Game 121: Red Sox at Orioles

Ok, on the bright side, the Red Sox scored 10 runs last night. Alex Verdugo got three hits. Same for Christian Arroyo. Eric Hosmer chipped in two hits. Xander Bogaerts got one hit before being ejected. Rafael Devers went 0-5. If the big three aren’t hitting, how many games can they win?

Michael Wacha has been rejuvenated this season. Sure, the early part was a lot of smoke and mirrors. And he’s still outpitching his FIP ( 3.70) with a 2.44 ERA. but that gap has closed a bit and honestly a 3.70 ERA is a good place to be. Much better than a possible 4.44 mark. The last time out, fresh of the IL, Wacha shut down the New York Yankees. Seven innings, 9Ks, 1 walk. Yes the Yankees have struggled but the lineup isn’t a pushover either.

The Sox needed to get to Jordan Lyles last night and they did: 4 runs in 4 innings and five more in the fifth. Tonight instead of a veteran they face a rookie: Kyle Bradish. The righty enters this afternoon with a 6.38 ERA against a 5.25 FIP. In his last four starts he’s been on a solid run: 20 innings, 21Ks, 9 runs, 9 walks. He last faced the Red Sox on May 27th and was rocked for 6 runs in 1.2 innings. A month before that he allowed 3 runs (2 earned) in six innings to Boston. If they can knock him out early again, things can look good.

It’s hard to say this is a must-win game because there have been so many turning points so far this year, but the Sox need two out of three in most series now. And losing 15-10 isn’t helping fix the issues.

They’re still five games back in the Wild Card, 3.5 back of 4th place in the AL East. And drifting into a luxury tax paying last place finish once again.