Red Sox Notes: Reliance On Bullpen Spurns Boston In Loss Vs. Braves

Struggles on the mound once again leave the Boston Red Sox coming up short, this time to the Atlanta Braves in extra innings, 9-7, on Tuesday.

The Red Sox used eight pitchers over the course of the 11-inning loss. Starting pitcher Rich Hill gave up four runs over the course of four innings, including a home run to Braves’ third baseman Austin Riley. This led to a premature need to retreat to the bullpen, which was without Tanner Houck, after he was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier in the day.

“We had to go to the bullpen early because I couldn’t get through five innings, and that doesn’t sit well with me,” Hill said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora reflected on the night, particularly about the pitching struggles that came about Tuesday.

“That’s a good lineup over there, some tough right-handed hitters. We needed to go to the bullpen,” Cora said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “We felt like offensively we were swinging the bat well and to keep the game in check, we were very aggressive going with (Ryan) Braiser right away.

Cora added: “Guys have to step it up. (Matt) Barnes, (Hirokazu) Sawamura, the lefties. Regardless of if (Houck) was healthy or not, we gotta throw the ball better. … I think we haven’t done a good job putting guys away.”

Red Sox Wrap: Braves Take Down Boston After 11 Innings In 9-7 Win

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Here are more notes from Red Sox-Braves on Tuesday:

— First baseman Eric Hosmer left the game early after fouling a ball off his left knee in the fourth inning, which was announced as a left knee contusion, via NESN broadcast. Bobby Dalbec came in to replace Hosmer in the fifth inning.

“(Hosmer) is day-to-day. Most likely, he won’t play tomorrow. He should be okay,” Cora said.

— The Red Sox hit three home runs on the night, with one each from Christian Arroyo, Tommy Pham and Jarren Duran. The team recorded 11 hits in total.

— Following Tuesday’s loss against the Braves, the Red Sox remain five games behind in the American League Wild Card standings.

— The Red Sox and Braves are back at it on Wednesday at Fenway Park. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET with pregame coverage starting at 6 p.m. You can watch it with NESN 360.