Lucas Giolito talks Seinfeld vs. Curb Your Enthusiasm
Six hours after it took the place, the irony of a conversation with Lucas Giolito shouldn't have been lost.
With Giolito's grandfather, Warren Frost, having been an actor on Larry David's first masterpiece, "Seinfeld," it only made sense for the Red Sox pitcher to dive into the semi-spinoff which just came to a conclusion, "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
Giolito went on to explain via the 'Baseball Isn't Boring' podcast how he didn't realize his grandfather was on the iconic show until years into his life, and also why he preferred "Curb", partly because it was filmed in the neighborhood he grew up.
There was also that element that drew so many to the HBO series: The ability to offer up just the right amount of discomfort and uneasiness.
The title. The tone. Unfortunately, it is fitting the Red Sox like David's trademark jacket and sneakers.
The curbing of all that enthusiasm built off the Red Sox' season-opening 10-game road trip was brought to a head in Thursday night's 11-inning, 9-4 loss to the Orioles at Fenway Park.
It was a turn for the worse that would be highlighted by more key defensive miscues, more injuries, and less late-inning celebrations.
This time the signature moment came when David Hamilton failed to turn what would be an inning-ending double play, resulting in a go-ahead homer off the bat of Anthony Santander. It was another unfortunate reminder what an enormous loss Trevor Story is and will be.
“We’ve got to turn the page with Trevor,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He’s not gonna be here, That's the bottom line, and we have to step up. Whoever is playing, they're capable. They showed it in camp. We played some clean baseball. And now, obviously, the lights and the third deck come into play and every game matters. Every inning matters and we just have to slow the game down and make plays.”
And then there was the growing uneasiness.
Before the game there was news that Rafael Devers' shoulder has continued to be a problem, and will necessitate a few games out of the lineup. (He wasn't even made available in the late innings, forcing the Red Sox to lose the designated hitter.)
And, making matters worse, Romy Gonzalez - the player who was supposed to be part of the rotation at shortstop - is dealing with a wrist injury suffered in his Red Sox debut Wednesday night.
And then there is the previously lights-out bullpen, which emerged from the series against the Orioles with a collective 9.95 ERA and 1.071 OPS against. That was punctuated by Isaiah Campbell, who allowed nine runs over his two innings the last pair of games.
The Red Sox knew this was going to be a work in progress. They just had no idea it was going to be this much work.
“We had to push Campbell there,” said Cora of the disastrous five-run 11th-inning. “We were running out of players. We did run out of players, but it is what it is. It was a tough one. I like the way we fight. We're there until the end. But obviously, it was a tough series, and we just have to turn the page."