The Boston Red Sox got better starting pitching Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but it was the small, intricate details they missed that ended up costing them.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora certainly noticed how big of a difference it made, though, in Boston's 4-1 loss at Fenway Park.
The Pirates proved to be a pesky bunch, scoring three out of their four runs with two outs, which will always be cause for a headache.
"Two-out runs, leadoff guys, shutdown innings for me, in this game, regardless of the level, they're very important," Cora told reporters as seen on NESN postgame coverage. "You get the leadoff guy out, you avoid damage with two outs and you shut them down after you score, you're in good shape. It feels like with two outs we haven't done that early on and we just got to improve that."
The Red Sox were in a good position when they jumped out to a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first thanks to a fielder's choice from Masataka Yoshida. But the lead was short-lived as Nick Pivetta didn't have the all-important shutdown inning and gave up a two-run home run as the Pirates led for good from that point on.
Boston's attack never really threatened, amassing only two hits after the first inning. But Cora wasn't worried about the lack of production given the tear the offense was on through the first four games.
"Yeah, we didn't get too many hits. We didn't score seven or eight," Cora said. "But I thought we were OK. Just make adjustments, keep putting good at-bats and we'll be OK."
Here are more notes from Tuesday's Red Sox-Pirates game:
-- The starting pitchers haven't given much to the Red Sox but Pivetta helped the staff take a step in the right direction. The veteran righty allowed three runs, only one earned, on three hits across five innings while striking out six and walking two in his first start of the season.
"It was good," Pivetta told reporters of his performance, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. "Little mix of everything. Thought I competed in the zone very well. ... Got some swings and misses when I need to and some weak contact."
-- Josh Winckowski has found a role in the bullpen early on. The 24-year-old righty tossed three innings out of the 'pen against the Pirates, in which he yielded one run on two hits while striking out three and walking one. Winckowski, who made his big league debut last season as a starter, leads the Red Sox with six innings pitched.
-- The Red Sox gave up two more stolen bases in the loss as opponents are 12-for-12 now on stolen base attempts. All the thefts have come with Reese McGuire behind the plate. McGuire also had a blunder when he let up a passed ball on a third strike in the top of the second, which allowed Canaan Smith-Njigba to reach base safely with two outs. Next batter Ji Hwan Bae made Boston pay for the miscue with a two-run home run.
"He made a really good pitch, it was just nasty enough to get right underneath my glove," McGuire told reporters, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. "I felt like I was in a good position to get ready to lift it up into the zone, and for whatever reason it just clipped off the end of my glove and I didn't quite get down to it. Complete ownership of that."
-- Wednesday will be a getaway game for the Red Sox as they close out their three-game set with the Pirates and their first homestand of the season. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
