The Boston Red Sox struggled mightily in six games versus the NL West. The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Colorado Rockies pummeled them.
Logic would suggest the Los Angeles Dodgers should beat the Boston Red Sox this season. Logic was right in that series as the Dodgers swept the Sox, including two games in extra innings. That same logic would suggest the Sox would beat the Colorado Rockies, which they didn’t. The Rockies won two of the three games to take the series. In fact, it was the Sox who looked like they were at rock bottom in Colorado, not the Rockies. Yes, the same Rockies I previewed in March and told to enjoy the season until they were eliminated from the postseason in May. Karma can be a funny thing.
Losing five of six games post All-Star break and pre-trade deadline is just what the doctor ordered to make frugal ownership ready to splurge at the deadline. At least the schedule will lighten up soon since the Sox have the hardest remaining schedule of any team, according to FanGraphs. A weekend series versus the New York Yankees and then against the Seattle Mariners are the last chances for the team to show their worth.
Los Angeles Dodgers Series
These games were competitive, but still fruitless for Boston. A grand slam by 1B Freddie Freeman gave the Dodgers the win in game one. SP Nick Pivetta shined through six innings with no runs and only two hits. Unfortunately, the bullpen could not hold the lead, resulting in a 4-1 loss. More to come on the bullpen. Game 2 was a 7-6 loss where of all players, former Red Sox UTL Enrique Hernández was the most impactful. Hernández was batting .197 at the time, yet he hit the tying home run in the ninth off former Dodger and closer Kenley Jansen. Then in the tenth, Hernandez tied the game again with a run scoring single. OF Tyler O’Neill’s two two-run home runs in the game were for nothing.
The final game was as messy as the second. OF Jarren Duran belted a two-run homer in the first to get the good times rolling. Then Dodgers starter James Paxton became the twenty-first century Sandy Koufax, and Sox starter Kutter Crawford serve more meatballs than an Italian restaurant. Paxton went five innings, giving up two runs while getting seven strikeouts. Crawford went five innings, giving up seven hits where five of them were home runs. To add insult to injury, Jansen came into the game in the eighth when the Sox were down 6-3 to regain some confidence, only to give up three hits and three runs.
The two big concerns of the series were first the bullpen, and second 3B Rafael Devers. More on both of those to come.
Rocked by the Rockies
The final scores from this series were 9-8 Rockies in 12, 6-0 Sox, then 20-7 Rockies. It’s a good thing the last game of this series was a day game. Otherwise, some Rockies fans may have remembered to watch and then abuse any Sox fans in sight. You may not learn much from beating up a bad team, but you can learn a lot when you lose to a bad team. In other words, when SP Cooper Criswell gives you the best start of the series, there are some red flags.
The main one is, will any of the Sox starters be able to continue the success they had to start the season? Crawford struggled versus the Dodgers. Pivetta exploded in the Coors finale, and SP Tanner Houck pitched well in Colorado, expect for a minor four-run inning. Andrew Bailey may have his work cut out for him if Craig Breslow fails to acquire a starting pitcher better than Paxton. Also, the bullpen really could have used a high-leverage arm in the first game. RP Chris Martin is still on the IL and Jansen has experienced heart issues when in Colorado in the past, so he understandably did not partake in the series. Martin has not been able to stay healthy this year and leaves us wondering if maybe the other Chris Martin could fix him.
The good news from Colorado was the offense. Eight runs followed by six runs are a good sign, but must be graded on a curve since they were in the Mile High City. O’Neill in particular was great through two games before getting his mandatory Kahwai Leonard load maintenance day off. He had three hits in game one, then two home runs in game two. If only 1B Triston Casas could be healthy again.
Close It Out Kenley, Except in Colorado
A bullpen missing RP Chris Martin and RP Justin Slaten due to injuries could not keep a lead. The bullpen just had a week off, so it is unlikely they will get better with less rest coming up. There are two solutions to this problem. One would be to get another bullpen arm, while the right solution would be to get a starter to save the bullpen from having to throw so many innings. The bullpen situation is deja vu all over again in Boston from the last two seasons. Just because you have a good bullpen does not mean you should use it as often as possible.
The last concern is likely more of an over-reaction on my part. Devers was abysmal versus the Dodgers, going 1-12 with five strikeouts and no RBIs. This was after entering the break as one of the hottest hitters in baseball. He rebounded in Colorado, so we’ll chalk it up to rust. However, this does illustrate how difficult it will be for the Sox to win with their current lineup if their best hitter is only hitting air.
One final note is about Alex Cora. He signed a three-year extension with the Red Sox on Wednesday. All I can say is about time, and I won’t question it, but I do wonder why he wants to stay even as ownership may prove stubborn in returning to their winning ways. Maybe he’s fallen in love with this team like some of us have. Or he enjoys the low pressure environment he currently works in. Whatever the reason, keeping him is the right move to show Sox Nation the franchise is serious about competing in the future. Now get the man some help, please Craig Breslow.
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