Squandered is the word of the weekend. It means to waste resources or opportunities through negligence or inaction. In this context, it means leaving runners on base at seemingly every turn. The Red Sox pitched a really good game today. Ranger Suarez threw four shutout innings before leaving the game with hamstring tightness. Tyler Samaniego, Jovani Moran, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman kept the Astros off the board, too.
They played good defense as well, turning a few nifty double plays in the sixth and tenth innings to quell what looked to be big innings. Unfortunately, pitching and defense can only get you so far. The team left 13 runners on base and only managed to score a single run on the afternoon. Some of that was due to poor batted ball luck; Roman Anthony smoked the ball on multiple occasions but only had one hit to show for it, for example.
Winning 1-0 is possible, but it’s not possible to do consistently. The Boston Red Sox, as currently constructed, are going to continue having a hard time winning games. With significant injuries to the rotation, it’s going to be even harder. Astros win 3-1. We go to Detroit for a three-game set starting on Monday.
Three Studs
Jarren Duran
He hit a home run. That was pretty cool.
Roman Anthony
As I mentioned, he crushed a few balls and only had the one hit. He’s starting to get it in the air more, and the production should follow.
Ranger Suarez
His last two starts are a combined twelve innings of scoreless baseball. Let’s hope he isn’t on the shelf for too long with his injury.
Three Duds
Zack Kelly
Navigating the ghost runner in the tenth inning is incredibly difficult, and he was so close to doing it. Unfortunately, a two-run single in the tenth was the difference, and Kelly took the loss.
Caleb Durbin
He’s really great at third base, which only makes things worse, because if you point out how good he is defensively, you look like you’re coping for his lack of offensive ability. When I see “you”, I’m talking about me. Please start hitting, Caleb.
Wilyer Abreu
0-3, three strikeouts. He walked twice, but the Red Sox need him to drive in runs.
