Is the Clock Striking Midnight on Bennett’s “Cinderella” Season?
Sox Drop an Ugly 8-4 Loss to the Pirates as Boston Mistakes Lead the Way
The good feelings from Thursday afternoon’s Red Sox victory were quickly swept away by a pair of long balls into the right-field seats at PNC Park.
Jake Bennett lasted only four innings, allowing four runs on five hits and one walk. His command was lacking throughout the evening, and in the fourth inning, when he surrendered three of those four runs, he wasn’t just wild, he was wild in the strike zone. Three consecutive change-ups caught far too much of the plate, resulting in a single and two doubles.
The offense managed to chip away at the 4-0 deficit in the top of the fifth thanks to back-to-back walks by Caleb Durbin and Jarren Duran, an RBI single from Andruw Monasterio, and a sacrifice fly by Nick Sogard.
Unfortunately, Boston never got any closer as the vaunted “Run Prevention” unit failed miserably the rest of the way.
In the bottom of the fifth, Jovani Moran appeared to induce a routine fly ball down the right-field line that should have retired the lead-off hitter. Unfortunately, the ball drifted into foul territory, and as Willson Contreras, Nick Sogard, and Wilyer Abreu all converged, nobody took charge. The ball dropped harmlessly to the grass, giving the Pirates another life.
Nick Gonzales nearly sacrificed his own life with that extra chance, taking a 94 MPH fastball off the ear flap of his helmet. Instead of nobody on and one out, Pittsburgh suddenly had a lead-off runner. Two batters later, Bryan Reynolds hit a ground ball up the middle that Monasterio reached but couldn’t convert into an out because he lacked the defensive dexterity to make an accurate flip to second.
Moran responded by striking out the next hitter, but Brandon Lowe, who has apparently become the new Rowdy Tellez, clubbed what felt like the 125th home run of his career against the Red Sox, stretching the lead to 7-2 and essentially Raising the Jolly Roger.
Another Durbin error later in the game led to Pittsburgh’s eighth run, and although Boston rallied with a couple of hits and a run in the ninth to make the final score 8-4, the outcome had been decided long before then.
Broken Slipper
Jake Bennett has been one of the biggest surprises for Boston’s pitching staff this season, especially with the injuries that have ravaged the starting rotation.
Entering Friday night’s game with a 7-4 record, Bennett had become a stabilizing force for Andrew Bailey’s staff, and the Red Sox had won six of his previous eight starts. The concern first surfaced after his outing against the A’s at Fenway last weekend, when he lasted only 5.1 innings while allowing four runs. Friday night’s performance against Pittsburgh only added fuel to the fire. In his last 8.2 innings he has allowed 8 runs.
One has to wonder whether the increased workload, far beyond anything he has experienced previously and coming on the heels of Tommy John surgery, is finally beginning to catch up with the young left-hander. It may be time for the Red Sox to start easing off the accelerator before they push Bennett beyond his limits.
Messy, Messy, Messy
The sloppy Sox returned in full force Friday night.
It began with a very questionable send by third-base coach Chad Epperson after Wilyer Abreu doubled off the wall in right-center. Willson Contreras, who had been on first with two outs, got the wave coming around third and was out by about two feet.
Then came the missed popup down the right-field line in the fifth. Yes, it was a difficult play. But we’ve spent the entire season hearing about Wilyer Abreu’s Gold Glove-caliber defense, and that’s the type of play elite defenders take charge of and make.
Moments later came the Bryan Reynolds ground ball that Monasterio couldn’t turn into an out. Again, not an easy play, but one that a dependable defensive shortstop probably records.
Both mistakes preceded Lowe’s three-run homer.
Realistically, Boston should have recorded three, and perhaps even four outs before Moran left a two-strike change-up right down Broadway for Lowe to destroy.
The final Red Sox blunder came from an unlikely source. Caleb Durbin uncorked a throw so far to the right of first base it might have made Rafael Devers jealous. The throw skipped past Contreras and rolled down the right-field line, allowing Reynolds to score all the way from first and gave Pittsburgh its eighth run.
For those keeping score...
That’s four runs the Red Sox very likely could have prevented. Add in the possibility of scoring another run had they simply held Contreras at third earlier in the game and allowed Durbin to bat with two runners in scoring position, and suddenly an 8-4 loss could have looked very different.
Sometimes baseball really is that simple. Catch the ball. Throw the ball.
“Better Late Than Never” Is Starting to Get Old
During the historic winning streak through July and early August, one of the defining characteristics of the Red Sox offense was its ability to score early, grab momentum, and then play aggressively from in front.
Lately they’re doing exactly the opposite. Boston can’t seem to find any offensive traction until the late innings, when it’s already chasing runs and praying someone hits a three-run homer. For most of this season, that’s been a prayer answered far less often than not.
Ironically, the Red Sox weren’t overly aggressive early on Friday. In fact, they deserve some credit. Chandler was forced to throw at least four pitches to each of the first four Boston hitters.
Maybe the answer is swinging better. Being aggressive on pitches you can drive while remaining disciplined when you’re ahead in the count. Whatever the solution may be, the Red Sox had better find it quickly, because if they’re no longer going to play the elite brand of “Run Prevention” that carried them through last month, they simply can’t afford to pair it with an offense that disappears for the first six innings every night.
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