BOSTON — Mike Napoli enjoyed a very productive Wednesday night for the Boston Red Sox.
His teammates? Not so much.
Napoli doubled, homered and drove in both of his team’s runs, but it was not nearly enough the Red Sox fell again to the visiting Chicago White Sox by a final score of 9-2.
GAME IN A WORD
Again.
Wednesday’s outcome was unpleasantly familiar for both the Red Sox and their starting pitcher, Rick Porcello.
Porcello, who had appeared to come around in recent starts, reverted to his pre-All-Star break self. The right-hander finished with as many runs allowed (six) as outs recorded en route to his 11th loss of the season.
For Boston, the loss was its 12th in 14 games and its third straight against the White Sox. Through three games of their current four-game series, the Red Sox have been outscored 28-14.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Porcello, as we’ll get into in a moment, never recovered from his disastrous start. By the time he exited the game in the top of the third inning, the Red Sox already were staring at a 6-0 deficit.
ON THE BUMP
— The same first-inning issues that plagued the last two Red Sox starters infected Porcello, as well.
Adam Eaton led off the game with a home run for the White Sox, and Melky Cabrera added a second Chicago run after singling and coming home on a fielding error by second baseman Brock Holt. That brought the total number of first-inning runs scored by the White Sox in this series to 11.
More trouble awaited Porcello in the second, as the White Sox sent nine men to the plate to push across another three runs across. Porcello allowed a double and three singles, walked one batter and hit another in the inning, by the end of which Steven Wright — Thursday’s projected starter — was warming in the bullpen.
Porcello began the third inning by giving up his 20th home run of the season — this one off the bat of light-hitting shortstop Alexei Ramirez — another double to Sanchez and a line-drive single to No. 9 hitter Tyler Flowers.
That was Chicago’s 10th hit of the night, and it put an end to Porcello’s outing. Craig Breslow, not Wright, came on to pitch with nobody out in the third.
— Breslow allowed one walk in the inning but nothing more to escape a bases-loaded jam, closing the book on Porcello. The starter was charged with six runs (five earned) on 10 hits in two-plus innings.
The rest of Breslow’s outing was flawless — a big plus for Boston’s overworked bullpen. He struck out two and did not allow the ball to leave the infield over his final two innings of work.
— Tommy Layne wasn’t so lucky. The left-hander completed a scoreless sixth inning but was touched for two runs in the seventh, allowing Chicago to extend its lead to 8-1.
— The White Sox got another in the eighth off Alexi Ogando, who allowed a double and a single and committed a throwing error in the frame.
— Closer Koji Uehara, making just his third appearance since the All-Star break, worked a scoreless ninth for the Red Sox. He allowed two singles and struck out two.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— After going down in order in each of the first two innings, the Red Sox managed to build up a bit momentum in the third. That hot streak, however, was short-lived.
Sandoval led off the inning with a walk, and Ryan Hanigan followed with a double to the wall in right-center field. Third base coach Brian Butterfield opted to send Sandoval on the play, and the burly third baseman was nailed at the plate for the first out of the inning.
The next two batters went down in order, stranding Hanigan at second.
— Napoli put the Red Sox on the board in the fourth with a double that drove in Xander Bogaerts. His solo homer in the fifth provided Boston’s other run, and he also drew a walk in the ninth to finish 2-for-3.
— Sandoval left the game after popping out to lead off the fifth inning and was replaced at third base by Josh Rutledge. The team announced Sandoval was lifted from the game due to dehydration.
The mid-game entry marked the Red Sox debut for Rutledge, whom the team acquired Monday as part of the Shane Victorino trade. The 26-year-old started off on the right foot by making a nice play on a slow roller by Sanchez for the second out of the seventh inning.
Rutledge flied out to right and struck out in his two plate appearances.
— Napoli and Brock Holt (2-for-4, two singles) were the only Red Sox batters to record multiple hits.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Sorry, dude.
[tweet https://twitter.com/iamjoonlee/status/626588584636772352Â align=’center’%5D
UP NEXT
The Red Sox look to avoid a four-game series sweep Thursday night. Wright is scheduled to start for Boston opposite Chicago ace Chris Sale.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
