The Red Sox fell to the Tigers 3-2 on Opening Day as their ninth inning comeback was one-upped by the Tigers' own.
We'll have a full recap later, but for now, some quick thoughts:
Jon Lester wasn't exactly dominant today, but he got the job done as well as could be expected. Working with a zone that seemed to bother him and not exactly feeling his curveball until later in the game, Lester managed to work his way around danger time and again before finally tiring late and giving up back-to-back hits with two outs in the seventh. We're not necessarily "out of the woods" as far as "Bad April Lester" is concerned, but it's better than a meltdown, that's for sure.
Justin Verlander killed the offense. Yeah, they did a pretty bad job of working the count and getting to the bullpen, but it's still hard to criticize them for not hitting Verlander. This is a strong offensive unit, nothing to see here.
Ryan Sweeney had one of the worst and best days out there. While he looked strangely disoriented in right for someone who is relatively strong there, he gave the Sox two hits and almost salvaged a win for them.
Mike Aviles needs to stop trying to pull everything.
Finally...the bullpen. It was a terrible performance, to be sure. Padilla's middle-middle pitch was bad, Melancon allowed hard contact to all three batters he faced, and Alfredo Aceves didn't exactly calm anyone's nerves as the closer. It's just one day, though, and there's a lot to be worked out. Let's not abandon ship just yet.
Alright, I'll leave it up to you now. Lament below.