Tag: fenway park

Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez both homer as Red Sox cruise to 6-1 win over Athletics

The Red Sox returned home to Fenway Park for the first time in nearly two weeks on Tuesday and continued their winning ways with a series-opening win over the Athletics.

Boston defeated Oakland by a final score of 6-1 in a tidy two hours and 43 minutes to take the season series from the A’s and improve to 33-29 on the year.

Matched up against rookie left-hander Jared Koenig to begin things on Tuesday, Xander Bogaerts kicked off the scoring with a first-inning broken-bat RBI single to right field.

An inning later, Rob Refsnyder delivered with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly that scored Christian Vazquez from third base. In the bottom of the third, J.D. Martinez clubbed his eighth home run of the season and his third in his last four games.

Rafael Devers’ doubled Boston’s advantage in the fourth. With runners on first and second and no outs in the inning, Devers took an 0-1, 88 mph sinker on the inner half of the plate from Koenig and crushed it 439 feet into the right field bleachers.

Devers’ team-leading 15th big fly of the year — a three-run blast that left his bat at a blistering 107.3 mph — gave the Sox a commanding 6-0 lead at the end of the four.

To that point in the contest, Nick Pivetta had been cruising right along in his 13th start of the season for Boston. The right-hander took a no-hit bid into the fourth inning before giving up a leadoff single to Tony Kemp. He then took a shutout bid into the eighth inning before yielding a leadoff home run to Stephen Vogt.

Pivetta did not let that rattle him, though, as he proceeded to retire the next (and final) three batters he faced to end his night on a solid note. Finishing with a final pitch count of 100 (67 strikes), the 29-year-old hurler wound up allowing just the one run on three hits, two walks, and three strikeouts over eight strong innings of work.

Of the 100 pitches Pivetta threw, 55 were four-seam fastballs. He induced a game-high seven swings-and-misses with the pitch while topping out at 96.2 mph with it. He also lowered his ERA on the season down to 3.50.

In relief of Pivetta, Phillips Valdez received the first and only call out of the Red Sox bullpen from manager Alex Cora. The righty allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base, but closed it out from there to secure the 6-1 victory.

Next up: Kaprielian vs. Winckowski

The Red Sox will call up rookie right-hander Josh Winckowski to start the second game of this three-game set on Wednesday. The Athletics, on the other hand, will turn to fellow righty James Kaprielian.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers: Elsa/Getty Images)

Alex Verdugo and Jackie Bradley Jr. lead the way offensively as Red Sox bounce back with 7-1 win over Reds

The Red Sox ensured their flight to San Francisco would be a happy one as they defeated the Reds, 7-1, at Fenway Park on Wednesday night. With the win, Boston splits its two-game series with Cincinnati while improving to 24-27 on the season.

Matched up against Hunter Greene out of the gate, it took until the fourth inning for the Sox lineup to get to the Reds rookie right-hander. Rafael Devers led off with a wall-ball double and advanced to third base on a J.D. Martinez single. Xander Bogaerts drove in Devers to break the seal while Alex Verdugo followed by lacing a 106.8 mph two-run double to right-center field to score both Martinez and Bogaerts.

Those four consecutive hits gave Boston a 3-0 lead. Jackie Bradley Jr. tacked on one more by plating Verdugo on a two-out RBI single to center field. A four-run fourth inning proved to be beneficial for Garrett Whitlock.

Making his eighth start of the season for the Red Sox, Whitlock allowed just one unearned run on five hits, no walks, and no strikeouts over six innings of work. It was his first time since moving to the starting rotation that he did not strike out a single batter, though he did induce three double plays.

The lone run Whitlock gave up came in his sixth and final inning. There, the right-hander yielded a leadoff single to Aristedes Aquino, who proceeded to steal second base and advance to third on a Christian Vazquez throwing error. Aquino then scored from third on a Nick Senzel groundout, but he limited the damage to one by getting Brandon Drury to fly out to right field to retire the side.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 73 (49 strikes), the 25-year-old hurler lowered his ERA on the season down to 3.02 while earning his first career winning decision as a starting pitcher in the majors.

In relief of Whitlock, fellow righty Tanner Houck received the first call out of the Red Sox bullpen from Red Sox manager Alex Cora. He needed all of 12 pitches to sit down the side in order in the seventh before stranding one in a scoreless top of the eighth.

