Josh Taylor has been exceptional this season.
So while it wasn't great for the Boston Red Sox to see him deliver a clunker Saturday afternoon in an 11-2 loss, they're not fretting.
"I've just got to take away the positives," Taylor said after the game over Zoom. "I wasn't locating today, I was all around the zone and put myself in position to give up hits. Just take away the positives, go back and watch video, figure it out and tomorrow I come back and we win the series."
It's unclear what exactly the issue was for Taylor. It's clear he struggled with command, but it might just be as simple as him not having it Saturday.
He entered with the Red Sox down 3-2, and it didn't take long for him to unravel. He gave up a leadoff single to Bryce Harper, then walked Andrew McCutchen. That was followed up by a Rhys Hoskins double, which brought both home.
Taylor then hit Didi Gregorius with a pitch before getting yanked from the game. Both Gregorius and Hoskins would later score, with the runs getting charged to Taylor. All told, Taylor, Brandon Workman and Austin Brice allowed eight runs in the ill-fated frame.
The bad showing was of particular note for Taylor since it brought an end to an impressive scoreless streak. Entering Saturday, he had made 26 straight scoreless appearances, which was one shy of the franchise record set by Koji Uehara in 2013.
"It's cool and all. That's not something I really show up to the field every day worried about," Taylor said. "I just want to go into the game and do my job.
"I (couldn't) care less about a streak. Again, it's cool, but I still have a job to do. I still have a job to go and get the outs I need, and today I didn't do that.
Added Alex Cora: "He's been so great for, what, two, two and a half months? It just happens, right? ... What he did was amazing, he's been great. Hopefully if he gets the ball tomorrow he can do the job again."
Taylor ultimately threw just 13 pitches, so he should be available Sunday if the Red Sox need him, especially with the All-Star break set to begin afterwards.
Here are some other notes from Saturday's Red Sox-Phillies game:
-- It was two pitches that sank MartÃn Pérez.
The starter wasn't outright bad, but the Red Sox undoubtedly would have wanted more than 3 2/3 innings from the right-hander.
"I think I pitched good," Pérez said after the game. "Just two bad pitches and they hit a homer. After that I was OK."
The two pitches resulted in a Jean Segura leadoff blast in the first inning and an Alec Bohm two-run shot an inning later. That was it though, as Pérez finished his outing having allowed just the three runs.
"He gave us a chance," Cora said. "He gave us enough ... Where were bullpen-wise today, we thought that was enough."
-- Of the three relievers used in the eighth inning, Brice, who was called up earlier in the day, probably was the best. He walked into an absolute dumpster fire, with the bases loaded and nobody out. While he did allow all the inherited runners to score, plus one of his own, he bounced back with a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out a pair.
Brice has good stuff, but command and consistency have been the problem for him. He will likely get another opportunity with Matt Andriese on the injured list.
-- The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, which shrinks the Red Sox's division lead to 1.5 games. Regardless of result, the Red Sox will enter the break with the American League East lead in hand.
