Runs were tough to come by for the Boston Red Sox on Sunday afternoon.
In Game 1 of a Sunday twin bill, the Sox fell 3-2 to the Chicago White Sox in a seventh-inning matinee at Fenway Park.
Tanner Houck was mostly solid for the Red Sox, but allowed all three of the earned runs in the loss. Enrique Hernández homered for Boston.
The Red Sox fall to 10-5 with the loss. The White Sox climb to 7-8 with the win.
GAME IN A WORD
Zippy.
With few runs and only seven innings to play, this was a quick one..
ON THE BUMP
-- Minus a couple bumps, it largely was a good outing for Houck. He went 4 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on six hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
Tim Anderson had never faced Houck before, but that didn't keep him from being aggressive right off the jump. He hacked at the first pitch of the game and snuck it over the wall in right-center for a leadoff solo shot.
The ensuing frames went smoother until the fourth, when Houck wandered back into a little more trouble.
Jose Abreu hit a one-out single, then with two down, Yasmani Grandal ripped a long double high off the Green Monster. It carried for so long that it gave Abreu the chance to score from first, putting the visitor's up 2-0.
Houck got Luis Robert to pop out to end the inning and strand Grandal.
The right-hander allowed runners to reach the corners with one out in the fifth before getting pulled.
-- Josh Taylor replaced Houck and gave up a two-out RBI single to Yoan Moncada, which made it 3-1 Chicago, before getting out of the inning.
-- Philips Valdéz got the sixth and seventh, pitching a pair of tidy, 1-2-3 innings.
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
-- Bobby Dalbec hit a loud double in the third that just barely missed going over the Green Monster, but Boston would get its first runs of the game in the bottom half of the fourth.
J.D. Martinez hit a one-out double, moving to second the next at-bat on a Xander Bogaerts groundout. Rafael Devers singled to put runners on the corners, then Hunter Renfroe hit a chopper to third that Moncada couldn't handle barehanded, which allowed Martinez to score to make it 2-1.
During the next at-bat, Renfroe got caught picked off and caught stealing second, ending the rally with Devers standing on third.
-- Down a pair in the sixth, Enrique Hernández familiarized himself with Pesky's Pole.
Hernández led off the penultimate inning by lofting a ball that just barely wrapped around the pole, making it 3-2 and ending Dallas Keuchel's afternoon.
-- Dalbec led the Red Sox with a pair of hits.
-- Hernández, Alex Verdugo, Martinez, Devers, Renfroe and Christian Arroyo all had one hit each.
-- Kevin Plawecki and Xander Bogaerts went hitless.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Such a fresh look.
UP NEXT
The two sides will play the nightcap of the twin bill Sunday at 5:10 p.m. ET. Martin Perez will be on the mound for the Red Sox, with Chicago's starter to be determined.
