The Boston Red Sox gave Tampa Bay Rays starter Tyler Glasnow some trouble Saturday, but it wasn’t enough for the win.
Glasnow earned the 5-4 victory over Boston on Saturday, giving up four runs on six hits in seven innings of work at Tropicana Field.
One of the aspects the Red Sox capitalized on was Glasnow’s timing to the plate, stealing six bases against the right-hander. Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke explained the team’s mindset on the bases, especially since they haven’t been known to steal at a high clip this year.
“We know he’s got great stuff and to try and disrupt some pitchers somehow, you try to pick something that you can maybe take advantage of,” Roenicke told reporters during his postgame video conference. “And we did, but he still threw the ball pretty good.”
While the Red Sox ran plenty on the right-hander Saturday, stealing bases isn’t necessarily the team’s biggest strength. And it’s something Roenicke thinks they need to work on.
“I just think we haven’t run this year,” Roenicke said. “I’ve been wanting to run. And I don’t know why we’re a little more hesitant this year — and last year, we were, too. But we don’t have any true, just like, 50-bases-a-year base-stealers, but we have some guys that can run and I think we need to try and take advantage of some guys that have a higher leg kick when we can.”
Considering the Red Sox have only 15 stolen bases this season, Roenicke certainly has a point. But hey, it’s something to work on.
Here are some more notes from Saturday’s Red Sox-Rays game:
— Nathan Eovaldi made his return to the mound after a brief stint on the injured list.
The righty gave up just one run (a lead-off solo shot to Austin Meadows in the first inning) off three hits in three innings of work. This comes after he spent roughly two weeks on the injured list due to a right calf injury.
Eovaldi felt good Saturday and thought he could have stayed out there longer. He understands why he didn’t, though.
“I felt really good,” he told reporters after the game. “We’re trying to build it up the right way, build it up slow. I don’t know … about the next outing, but I felt really good today, especially after that first (inning) I was able to settle in and kind of get some quicker outs.”
— Michael Chavis slipped up in the fifth inning, and it could have cost the Red Sox an important run.
The first baseman was sitting on second in with one out in the fifth when Alex Verdugo popped out to Joey Wendle. The third baseman hucked the ball over to Brandon Lowe at second and, before Chavis knew it, he was out.
So, what exactly happened there?
“He just forgot the outs,” Roenicke said. “It happens and he knows it, feels bad about it. But other than that, I mean, it happens at times. You need to concentrate all the time and sometimes you lapse. But he knows.”
That said, he knows noting was promised had the third out not been made there.
“Well, you don’t know (what could have happened), I mean, it could be huge. But then, we could have made an out and the inning was over. So, it’s just hard to say how much impact it had (on the loss).”
— The Red Sox tried to make a comeback in the seventh, but Lowe spoiled their push.
The second baseman launched a solo shot to give the Rays a 5-4 lead. They’d hold on to that for the rest of the game.
Lowe is batting .405, including eight home runs and, in 21 games against the Red Sox, per NESN’s Tom Caron.
— The Red Sox wrap up their four-game set against the Rays with Sunday matinee. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Mary Holt/USA TODAY Sports Images
