Boston is 1-5 since the All-Star break
The Boston Red Sox had all the momentum entering the All-Star break.
A 1-5 West Coast trip, capped off by a 20-7 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday afternoon, put all of that on hold.
Boston’s shorthanded pitching staff took one on the chin as the Rockies put together a relentless performance at the plate.
Luckily for the Red Sox, the team gets closer Kenley Jansen back at Fenway Park after Thursday’s off-day when Boston hosts a key American League East series with the New York Yankees.
“It will be nice to have that off-day tomorrow,” Nick Pivetta told reporters, per NESN’s postgame coverage. “Focus on our families. Kind of get away from the field. Reset for the Yankees.”
Pivetta added: “I think we didn’t play that bad of baseball. … I think we attacked hitters the way we needed to, and guys scored runs when they needed to. They always came back throughout the series.”
The Red Sox made up ground against the Yankees entering the All-Star break. With neither team playing well, there’s a heightened sense of urgency entering the three-game set. That starts Friday night with one team ready to end that series with momentum.
Here are more notes from Wednesday’s Red Sox-Rockies game:
— Boston allowed a season-high 20 runs in Wednesday’s loss. That number also tied a franchise record for the Rockies, as referenced by Dave O’Brien on the NESN broadcast.
— Boston and Colorado cleared the benches after the top of the fourth inning when Reese McGuire and Cal Quantrill exchanged words along the first baseline.
The clash ironically occurred on the 20th anniversary of the classic 2004 fight between the Red Sox and New York Yankees at Fenway Park.
— The Red Sox dropped to 1-3 in four all-time regular season series against the Rockies at Coors Field.
— Boston fell to 5-5 when Pivetta starts against National League teams in 2024 and 4-8 overall against the NL West this season.
— First baseman Dominic Smith pitched for the second time this season. He also took the mound for a scoreless inning against the San Diego Padres on June 29.
Smith retired the side in order in the eighth inning on Wednesday.
— The Red Sox return to Fenway Park on Friday to host the New York Yankees for a three-game series. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus 90 minutes of pregame coverage, on NESN.