Mets 7, Red Sox 4
BOSTON, July 27 — The Boston Red Sox welcomed the New York Mets into Fenway Park for the first of a four-game home-and-home series. The Mets were able to bounce back after getting blown out by the Atlanta Braves one night earlier. The Red Sox couldn’t say the same. The pitching was once again what cost the team a win, and it didn’t help that Michael Wacha looked like he was back in 2015 on Monday night.
Red Sox Turn to an Opener
The Red Sox ran out of starting pitchers after Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, and Ryan Weber started each of the first three games. Ron Roenicke called upon Josh Osich to take the mound first as an opener. Osich lasted two innings giving up two runs on a home run by Michael Conforto in the second inning. This performance seemed on par with what the team should expect from most of their pitchers at this point in 2020.
27-year old left-hander Jeffrey Springs got the call next and it somehow got messier. In his first inning of work, Springs gave up a single to Amed Rosario who was then followed by reigning National League Rookie of the Year Pete Alonso. Alonso did some damage to the cardboard cutouts that sit on the Green Monster as he blasted a home run to left field with an exit velocity of 116 MPH. This third-inning home run put the Mets ahead 4-0.
The fourth inning proved to be more of the same for Springs. Wilson Ramos doubled on the first pitch of the inning. This was followed by a walk to Robinson Cano in an at-bat where Springs seemed very uncomfortable to have Ramos on base. Dominic Smith stepped to the plate next with two men on and nobody out. Springs left a 1-2 slider out over the plate and Smith turned it around into the Red Sox bullpen. Smith was the last batter Springs faced as the visitors now led 7-0. His final line was 1 1/3 innings, four hits, five runs, one walk, and two homers.
Godley Impressive in Relief
The Red Sox did in fact find one good thing in yet another ugly loss. Newly acquired pitcher Zack Godley came on in the fifth inning to try and keep the deficit where it was. The righty pitched four complete innings, allowing four hits, and striking out seven. After seeing what some of his teammates looked like on Monday night, Godley seems like the most obvious choice to get the ball in the third or fourth spot of the rotation next time around.
Wacha Dominates Boston Lineup
Wacha last pitched at Fenway Park in game six of the 2013 World Series. He gave up six runs in 3 2/3 innings pitched in that game. Monday was a very different story for the former All-Star. He tossed five complete innings only letting one run across. Wacha struck out four batters, and his changeup proved to be the difference-maker. The starter noted that his changeup can be a pitch that will put away batters as he locates it well. But if he can’t get it down in the zone where he likes it he trusts that it will lead to soft contact and his teammates will get the outs.
“Me and Ramos got in a nice little groove there,” explained Wacha. “We were attacking the zone and making pitches. I’m just trying to let the defense play behind me and make plays.”
Red Sox Attempt to Rally
The Red Sox were able to scrape a few runs across in the later innings. They never really threatened the Mets’ lead, however. Mitch Moreland sent one just beyond the bullpens to finally get the Red Sox on the board in the fourth inning. Once Wacha exited the game Xander Bogaerts was able to get ahold of one as well to bring the deficit down to five runs.
In the eight inning the Red Sox finally strung together some hits, but it proved to be too little too late. J.D. Martinez walked on five pitches and was followed by a Rafael Devers double. Bogaerts collected his second RBI of the night on a groundout which scored Martinez. Moreland got in on the action again as well singling to center field scoring Devers. The Moreland single brought the score to 7-4 which would remain as the final in game one.
Devers Hurting the Red Sox
None of the top four hitters in the Red Sox lineup has performed particularly well to this point. No player has stood out quite like Devers. The third baseman is 2-for-17 on the season with six strikeouts through four games. Devers finished 12th in the MVP voting a season ago. He was drawing a lot of buzz for the award again this year. The season is still early and Devers may end up being completely fine, but in a 60-game season, a player of his caliber can’t afford to get in a slump for too long.
The 23-year-old hasn’t exactly been putting on a clinic at third base either. Devers has three errors in four games so far and that includes an errant throw on Monday night against the Mets.
Game 2 Tuesday 7:30 ET
Tuesday night is the final game in Boston before the series shifts to New York, and will kick-off at 7:30 Eastern. Matt Hall will get the nod for the Red Sox in his first-ever Major League start. The Mets are yet to announce who will get the ball in game two. They will look to hand the Red Sox their fourth straight loss.
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