possibility as he’s slated to pitch a rehab outing on Tuesday, but the club could opt for him to pitch a few innings in Milwaukee.

“As of now, he’s scheduled to throw that one,” Cora said before Boston’s loss on Sunday.

Fitts, who recorded a 3.18 ERA in 17 innings, went on the 15-day injured list with a right pectoral strain. The 25-year-old made a rehab appearance on Thursday for the Portland Sea Dogs. He went three scoreless innings, giving up four hits with no walks while striking out two batters. He threw 38 pitches, 31 for strikes, in the outing.

Romy Gonzalez is inching closer to beginning a rehab assignment. The versatile infielder has been on the 10-day injured list just since May 10 with a left quad contusion that he suffered in a collision at first base with Rangers’ Josh Smith.

“He said he feels better,” Cora said. “We’re going to let medical make that decision. But the way he’s talking, the way he’s moving, he was like, ‘Man, I think I can play this week.’ But we’ve just gotta go through the medical part of it.”