A half-inning later, Bradley Jr. provided some late insurance with a bases-clearing, three-run triple off Jeff Hoffman. Bradley Jr.’s first triple of the season gave the Sox a comfortable 7-1 lead. John Schreiber closed things out in the ninth with some defensive help from Trevor Story to secure a six-run victory.

All told, three different Red Sox pitchers (Whitlock, Houck, Schreiber) struck out just one of the 31 batters they collectively faced on Wednesday.

Next up: On to Oakland

The Red Sox will now board an overnight flight to San Francisco before enjoying an off day in the Bay Area on Thursday and opening a three-game weekend series against the 20-33 Athletics on Friday. It marks the start of a 10-game west coast road trip for the Sox.

Boston will turn to right-hander Nathan Eovaldi in the opener while Oakland will roll with fellow righty James Kaprielian. First pitch from Oakland Coliseum is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Alex Verdugo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Red Sox activate Matt Strahm from COVID-19 related injured list, place Matt Barnes on 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation

Before wrapping up their two-game interleague series against the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park on Wednesday, the Red Sox activated left-hander Matt Strahm from the COVID-19 related injured list.

In order to make room for Strahm on the active roster, right-hander Matt Barnes was placed on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation, the team announced.

Strahm’s stay on the COVID-related IL lasted all of 48 hours after he was placed on it before Monday night’s 10-0 loss to the Orioles. The 30-year-old southpaw has been one of Alex Cora’s most trusted relievers this season, posting a 3.68 ERA and 1.77 FIP with 16 strikeouts to just three walks over 18 appearances spanning 14 2/3 innings of work.

Barnes, meanwhile, is in the midst of his worst season as a big-leaguer. The 31-year-old has posted a dismal 7.94 ERA and 5.32 FIP with 14 strikeouts to 12 walks across 20 outings and 17 innings pitched in 2022.

That Barnes has struggled as much as he has this year can be attributed to the difficulties he also endured during the second half of last season. Since signing a two-year, $18.75 million extension with the Sox in July, the former first-round draft pick has pitched to a 7.01 ERA and 5.49 FIP over his last 34 2/3 innings.

Since Barnes’ stint on the injured list is retroactive to May 31, the hard-throwing righty would be eligible to return to action as soon as June 15, when the Red Sox host the Oakland Athletics in Boston.

On the flip side of that, though, the Sox could elect to send Barnes out on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester to have him work on things there with WooSox pitching coach Paul Abbott. As noted by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, any rehab assignment can last up to 30 days, ” so the Red Sox can keep Barnes off their roster for a significant amount of time if they so choose.”

Following Wednesday’s transaction, the Red Sox now have Strahm, Ryan Brasier, Tyler Danish, Austin Davis, Jake Diekman, Tanner Houck, Hirokazu Sawamura, John Schreiber, and Phillips Valdez in their active bullpen.

Hansel Robles, who was placed on the 15-day injured list because of back spasms on Saturday, could be activated during Boston’s upcoming west coast road trip, Cora told reporters (including Cotillo) on Tuesday.

(Picture of Matt Strahm: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

Rich Hill gets rocked for 6 runs as Red Sox muster just 4 hits in 10-0 loss to Orioles

The Red Sox were blown out by the Orioles at Fenway Park on Monday night. Playing in front of 24,809 to close out Memorial Day, Boston fell to Baltimore by a final score of 10-0 to drop to 23-26 on the season.

Rich Hill, making his ninth start of the year for the Sox, got roughed up for six earned runs on seven hits, two walks, and one hit batsman to go along with five strikeouts over four-plus innings of work.

The veteran left-hander plunked the very first batter he faced — Austin Hays — in the first inning before giving up an RBI triple to Trey Mancini. Ryan Mountcastle followed by crushing a solo shot to left-center field that gave the O’s an early 2-0 lead.

Fast forward to the third, Hill yielded a one-out single to Mountcastle and a two-run home run to Ramon Urias two batters later. In the fifth, Hill allowed both Mancini and Mountcastle to reach base on a walk and ground-rule double, which put runners at second and third for Anthony Santander.

At that moment, Red Sox manager Alex Cora gave Hill the hook in favor of Hirokazu Sawamura. The 42-year-old southpaw wound up throwing 92 pitches (59 strikes) while seeing his ERA on the season inflate to 4.85. Sawamura, meanwhile, allowed both runners he inherited to score in the fifth before retiring the side in order in the sixth.

