Top Play (WPA): J.T. Realmuto smacked an RBI single in the bottom of the 6th inning to break a 4-4 tie and rack up a .173 WPA. Eddie Rodriguez lasted one more batter and two more earned runs, and then came the Dumpster Fire Duo™ of Ryan Cook and Robbie Ross. Seven more runs scored in the inning alone, and that’s really all she wrote for the Red Sox in this one.
Bottom Play (WPA): Amazingly, the Red Sox pulled off this honor despite scoring on the play. Rusney Castillo grounded into a double play with runners on the corners and no outs, so a run scored despite the twin killing. The play was worth -.090 WPA, which was 13 points worse than another double play that resulted in zero runs and two outs in the inning. I’m not really sure how the Sox managed such a feat, but then again, it’s the 2015 Red Sox, and they continue to find new and inventive ways to chip away at rock bottom. The second-worst team in the majors hung 14 runs on the Red Sox. I guess that qualifies.
Key Moment: Yeah, it’s Realmuto’s grand slam. For what it’s worth, Realmuto came into this game with a 81 wRC+ and a .254 TAv. Robbie Ross gave up the blast, in the most unsurprising development in recent memory.
Talk about a swan song.
Trend To Watch: Other than David Ortiz blasting nearly every single baseball to the moon, there really isn’t anything good to see here. The pitching sucks, the hitting is inconsistent, the sky is blue, and water is wet. Same as it ever was.
Coming Next: The Red Sox come home to face the Seattle Mariners, and Cy Young frontrunner Joe Kelly will take the mound Friday night to kick off the three-game set. Oh, and Felix Hernandez pitches for Seattle on Saturday. So there’s that too.
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