What goes up must come down. And entering Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock was way, way up.
Whitlock, who was a Rule 5 draft pick from the New York Yankees in December, has pulled together a campaign that should certainly net him some votes for the American League Rookie of the Year Award. He entered Tuesday with a 1.17 ERA through 32 games, and he hadn’t allowed a run since July 2.
But through his 1 2/3 innings against the Rays, he scattered four hits and two runs, walking two (his first bases on balls since June 27) and fanning three. With him on the hill, the Red Sox’s 4-2 lead turned into a 4-4 tie — which later would become an 8-4 loss once he left the mound.
“I’ve got to read hitters better, I’ve got to learn quicker in an outing,” Whitlock said after the game. “If I’d have done that, it could’ve been different.”
There’s no reason to sound the alarms on Whitlock just yet. He has more than proven himself on this Red Sox team, and he has been a source of consistency for a Boston squad that seems to have had anything but over the past few weeks.
“They put their at-bats up, going the other way with him,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after the loss. “Obviously they saw him a few weeks ago. Seems like they made an adjustment … You’ve got to give them credit, because this kid, he’s been solid.”
But if Whitlock was going to struggle, the Red Sox needed Matt Barnes to be his typical self. Instead the usually steady closer, allowed four runs in the top of the ninth, marking a new season high.
Tuesday marked Barnes’ fourth appearance since Aug. 7, and he now has three losses, a blown save and just one win since then. Cora attributed the pitcher’s recent struggles to overuse.
“He’s doing his best,” Cora said. “I should kind of like take care of him in a sense. It’s not fair obviously. He wants to do it, he’s willing to do it. It’s been a grind for him lately … He pitched in a doubleheader, he pitched on Sunday, he had to come in today. For how valuable he is for us, for how much we rely on him, there’s certain situations that for his benefit body-wise, we’re better off staying away from him.”
Here are other notes from Tuesday’s Red Sox-Rays game:
— The Tampa Bay Rays have defeated the Red Sox in their last six meetings. They now hold a five-game lead over the Red Sox for first place in the American League East. The Rays now have 36 come-from-behind wins, the most in MLB.
— J.D. Martinez got the start in left field Tuesday, filling in for Alex Verdugo. Verdugo probably is still catching his breath after racing to Los Angeles for the birth of his child. After leaving the team before Sunday’s game in Toronto, Verdugo made it to the west coast with mere minutes to spare.
— Hirokazu Sawamura was pulled from Sunday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, but Cora said pregame Tuesday the reliever was available. He threw 2/3 of an inning, striking out one.
— This game brought up an interesting stat, thanks to Gary M on Twitter (who later backed up his claim with the evidence from Baseball Reference.) Kevin Plawecki is the only Red Sox player to record a hit with a runner on third and fewer than two outs since July 21.
If you’re feeling up for it, here are more stats that show how much the Red Sox have struggled with ducks on the pond lately.
— Some minor league notes: Marcelo Mayer, Boston’s No. 4 draft pick, was credited with his first professional hit on Tuesday. He singled in the fourth inning of the Florida Complex League Red Sox’s game against the FCL Rays.
Ryan Brasier hasn’t played since Sept. 25 after dealing with a number of physical and personal setbacks. But he took the field in the seventh inning for Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday and tossed a scoreless inning.
Elsewhere, Triston Casas is not happy about his gold medal.
— The series continues Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on NESN. Nathan Eovaldi (9-7, 4.07 ERA) will get the ball for Boston, while the Rays have yet to announce their starter.
