The first game of the Red Sox’s doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays didn’t go quite as Boston had hoped.
The Sox’s 9-2 loss Saturday afternoon came shortly after Boston placed Mitch Moreland on the 10-day injured list. With key players like Moreland and J.D. Martinez out of commission for the time being, other players have had to step up as the Sox contend with the likes of the Rays and the New York Yankees in the American League East.
Manager Alex Cora, however, isn’t blaming the injury bug for his team’s most pressing problems.
“Overall, we just haven’t been consistent. That’s it,” he said, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. ” … just as a group from top to bottom we haven’t been consistent. I think that if we’re going to start looking at stuff, (lacking consistency) has put us in this situation right now.”
The Sox will have a chance to split the twin bill with the Rays in their second game of the series slated for 6:10 p.m. ET.
Here are some more notes from Game 1 of the Rays-Red Sox doubleheader:
— It wasn’t the prettiest outing, but Josh Smith still managed to put in four innings of work in his second start this season for Boston. Smith gave up four earned runs on seven hits and struck out three. His ERA now sits at 6.35 on the season.
Cora was pleased to see Smith “battle” through his four innings of work despite some slip-ups early in the outing.
— Sam Travis made his first start of the season, taking over duties in left field in impressive fashion.
In addition to a spectacular catch in the third inning to rob the Rays of a double, Travis went 1-for-3 at the plate, including an RBI single in the second.
— After being recalled Saturday, Marco Hernandez made his first appearance for the Sox since May 3, 2017, and he didn’t disappoint. The 26-year-old ripped a double down the right-field line in his first at-bat after spending the last two years recovering from a shoulder injury.
— Four Red Sox starters recorded a hit in the first game of the doubleheader: Travis, Michael Chavis, Christian Vazquez and Jackie Bradley Jr.
Chavis was the only Boston batter with a multi-hit game with two singles. Jackie Bradley Jr. launched his fifth home run of the season in the eighth inning.
