Ho-hum. Another no-show by the offense.
Top Play (WPA): To the surprise of no one, the top play from this game was the one that resulted in the first and deciding run. In the top of the second, with Eddie Rosario on second, Chris Herrmann hit a double off the Green Monster (0.106) to drive in the first run of the game. Although it wouldn’t have changed the result, it was one of a few plays in which Carlos Peguero looked downright Hanley-like out in left field. Luckily for the Red Sox, Rick Porcello would settle down after this inning. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t matter.
Bottom Play (WPA): Boston’s offense was unable to get any runs across the plate, and only threatened to do so once. In the bottom of the third inning, Peguero and Dustin Pedroia put together a two-out rally and set up a second and third situation for Brock Holt. The Red Sox’s super utility man couldn’t take advantage of the situation. He grounded out to shortstop (-0.069) (nice) to end the rally. Boston wouldn’t put another runner on base all night.
Key Moment: It’s hard to find a key moment in a game that had very few actual moments. Holt’s ground out is really the only possibility here, as it’s the only time the Red Sox offense had any semblance of a pulse, and the only time we had the illusion of something positive happening.
Trends to Watch: The first trend to discuss is Boston’s perpetually disappointing offense. Remember when they scored six runs in the afternoon game? Yeah, that didn’t last long. After making Mike Pelfrey look like Pedro Martinez on Tuesday, the Red Sox made Trevor May look like Randy Johnson last night. At some point, the talent in this lineup has to win out, but there haven’t been any signs of that coming in the near future.
On a more positive note, Rick Porcello had a much-needed strong outing. After two consecutive rough starts, he put the home run issues behind him and strung together eight good innings. He struggled with hard contact a bit in the first two innings, but was great for the next six. As Boston’s rotation continues to evolve, it’ll need more performances like this from Porcello if it’s going to be a successful unit.
Coming Next: The Red Sox and Twins finish off their series tomorrow afternoon with Steven Wright facing off against Tommy Milone. Wright has been surprisingly solid in his spot starts, and is likely fighting for a permanent role with Joe Kelly now that Eduardo Rodriguez has likely taken claim of a permanent spot of his own. Milone, meanwhile, could be the perfect pitcher to snap Boston’s lineup out of his slump.
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