Already up six runs, the Orioles added a seventh in their half of the seventh off Ryan Brasier when Hays scored on a Mountcastle double play. Brasier then stranded two base runners in the eighth to make way in the ninth for Matt Barnes, who served up a booming three-run homer to Santander that gave Baltimore a commanding 10-0 lead.

On the other side of things, the Sox lineup was held in check by Orioles starter Tyler Wells. Trevor Story and Xander Bogaerts were the only two who managed hits off the right-hander. Otherwise, Boston mustered a total of four hits while going 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and leaving five runners on base as a team.

With the loss, the Red Sox have dropped four of their last seven games since winning six straight. They have lost a series for the first time May 11 and are now 7-14 when playing American League East opponents.

Next up: Reds vs. Red Sox

The Red Sox will welcome the Reds into town for the first time in eight years for a quick two-game interleague series that begins Tuesday night. In the opener, it will be right-hander Michael Wacha getting the ball for Boston and fellow righty Luis Castillo doing the same for Cincinnati.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Rich Hill: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Christian Vázquez leaves Sunday’s win early due to groin tightness

Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez was removed from Sunday’s 12-2 win over the Orioles due to groin tightness, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham) at Fenway Park.

Vazquez was replaced behind the plate by Kevin Plawecki in the eight inning on Sunday after going 2-for-3 with two doubles, one RBI, and one run scored out of the six-hole. Plawecki drew two walks and scored an additional run in his place.

While he was taken out of the game and will be further evaluated on Monday, Vazquez is confident he will be back in Boston’s lineup for the series finale against Baltimore.

It is understandable why Vazquez would want to return to action as soon as possible. Over his last 15 games, the right-handed hitting backstop has slashed a scorching .412/.455/.569 with one home run, 14 RBIs, and six runs scored.

On the 2022 campaign as a whole, he has thrown out six of the 23 base runners who have attempted to steal against him while logging 282 2/3 innings behind the plate.

Vazquez, who turns 32 in August, can become a free-agent for the first time this winter. The native Puerto Rican has spent the entirety of his professional career with the Red Sox since being selected by Boston in the ninth round of the 2008 amateur draft out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy in Gurabo.

(Picture of Christian Vazquez: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Red Sox go deep 5 times en route to 12-2 blowout win over Orioles; Bobby Dalbec, Franchy Cordero among those who homered

The Red Sox hit five home runs en route to a convincing 12-2 victory over the Orioles on Sunday afternoon. Bobby Dalbec, Franchy Cordero, Rafael Devers, Christian Arroyo, and Enrique Hernandez all went deep as Boston improved to 23-25 on the season at Fenway Park.

Matched up against Orioles left-hander Bruce Zimmermann out of the gate, the Sox kicked off the scoring in their half of the second inning. Christian Vazquez reached base via a one-out double and Dalbec followed by crushing his second homer in as many days. After Arroyo recorded the second out, Cordero proceeded to crank a 448-foot solo shot to dead center field to give his side an early 3-0 lead.

An inning later, Devers joined in on the action with a leadoff home run that was deposited 434 feet into the right field bleachers. In the fourth, Arroyo and Hernandez contributed to the cause with their third and fourth home runs of the season, respectively.

To that point in the contest, Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta had yet to allow a run through his first four innings. In what was his 10th start of the year for Boston, the right-hander wound up yielding just one run on five hits, three walks, and five strikeouts over six solid innings of work.

That lone Baltimore run off of Pivetta came in the top of the fifth, when Cedric Mullins hit a two-out double and Trey Mancini drove him in on an RBI single to right field that was nearly caught by a sliding Arroyo.

Boston got that run right back, however, as Vazquez scored Xander Bogaerts all the way from first on an RBI double that was laced down the right field line.

Pivetta, meanwhile, ended his day by retiring three of the final four batters he faced in the sixth. The 29-year-old hurler finished with a final pitch count of 106 (64 strikes) while lowering his ERA on the season down to 3.95.

In relief of Pivetta, Tanner Houck got the first call out of the Red Sox bullpen from manager Alex Cora. The hard-throwing righty needed just 14 pitches (11 strikes) to face the minimum over two scoreless frames with the help of two double plays.

