David Price? He did pretty well. The offense?
Top Play (WPA)
Wouldn’t you know it, it’s that Manny Machado guy again.
That wraparound homer was worth .164 WPA, and would set the table for Chris Tillman to silence the Red Sox for the greater part of the game. Granted, Price sat down 17 in a row after this, but this homer – combined with Jonathan Schoop’s dinger in the 8th – proved to be his undoing. Price might’ve given up the runs, but they were on two bad pitches, and the Red Sox had all night to plate more than a pair to support him.
Bottom Play (WPA)
Jackie Bradley Jr. might’ve hit a homer this game, but WPA pulled no punches later on, rating his groundout with men on first and second in the 8th as the worst play in the game with a -.124 WPA. It was a tough assignment going in, as he’d have to face lefty Zach Britton, who had made David Ortiz look completely lost just two at-bats before. The Red Sox had precious few moments in which they had runners in scoring position, and they were even worse when those runners were there, going 1-for-9 with RISP. That one hit? Hanley Ramirez’s RBI single in the at-bat before this one. Sometimes, it’s just not your day – or anyone else’s, for that matter.
Key Moment
In the second inning, the Red Sox had the bases loaded with two outs and Christian Vazquez up. Vazquez isn’t a prolific hitter by any stretch of the imagination, and thus grounded out harmlessly to second. The Red Sox wouldn’t have multiple runners on base again until the 8th inning. The Red Sox have been handcuffed by Tillman ever since he came into the league, so it was prudent to expect more of the same, and scoring early against him would’ve helped immensely. Instead, the Red Sox had to rely on Price being perfect, and despite being very good, he wasn’t exactly that.
Trend to Watch
The Red Sox faltering against AL East foes. In June alone, the Red Sox are 1-5 against the Orioles and the Blue Jays, the two teams expected to rub shoulders with them as they vie for the divisional pennant. They’ve been outscored 42 to 30 over that span, and two of those losses came when they scored seven runs or more. This lull couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Coming Next
The Red Sox will try and score runs against Kevin Gausman, as they deploy Steven Wright to try and silence the Orioles’ bats. Time to knuckle down.
Photo by Bob DeChiara/USA Today Sports Images