Red Sox bullpen blows another one in 3-2 loss to Oakland A’s

The game close, the starter done after five or six innings, who are the Red Sox to go to?

It was Matt Andriese on Monday, and that backfired.

It was Darwinzon Hernandez on Tuesday, and that didn’t work either.

The Red Sox bullpen is slowly starting to unravel.

With the game tied in the seventh inning Tuesday, Hernandez wildly coughed up two decisive runs as the Oakland A’s took a 3-2 win in the series opener.

It’s an important series for the Sox, who have started to feel good about themselves and haven’t been afraid to say so. Manager Alex Cora recently suggested in a joking manner that the Sox are the No. 1 team in the nation. It’s a group that isn’t afraid to talk about how good they are.

But the A’s are good, too. And after winning the first game, both teams are now 22-15. And it’s the San Francisco Giants, at 22-14, that now have MLB’s best record.

The Sox are unquestionably talented, but the bullpen is starting to look like a concern.

Nathan Eovaldi pitched a two-hit gem but was removed from a 1-1 game after six innings and 102 pitches.

Cora called on Hernandez, the hard-throwing lefty who has settled into a late-game role. But Hernandez is prone to losing his cool on the mound, and it happened again on Tuesday.

He couldn’t find the strike zone against Matt Olson and issued a leadoff walk. Hernandez thought he had Olson on an outside fastball that was quite clearly not a strike, but Hernandez got emotional about the call and didn’t seem to recover.

Jed Lowrie and Matt Chapman each singled to drive in Olson for the go-ahead run. Hernandez then retired Mitch Moreland before Cora called on Adam Ottavino, who allowed Chapman to score on a single by Elvis Andrus.

One night earlier, Matt Andriese couldn’t keep the game tied in the sixth inning after being called on to relieve starter Martin Perez.

The Red Sox bullpen held it together for the month of April, but, other than Matt Barnes, has been a total mess in the month of May.

Since May 1, relievers not named Barnes have a 1-5 record while allowing 24 earned runs in 30 innings for a 7.20 ERA.

Cora hasn’t had any reliable late-inning options to bridge the gap to Barnes.

Hernandez and Ottavino have been shaky, Andriese has been totally unreliable, Garrett Whitlock has come back down to Earth and there isn’t anywhere for Cora to go.

Three more takeaways:

1. Eovaldi looked great and he needed this one. He’s allowed 16 earned runs in 21 2/3 innings over his previous four starts and Cora thought he needed to switch up his pitch mix. But Eovaldi used just about the same mix he has all year as he handled a very good A’s lineup over six innings of work. He allowed just two hits, two walks and one run, striking out four.

2. Chris Bassit pitched one of the best games anyone has thrown against the Red Sox this year. Using a deceptive delivery and mid-90s fastball, he struck out 10 in seven innings on just 86 pitches. It was just the fourth time in 37 games that a starter has completed seven innings against the Red Sox this year. There’s yet to be a starter to take the mound in the eighth.

3. Bassitt might’ve finished the game if it wasn’t for Rafael Devers’ excellent swing on a hanging two-seamer in the seventh inning. Bassitt left the 92 mph pitch over the middle of the plate and Devers lifted it to opposite field over the Green Monster for his ninth of the year. Devers had a chance to walk off in the bottom of the ninth, when he stepped up with two on and one out, but he went fishing after some bad pitches and hit into a fielder’s choice.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3bgvMEo