The bottom of the eighth was all about insurance for the Sox. Cordero capped off his productive day at the plate with a two-run double, J.D. Martinez drew a bases-loaded walk, and Bogaerts delivered with a two-run double of his own off Marcos Diplan.

Those five runs put Boston up, 12-1, going into the ninth. Phillips Valdez gave one of those runs back but otherwise slammed the door on the Orioles to secure a 12-2 win.

Next up: Hill vs. Wells in series finale

The Red Sox will look to earn their fifth straight series victory in Monday’s finale against the Orioles. Boston will give the ball to veteran left-hander Rich Hill while Baltimore will roll with right-hander Tyler Wells.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Franchy Cordero: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Josh Winckowski struggles in major-league debut as Red Sox fall to Orioles, 4-2, and settle for doubleheader split

The Red Sox were unable to complete a doubleheader sweep of the Orioles on Saturday. After taking Game 1 behind a complete game effort from Nathan Eovaldi, Boston fell to Baltimore, 4-2, in the night cap at Fenway Park.

Contrary to the seasoned Eovaldi, Josh Winckowski made his major-league debut for the Sox in Game 2. The rookie right-hander allowed four earned runs on six hits and three walks to go along with four strikeouts over just three innings of work.

All three runs Winckowski gave up came in the top of the third. Austin Hays and Anthony Santander both reached base to lead off the inning before Ramon Urias drove in Hays with a two-out RBI single to center field. Rougned Odor followed by crushing a three-run home run 410 feet to right-center, which gave the Orioles an early 4-0 lead.

The third inning would prove to be Winckowski’s last. The 23-year-old wound up throwing 62 pitches (36 strikes) while inducing a total of seven swings-and-misses. He also hovered around 92-97 mph with his fastball.

In relief of Winckowski, Austin Davis received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. The left-hander answered the call by retiring the side in order in the fourth.

A half-inning later, the Red Sox lineup finally got something going against an old friend in Orioles starter Denyi Reyes. Trevor Story led things off with a groundball double and scored from second on a one-out RBI single off the bat of Christian Vazquez.

From there, Ryan Brasier, Tyler Danish, Jake Diekman, Matt Barnes, and Phillips Valdez held the O’s at four runs with a scoreless frame each to keep the Sox within striking distance.

Fast forward to the bottom of the ninth, Boston was now matched up against righty reliever Jorge Lopez. Bobby Dalbec, one of the heroes of Game 1, reached on a Jorge Mateo fielding error to lead things off. A Jackie Bradley Jr. single allowed Dalbec to move all the way up to third. Christian Arroyo then drove Dalbec in by beating out a potential double play.

Down to their final out, Enrique Hernandez stepped up to the plate representing the tying run for the Red Sox. He could not complete the comeback, though, as he grounded into an inning-ending, 4-6-3 twin killing.

All told, the Sox went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base as a team. With Saturday night’s loss, Boston is now 22-25 on the season.

Next up: Zimmermann vs. Pivetta

The Red Sox will turn to right-hander Nick Pivetta in Game 4 of this five-game series on Sunday afternoon. The Orioles will counter with left-hander Bruce Zimmermann.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Josh Winckowski: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Red Sox place Hansel Robles on injured list, option Hirokazu Sawamura; Ryan Brasier, Phillips Valdez recalled from Triple-A Worcester

In addition to appointing Josh Winckowski as the 27th man for Saturday’s doubleheader against the Orioles at Fenway Park, the Red Sox made four additional roster moves prior to Game 1.

Most notably, Hansel Robles was placed on the 15-day injured list due to back spasms while Hirokazu Sawamura was optioned to Triple-A Worcester. In a corresponding move, fellow relievers Ryan Brasier and Phillips Valdez were recalled from Worcester.

Robles last pitched in Sunday’s win over the Mariners before experiencing back issues while the Red Sox were in Chicago. Through 16 relief appearances this season, the 31-year-old right-hander has posted a 2.65 ERA and 5.20 FIP with 11 strikeouts to six walks over 17 innings pitched out of the bullpen.

Since his stint on the injured list is retroactive to May 25, the soonest Robles could return to action would be Thursday June 9, when the Sox take on the Angels in Anaheim.

