A quick photographer captured part of Miley’s short outing (Photo Credit: AP Photo/Gail Burton)
I’m gonna keep this short. I got hit in the hand by a pitch in a baseball game today so I’m typing with six fingers, and the Sox gave up 18 runs; I think brevity is best. The Sox have dropped two straight series, after winning or splitting their first four to start the year.
Once again, starting pitching was the issue. Wade Miley was the culprit this time. After giving up no hits and an unearned run in his first two innings, Wade would only get one out in the third, giving up a flurry of singles, with two walks and a double mixed in.
| Boston | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miley (L, 1-2) | 2.1 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8.62 |
A short outing meant that the bullpen again had to work extended innings. Not ideal for a team that’s in the midst of playing 13 games without a day off. The parade of Red Sox relievers that followed Miley didn’t fare much better than their starter:
| Varvaro | 1.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.72 |
| Ross | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5.87 |
| Hembree | 1.1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 40.50 |
| Breslow | 0.2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.77 |
Yeesh. The only Red Sox pitcher to appear without giving a run was Mujica, who pitched a scoreless 8th, when the score was 18-4 Orioles.
Offensive highlights:
Pedey was 3 for 4.
Panda reached base four times and hit his first home run as a member of the Red Sox.
Hanley went back-to-back with Sandoval, then went deep again in the 9th, giving him 8 homers and 17 RBIs so far in April. Both long balls came on the first pitch.
Brock Holt! reached base in all five of his plate appearances, singling twice and drawing 3 walks. He’s now hitting a cool .457. Maybe he should get most of the starts in right while Victorino and Castillo are on the mend. Just a thought.
Notes:
-After a game like this you’re really happy to have another one scheduled for the next night.
-As if me blogging an 18-7 loss while typing like a 70 year old writing an email to his granddaughter wasn’t bad enough, the Celtics were also eliminated from the playoffs today, getting swept by the Cavs. This team never quit, and played its hardest to the last whistle (both clichés, but both very true). They were down 16 late in the 4th, but scratched and clawed their way back to trail by only 6 with the ball, with less than a minute remaining. In the end, the deficit was just too big to overcome. That’s what happens when you shoot 13% from three.
-JR Smith knocked my boy Jae Crowder out of the game with a vicious cheap shot while the two were jockeying for rebound position. Not only did Jae go down from the punch, but he also landed awkwardly, twisting his knee, leaving him unable to continue. Crowder was arguably the Celtics’ best player in this series. Adam Silver should suspend Smith for the rest of the playoffs, but he’s on LeBron’s team so he’ll probably just get a slap on the wrist.
-In hindsight, I didn’t keep this as short as I would have liked.