It appears the change of scenery did not help the Red Sox.
After dropping six of its first eight games of the season, Boston on Friday kicked off a three-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks by getting undressed 15-8 at Chase Park.
Obviously, the Red Sox’s pitching was horrid, with Rick Porcello and Brian Johnson getting tagged for seven runs apiece.
The Red Sox fall to 2-7 with the loss, while the D-Backs climb to 4-4 with the win.
Here’s how it went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Awful.
Yeah, this one wasn’t good.
ON THE BUMP
— After a disastrous first outing of the season, Porcello was looking to bounce back in his second start — that didn’t happen. The right-hander allowed seven runs (all earned) on 10 hits with three walks, five strikeouts and two homers over 4 2/3 innings.
The righty got through the first two innings without issue, giving up just one hit over the two stanzas, tossing a 1-2-3 second inning.
Porcello wandered into some trouble in the third inning, loading the bases with no outs on two singles and a walk. He got David Peralta to ground into a 4-6-3 double play, but that allowed pitcher Zack Godley to score from third, tying the game. With two down in the frame, Porcello walked Adam Jones, but Jones was caught trying to steal second during the next at-bat, ending the inning with no further damage.
Things really went off the rails in the fourth, though.
Ketel Marte kicked things off by drilling a one-out solo shot to put Arizona up 2-1.
Nick Ahmed then roped a double, and after Alex Avila walked, Godley brought Ahmed home on a pop single to right that landed between Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez and Brock Holt in shallow right. Jarrod Dyson upped the D-Backs’ lead to 4-1 on a line single that Holt just missed, bringing in Avila. With one out, Eduardo Escobar grounded out to first, plating Godley to make it 5-1. That was the last of Arizona’s damage in the fourth, leading Porcello to attack the Gatorade cooler in the dugout.
Despite things going against him, Porcello returned for the fifth and immediately allowed a leadoff homer to Jones.
Ahmed hit a two-out single to center then came home on an Avila double, swelling the host’s lead to 7-1 and ending Porcello’s night.
— Johnson took over with one on and two outs in the fifth and got Godley to strike out swinging. That was the only smooth sailing Johnson would encounter.
After allowing a one-out double to Jones that scored one and put runners on the corners, Johnson intentionally walked Christian Walker to load the bases. Marte hit next and, well, he left the yard in a hurry once more.
With Arizona up 12-1, Ahmed hit a ground rule double, then two batters later Ildemaro Vargas hit a two-run blast to left-center.
— Tyler Thornburg allowed a single and struck out one in a scoreless seventh.
— Eduardo Nunez (yes, that Eduardo Nunez) pitched the ninth. He got the first two batters out before surrendering a homer to Avila to make it 15-5. Nunez then got Vargas to fly out to end the inning.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The Red Sox opened the scoring by plating a run in the third inning.
Blake Swihart kicked off the stanza with a single to right, eventually making his way to third on groundouts from Holt and Porcello. Andrew Benintendi then brought Swihart in by ripping a double to center. Benintendi moved to third the next at-bat on a Betts double, but Mitch Moreland ended the inning on a groundout.
–Down 14-1 in the eighth, the Sox got a few runs back.
Benintendi led the inning off with a single and Betts smacked his second homer of the year to straightaway center.
With two outs, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers hit singles, then came home on a double by Swihart to cut Arizona’s lead to 14-5.
— Although the result wasn’t in doubt, the Red Sox added three runs in the ninth.
Nunez singled to begin the inning, followed by a Betts ground rule double. Moreland followed that up by putting a ball into the seats in left field, trimming the deficit to 15-8.
— Betts led the Red Sox with three hits, while Benintendi and Swihart each had two hits.
— Moreland, Bogaerts, Devers and Nunez had one hit apiece.
— Martinez, Holt and Porcello all went hitless, as did Jackie Bradley Jr. in his pinch-hit at-bat.
TWEET OF THE DAY
A sentiment shared by many Red Sox fans right now, probably.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Diamondbacks will play the middle contest of their three-game set Saturday, with first pitch from Chase Field set for 8:10 p.m. ET. David Price is expected to get the ball for Boston and will be opposed by Luke Weaver.