Sawamura, meanwhile, has pitched to the tune of a 3.60 ERA and 3.47 FIP with 13 strikeouts to six walks across 18 appearances (15 innings) so far this season. The Japanese-born righty has been most effective when inheriting runners on the basepaths, but — at the same time — has fallen down Alex Cora’s depth chart.

Because he has pitched three times in the last four days, Boston elected to send Sawamura down to Worcester while adding fresh reinforcements in Brasier and Valdez.

Both Brasier and Valdez opened the 2021 season in the Sox’ bullpen but were optioned to the WooSox at separate points this month. Brasier, who was sent down on May 20, made two scoreless outings for Worcester. Valdez, who was sent down on May 2, produced a 1.17 ERA in six appearances (7 2/3 innings) for the affiliate.

The Red Sox did not need to use their bullpen as Nathan Eovaldi tossed a complete game in the day cap of Saturday’s twin bill. That could change in Game 2 with Winckowski making his first career start at the big-league level.

(Picture of Hansel Robles: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Nathan Eovaldi tosses first career complete game as Red Sox bounce back with 5-3 win over Orioles to open doubleheader

The Red Sox opened a day-night doubleheader against the Orioles with a bounce-back win at Fenway Park on Saturday afternoon. Boston defeated Baltimore, 5-3, to improve to 22-24 on the season.

Nathan Eovaldi was Saturday’s early headliner. In his ninth start of the year for the Sox, the veteran right-hander tossed the first perfect game of his big-league career. He allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk to go along with six strikeouts over nine strong innings of work.

That first O’s run came right away in the first inning, as Cedric Mullins led off with a single, was able to advance to second when Trey Mancini reached on a Rafael Devers missed catch error, and scored from second on an RBI single off the bat of Trey Mancini.

So, three batters into his start, Eovaldi had yet to record an out and had already allowed one run to score. He was able to recover, though, as he stranded Mancini and Santander in the first before stringing together three straight scoreless frames.

While doing that, the Red Sox lineup got to Eovaldi’s counterpart in Jordan Lyles for three runs in their half of the second. After Alex Verdugo was thrown out at home plate for the first out of the inning, a two-out walk drawn by Kevin Plawecki put runners on the corners for Jackie Bradley Jr.

Bradley Jr. got his side on the board with an RBI double that plated Christian Arroyo. Enrique Hernandez followed with a two-run single through the left side of the infield that scored both Plawecki and Bradley Jr.

Fast forward to the fifth, and Eovaldi once again ran into trouble when he yielded a leadoff double to Ramon Urias and a game-tying, two-run home run to Robinson Chirinos.

With things still knotted at 3-3 in the sixth, Red Sox manager Alex Cora elected to have Bobby Dalbec pinch-hit for Franchy Cordero with left-handed reliever Keegan Akin on the mound for the Orioles. Dalbec proceeded to make Cora look like a very smart man by crushing a go-ahead, 397-foot solo shot into Baltimore’s bullpen.

Dalbec’s second home run of the season and first since April 10 put Boston up, 4-3. Arroyo provided some insurance an inning later with an RBI single that drove in J.D. Martinez from third base to make it a 5-3 game.

Eovaldi, meanwhile, took that newfound two-run lead and slammed the door shut on any chance of an Orioles comeback. The righty got the final two outs of the ninth by getting Rougned Odor to ground into a game-ending, 6-4-3 double play.

Finishing with a career-high final pitch count of 108 (75 strikes), Eovaldi was able to pick up his second save of the season while lowering his ERA down to 3.77. The 32-year-old hurler induced a total of 16 swings-and-misses on the afternoon. He topped out at 98.7 mph with his four-seam fastball.

Offensively, the Red Sox had 13 hits as a team. Devers accounted for four of them. Dalbec’s sixth-inning home run was the first of the pinch-hit variety from any Red Sox hitter this season.

Next up: Reyes vs. Winckowski in Game 2

The Red Sox will turn to Josh Winckowski for Game 2 of Saturday’s twin bill. The 23-year-old will be making his major-league debut opposite former Boston prospect Denyi Reyes, who will also be making his first career start for the Orioles.

First pitch from Fenway Park on Saturday night is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Nathan Eovaldi: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox blow 6-run lead as bullpen melts down in 12-8 loss to Orioles

The Red Sox blew a six-run lead against the Orioles at Fenway Park and ultimately lost a winnable game in frustrating, yet ugly fashion. Boston fell to Baltimore by a final score of 12-8 on Friday night to drop to 21-24 on the season.

