David Ortiz deposited two balls over the fence Wednesday at Marlins Park, but it wasn’t nearly enough to prevent the Boston Red Sox from being swept out of South Florida.
The Miami Marlins teed off on Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez en route to a 14-6 win that sealed a two-game series sweep for the home team.
GAME IN A WORD
Disaster.
When a team with the worst offense in Major League Baseball (dead last in runs scored entering Wednesday) drops two touchdowns on you, there really is nothing else to say.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
The Marlins hung a 10-spot on the Red Sox in the sixth inning, sending 14 men to the plate to turn a 4-4 tie into a 14-4 rout. All eight of Miami’s starting position players scored at least once in the frame, with catcher J.T. Realmuto providing the exclamation point with a two-out grand slam off Robbie Ross Jr.
ON THE BUMP
— Rodriguez’s afternoon got off to the worst possible start, as speedster Dee Gordon led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run to right-center field. It was just the sixth homer of Gordon’s five-year major league career.
The young lefty retired the next three batters in order but ran into more trouble in the second, as a walk, a triple, two singles and a sacrifice bunt allowed the Marlins to plate three additional runs.
Rodriguez breezed through the next three innings — allowing a two-out double in the third but nothing more — before hitting a wall in the fourth. He allowed three singles and a triple in the frame without recording an out and was charged with four of Miami’s 10 runs.
— After allowing two inherited runners to score Tuesday in his Red Sox debut, Ryan Cook again was ineffective Wednesday. He struck out one but allowed four base hits and was charged with four runs as the Marlins continued to pile on.
— Ross took over with one out in the sixth and induced a flyout before allowing another single and the dagger — Realmuto’s slam. He allowed two more base hits in the seventh but struck out the side to strand runners on second and third.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— David Ortiz immediately erased Gordon’s home run with one of his own, mashing an Adam Conley pitch into the upper deck in right to lead off the second inning. It was Ortiz’s fourth home run in the last seven games and the 490th of his career.
Rusney Castillo and Blake Swihart both added singles in the frame, but a double play helped Conley escape without any further damage.
— Two more base hits by Xander Bogaerts and Ortiz in the fourth helped Boston cut its deficit to 4-2, as Bogaerts came in to score when Castillo grounded into a double play. It was the third time in the game the Red Sox had grounded into a twin killing.
— The Red Sox pulled even one inning later. Jackie Bradley Jr. led off the fifth with a single, advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Rodriguez and scored on a two-out single by Brock Holt. Bogaerts then doubled into right field, and Ichiro Suzuki’s misplaying of the ball allowed Holt to bolt all the way around from first.
— Ortiz homered again in the seventh, scoring Holt, who walked earlier in the frame. By that point, however, the game was well out of reach.
— Pablo Sandoval walked twice in a game for just the second time this season.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Your silver lining:
[tweet https://twitter.com/TheRickyDoyle/status/631594776391872512 align=’center’%5D
UP NEXT
The Sox now will enjoy an off-day — their second in four days — before beginning a three-game series with Seattle Mariners on Friday back at Fenway Park. That’ll kick off a 10-game homestand for Boston that also includes three meetings with the Cleveland Indians and four with the Kansas City Royals.
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
