I should wait to start writing these until the game is over.
Tonight was one of those games that the Red Sox lost for a different reason than everyone initially thought they’d lose it pre-game. I thought we’d lose solely because of Giolito. But we also lost due to Whitlock having a bad day and the offense doing dink in the top of the 10th. Losing after you were up six is never fun, nor is losing in walk-off fashion. Yet another Worst Loss of the Season! Also I started writing this in the bottom of the sixth, and that’s when everything went downhill, so I’ve learned my lesson there. I had to tweak this article about four times as every negative development happened.
Three Studs:
Lucas Giolito: Until the sixth inning he absolutely shoved, and then he fell apart and gave up three runs on two homers to Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk of all people. Still, his stat line was more than satisfactory for his first major league outing in two years: 6 IP (5 scoreless), 3 R (all earned), 5 hits, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts.
Carlos Narváez: He was a huge help to Giolito by becoming the God of Pitch-Framing and did his job so well that the Blue Jays hitting coach got mad and got ejected! And of course the two-run homer was fun to watch. Narváez has become a new fan-favorite among younger members of the Red Sox fanbase and has so far been a fantastic replacement for Wong while he’s on the IL.
Aroldis Chapman: Kept the score even in the bottom of the ninth.
Three Duds:
Garrett Whitlock: Tied up the game in the seventh. Big stinky. Fortunately he did not make things worse in the eighth, but bad time to have a bad game.
Justin Slaten/Alex Cora: Risked loading the bases to try and induce a double-play, and then let Big Boy Alejandro Kirk hit the winning RBI single.
Everyone Who Batted in the Top of the 10th (Bregman, Story, and Abreu): No runs were scored and the Sox lost their last chance to turn the game around. Jeff Hoffman is a little too good right now.
Rounding out the month in the ugliest way possible is never fun! Here’s to hoping the Sox manage to get their act together and get the series win tomorrow.