As he has done so often lately, Enrique Hernandez provided an early spark by leading off the first inning with a line-drive single. He then scored all the way from first base when Rafael Devers promptly ripped a single to left-center field. Devers was able to move up to second because of an Anthony Santander fielding error.

J.D. Martinez followed by taking a 94 mph fastball off his left arm to put runners at first and second for Xander Bogaerts, who unloaded on a 3-2, 87 mph slider down the heart of the plate by sending it off the National Car Rental sign above the Green Monster for a three-run home run.

Bogaerts’ fifth homer of the season travelled 423 feet and had an exit velocity of 112 mph. It also gave the Red Sox a 4-0 lead before they had even recorded an out. An inning later, a seemingly red-hot Alex Verdugo came through with two outs and the bases loaded by lacing a 406-foot ground-rule double into the center field bleachers. Verdugo’s second hit of the night made it a 6-0 ballgame.

On the other side of things, Garrett Whitlock made his seventh start of the season for Boston. The right-hander allowed two earned runs on five hits and one walk to go along with four strikeouts over six innings of work.

Both of those Baltimore runs came in the top half of the fourth, as Whitlock issued a one-out walk to Trey Mancini before immediately serving up a two-run home run to Santander.

Whitlock gave up two more runs hits the inning, but limited the damage to two runs. The Red Sox got both of those runs back on a Martinez RBI double in the bottom of the fourth and a Christian Vazquez RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. Whitlock, meanwhile, bounced back from his rough fourth inning by retiring five of the final seven batters he faced through the middle of the sixth.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 84 (56 strikes), the 25-year-old hurler relied on his sinker 58% of the time he was on the mound Friday. He averaged 95.4 mph with the pitch in the process of lowering his ERA on the season to 3.49.

In relief of Whitlock, manager Alex Cora first turned to Jake Diekman out of the Boston bullpen for the seventh inning. The left-hander allowed two of the first three Orioles he faced to reach base before giving up a towering, 391-foot three-run home run to Jorge Mateo.

Mateo’s blast trimmed the Sox’ lead down to three runs at 5-8. In the eighth, John Schreiber ran into some long ball troubles of his own when he issued a leadoff walk to Santander that was followed by a two-run homer off the bat of Austin Hays.

The first two earned runs Schreiber has given up all season brought Baltimore back to within one run at 8-7. Matt Strahm was then called upon to end things in the eighth, but the lefty surrendered a ground-rule double to Rougned Odor. He then got Ramon Urias to hit a three-foot groundball to the left side of the infield.

Devers charged the ball and barehanded it before attempting to make an off-balance throw to first base. His throw missed the mark by a wide margin, though, and that allowed Odor to score and knot things up at eight runs apiece.

Strahm was sent back out for the ninth and gave up three straight singles, with Santander giving the O’s their first lead of the night on an RBI base hit to right field. Strahm, who was later charged with the blown save and loss, then made way for Hirokazu Sawamura, who walked the first man he faced to fill the bases for Adley Rutschmann.

Rutschmann, in turn, grounded into a force out at home plate but reached first safely to keep the bases loaded. With Ryan Mountcastle up to bat, a wild pitch from Sawamura that got between Vazquez’s legs allowed Santander to score from third. Mountcastle drove in a run of his own on a sacrifice fly before Odor put the final nail in the coffin with another RBI single.

What at one point was an 8-2 lead for the Red Sox had turned into a 12-8 deficit. That is what happens when you allow the opposition to score 10 unanswered runs.

12-8 would go on to be Friday’s final score after the Sox went down quietly in their half of the ninth. Boston is now 3-4 in games started by Whitlock this year. They are likely a better team with him in the bullpen.

Next up: Doubleheader on deck

The Red Sox will look to bounce back in a day-night doubleheader against the Orioles on Saturday. Baltimore has yet to name its starters. Boston, meanwhile, will roll with right-handers Nathan Eovaldi and Josh Winckowski, who will be making his major-league debut.

First pitch for Game 1 at Fenway Park is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. eastern time. First pitch for Game 2 is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. ET. Both games will be broadcasted on NESN.

(Picture of Matt Strahm: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)