Drew Pomeranz’s best start with the Boston Red Sox somehow landed him a loss.
The lefty was mowing down the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, racking up a career-high 11 strikeouts, but the Red Sox’s offense didn’t show up. Boston’s batters failed to put much hard contact on the ball and couldn’t capitalize on the few opportunities they had, leaving the Red Sox with a 2-1 loss.
Here’s how it all unfolded.
GAME IN A WORD
Ugly.
Pomeranz could be excluded from this narrative, but the offense isn’t getting out of this one so easily. Boston squandered multiple scoring opportunities — including a bases-loaded, no-outs situation in the sixth inning that yielded only one run — to go home with a loss in a game the Sox could have easily won.
IT WAS OVER WHEN …
The Red Sox couldn’t score in the ninth inning.
The Red Sox not scoring really was a theme in this game.
ON THE BUMP
— Pomeranz had a career day, but he had to walk away with the loss thanks to a lack of run support. The southpaw struck out a career-high 11 batters and allowed two runs on seven hits with only one walk over six innings, plus two batters in the seventh.
— Matt Barnes relieved Pomeranz and retired his three batters with a sacrifice bunt, a strikeout and a popout.
— Brad Ziegler started the eighth inning off with a walk to Evan Longoria, but he struck out Brad Miller and got Matt Duffy to ground into a double play to end the frame.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— There wasn’t much to call home about offensively for the Red Sox on Thursday. Dustin Pedroia had the best day of the bunch, going 3-for-4 as the only one in the lineup to tally more than one hit.
— Xander Bogaerts (0-for-3), Hanley Ramirez (0-for-3) and Chris Young (0-for-2) all went hitless, but each reached base on a walk.
David Ortiz pinch-hit for Young in the ninth inning and struck out.
— Mookie Betts went 1-for-3 with an RBI in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly. Jackie Bradley Jr. went 1-for-4.
— Travis Shaw and Bryan Holaday both went 1-for-3. Shaw hit a double in the seventh, and Holaday scored Boston’s lone run in the sixth.
— Aaron Hill went 0-for-3.
TWEET OF THE DAY
The Red Sox were batting .218 with the bases loaded heading into Thursday’s game, and that wasn’t lost on Twitter when they loaded them up in the sixth inning.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox head home Friday to start a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park. Steven Wright will be back on the mound for Boston in his first start coming off the disabled list with shoulder inflammation. Right-hander Ian Kennedy will get the ball for the Royals.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
