Rick Porcello stumbled through his worst start of the 2016 season, Koji Uehara was uncharacteristically shaky in relief, and the Boston Red Sox’s typically explosive offense was unable to carry the load Tuesday night in an 8-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
GAME IN A WORD
Inevitable.
After going 6-1 with a 3.11 ERA over his first seven starts, Porcello finally tossed a clunker. The right-hander was charged with five runs (four earned) on eight hits in five-plus innings, walking two and striking out three.
Even still, the Red Sox trailed by just one run entering the eighth inning. But then…
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Uehara surrendered three runs on just four pitches in the bottom of the eighth to give the Royals all the breathing room they would need.
The Red Sox’s former closer first threw away a textbook bunt by Omar Infante, allowing Salvador Perez to score all the way from first base on the throwing error, then served up a towering two-run home run to No. 9 hitter Paulo Orlando.
Orlando went 3-for-4 with a homer, a triple and four RBIs for the defending World Series champs.
Boston managed one walk but nothing more in the ninth.
ON THE BUMP
— After allowing one walk in the first inning and one base hit in the second, Porcello labored through the third and fourth. He surrendered a leadoff triple to Orlando, an RBI groundout in the following at-bat and a solo home run off the bat of Eric Hosmer two batters later.
Hosmer’s blast gave the Royals a 2-1 lead, and they added three additional runs one inning later, touching Porcello for four consecutive singles.
Porcello kept Kansas City off the board in the fifth, but after No. 7 hitter Cheslor Cuthbert led off the sixth with a double (the bottom third of the Royals’ order went 6-for-7 against Porcello), manager John Farrell chose to make a move.
The five-inning effort snapped Porcello’s streak of 15 consecutive outings in which he completed at least six full frames.
— Matt Barnes took over with a man on second and nobody out in the sixth. He walked a batter and threw one wild pitch to put two runners in scoring position but was able to retire the side without allowing a run.
— Tommy Layne pitched a perfect seventh, striking out one. He then walked the first batter of the eighth inning and struck out the second before giving way to Uehara.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Another day, another hit for Jackie Bradley Jr.
The Red Sox center fielder doubled off the left field wall in his first at-bat of the night, scoring Travis Shaw with the game’s first run and extending his major league-best hitting streak to 22 games.
Bradley also drew two walks in the ballgame.
— Shaw was Boston’s most productive hitter on an otherwise quiet night for the Red Sox’s offense.
The third baseman singled in the second (and scored on Bradley’s double), singled again in the fourth and launched a two-out, three-run homer in the sixth. That blast cut Kansas City’s lead to 5-4 and came after Royals starter Yordano Ventura had allowed a single to Dustin Pedroia and hit Hanley Ramirez with a pitch.
Ventura faced just one more batter after Shaw went yard, walking Bradley before being relieved by Luke Hochevar.
— Farrell was ejected from the game after disagreeing with a strike call to Mookie Betts with one out in the seventh inning. The skipper was the second member of the Red Sox to be tossed in as many games, as Brock Holt also was thrown out of Sunday’s win over the Houston Astros for arguing balls and strikes.
— Xander Bogaerts singled to lead off the seventh, stretching his hitting streak to 11 games. He was caught stealing two batters later, however, taking the potential tying run off the basepaths, and Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning.
TWEET OF THE GAME
UP NEXT
The Sox and Royals will wrap up their three-game series with a doubleheader Wednesday. Steven Wright is scheduled to start Game 1 for Boston, with David Price getting the nod in the nightcap.
Thumbnail photo via Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports Images
