Rick Porcello pitched one heck of a game Tuesday night against the New York Yankees. But the Boston Red Sox offense, as well as the guys behind him, weren’t there when he needed them.
The 26-year-old right-hander pitched eight innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits with one walk and a career-high 13 strikeouts. But an error by first baseman Travis Shaw and a botched double steal that ended a potential eighth-inning rally ruined Porcello’s chances of walking away with a win.
Still, Porcello took some of the blame for the two runs that were scored in the fifth inning after Shaw allowed Didi Gregorius and Alex Rodriguez to reach second and third base, respectively. Porcello gave up a bases-clearing double to Stephen Drew after getting down in the count.
“I think the 2-0 count was not a good situation to be in, but more importantly, it was just a bad pitch,” Porcello said after Boston’s 3-1 loss. “Even behind 2-0 there, I feel like if I execute that pitch, I get a swing-and-miss or a weak pop-up or a ground ball. Just a poorly executed pitch.”
Here are some more notes from Tuesday’s loss.
Click for the Red Sox Wrap>>
— The double steal was a big point of contention for the Red Sox. In the eighth inning, Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts were sent from their spots at first and second with power hitter David Ortiz at the plate. Bogaerts made it safely, but Betts was called out at third, and the call stood after a review.
But Betts maintained that he was pushed off the bag, whether it was intentional or not.
“As I was sitting there, I felt my foot start moving, and I wasn’t moving it,” Betts said.
The umpires can only review whether his foot came off the bag and not if he was pushed, which is an unfortunate situation for Betts and the Sox. But the outfielder wasn’t about to make a fuss.
“I’m not the rule maker, and I’m not trying to start anything like that,” Betts said. “It’s just a part of the game, and it was just a judgement call there.”
— Sending Bogaerts and Betts with Ortiz at the dish was a questionable call to begin with. But interim manager Torey Lovullo stood by the call after the game.
“We’re the type of team that’s taken advantage of some cracks in the opposition, and I thought it was a really good play,” Lovullo said. “We executed the play perfectly. We just over-slid the bag. With David up, we knew that the pitcher was going to be locked on to executing the game plan, trying to get into a rhythm at home plate, and at that point we figured it was a good risk.”
—Â Jackie Bradley Jr. still is a machine.
The 25-year-old outfielder had another great night Tuesday after batting 1.000 and making an incredible throw the night prior. Bradley went 2-for-3 with two long doubles and a run scored and is batting .438 with a .478 OBP in 20 games since Aug. 9.
— Yoan Moncada, who’s playing for the Single-A Greenville Drive, was named to the South Atlantic League’s All-Star team Tuesday, as well as being deemed the league’s Most Outstanding MLB prospect. The infielder is batting .291 with 59 runs, eight homers, 36 RBIs and a whopping 45 stolen bases in 73 games with Greenville.
The Red Sox signed the 19-year-old Moncada to a $31.5 million deal back in February.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
