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The Red Sox’s box has been a big part of why they will enter the All-Star break by holding at least a share of the division title, throwing themselves particularly well over the past six weeks or so to weather some storms. endured by the rotation. . But it really wasn’t their night, especially for Josh Taylor, Brandon Workman and Austin Brice. The three all had to pitch on the eighth Saturday, an inning that started with the Red Sox just one point and ended with them at nine. Taylor’s 26-game scoreless streak came to an end and it didn’t improve much from there. The offense and Martín Pérez also had their problems, but this game really came down to this eighth round.
After scoring a win on Friday to open their series against the Phillies, the Red Sox were looking for another home win on Saturday. Not only would that give them 10 straight wins at Fenway Park, but it would also seal a series victory before the all-star break. To try to achieve this, they had Martín Pérez on the mound for the start.
The southpaw has had a bit of a weird season, starting off strong, starting a hot streak, hitting a major hurdle, and then managing to do well around some volatile underlying numbers lately. Considering this was his last start before the break, it was a good time for him to end the first half on a high note and build on that momentum into the second half.
It looked like he was going to get off to a good start against Jean Segura, taking a 1-2 lead before throwing two straight balls to complete the count. This second ball, however, was very close but did not go in the direction of the left-hander. Sure enough, two shots later, Segura got a double joint that stayed in the middle, returning it for a ball over the wall into left field for a home run. One batter in the game, and the Red Sox were already down by a point.
Pérez came out of the inning after that, giving up a single but also getting a double play to limit the first frame to four batters. But the runner-up would give the Phillies more trouble, and they started the set with a walk from the start. This brought Alec Bohm to the plate. The Phillies’ sophomore has had a rough year after showing great power in the shortened 2020 campaign, but he again showed some of that lightning in this fight. After taking the 3-0 lead, he allowed Pérez to return to bat, filling the tally. But on the eighth pitch, Pérez didn’t quite lower his cutter low enough and Bohm crushed him in left field for the Phillies’ second home of the day, giving them a 3-0 lead.
So, now it was on the Red Sox offensive to get things done. However, they seemed to have a good chance of doing just that, with Matt Moore mistaking the mound for Philly. A former top prospect, the southpaw has never really settled down at the major league level and has had a difficult 2021 so far. Boston fell out of order in the first, but Xander Bogaerts went on to attack the offense in the second. The All-Star shortstop got a 1-0 fastball at the top of the zone, and he shattered a 20-game homeless streak with a left field ball, reducing the Phillies’ lead to of them.
After Pérez came out of third after a start single, Boston again offended late in the inning. Things started with Christian Vázquez blocking one in right field for a brace, then a few hitters later Kiké Hernández was hit with a pitch to put two men with a down. After that, Phillies wide receiver Andrew Knapp attempted to push Hernández back on first base, allowing Vázquez to go all the way from second to goal. Harper’s throw-in was also offline, allowing Hernández to move up to third place with two strikeouts. It gave Boston a chance to take stock, and they loaded up the goals after two straight goals, but Rafael Devers couldn’t bring the points home and the Red Sox were still one after three behind. .
In the fourth, Pérez got off to a good start with two quick strikeouts, but after a single and a walk he had two men on and the top of the order came back. Alex Cora wasn’t kidding here, and he called out Hirokazu Sawamura, who induced a late inning ground ball from Segura. The Red Sox wasted a walkout late in the inning, and Sawamura came back for the fifth. He also struck out the three hitters he faced there, needing only 11 pitches to eliminate the four hitters he faced.
In the bottom half, the Red Sox got what looked like a double with an out from Alex Verdugo, but he slid around first base, holding him to a single, and he would remain standing at first base. As he headed into the sixth, the Phillies still held a one point lead with Garrett Whitlock receiving the call. The rookie gave up on a single but managed to get around it to keep the score 3-2. He was also back for the seventh, after his offense deteriorated in order, giving up just one and registering two outs before Josh Taylor entered and finished the inning with a single pitch.
The Red Sox were going to fall out of order again, however, and all hell broke loose in the top half of the eighth. Taylor came back for that one, not allowing a point in his last 26 outings. This streak ended here, and emphatically. He was unable to register an out in that inning, giving up a single and a double – both also hitting hard – while stepping on one batter and hitting another. The brace earned two runs to end his scoreless streak, and Brandon Workman came on with the men in the first and second row, still no outs on the board.
Things didn’t improve from there. The right-hander has been throwing well lately, but he had nothing in that outing, walking two and giving up a hit before his night was out. Two other races had crossed the plate at this point, and the bases were loaded, still without anyone at the arrival of Austin Brice. He had just been called up earlier today with Matt Andriese on the injured list, and it was his job to clean up the mess. He could really do it, giving up a hit, a brace and a walk before finally getting the final strikeouts of the inning. In total, the Red Sox allowed eight runs in the eighth, and all of a sudden a one-run contest was 11-2, and things were pretty much over.
Boston loaded up the goals before registering just one out late in the inning, but wasted the opportunity without scoring a single point. Brice had a perfect ninth before the Sox fell to finish the game. The 11-2 loss dropped the Red Sox record to 55-35. With the Rays securing a victory, the division’s lead fell to just one game.
The Red Sox and Phillies have a rubber game on the agenda Sunday, with Nick Pivetta against his former team for Boston while Aaron Nola takes the mound for the Phillies. The first step is set for 1:10 p.m. ET.
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