Farm Director Brian Abraham lays out plan for Rich Hill
BALTIMORE - In this bottom line business, the bottom line for the Red Sox Sunday afternoon wasn't great.
They dropped a 4-2 decision to the Orioles at Camden Yards in the teams' series finale, dropping them to 3 1/2 back of Kansas City for the final spot in the Wild Card race.
And, considering the Sox now have three in American League West-leading Houston and then three at home vs. red-hot Arizona, every one of these games present significant value ... especially considering there are now just 39 regular season games remaining.
"Every game is a big one for us," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora after his team ended up with a split in its four-game set at Camden Yards. "We’ve been saying that since (Opening Day in) Seattle. It felt that way at home. Every pitch matters, every pitch counts, and we’re going to keep doing that.
"We have a good team. We're in the hunt, so nothing changes. We split here. It doesn't matter what happens around us. You’ve got to take care of yourself. And we go to Houston and we’ve played well there.. We do. So just go there tomorrow, we get (Yusei) Kikuchi, put some good at-bats, Tanner is on the mound, get a W and try to win the series."
And, while this wasn't the dagger of Wednesday night (when the Red Sox blew a three-run lead in the ninth against Texas), any time you out-hit a team 11-3 and score two less runs there has to be a sense of frustration.
But the Red Sox aren't leaving with their tail between their legs, which is of tremendous value heading to Houston.
For starters, Kutter Crawford's line might not have indicated it, but his 5 1/3-inning, three-run outing was absolutely another step in the right direction after some post-All-Star break moonwalking. It capped a four-game stretch in which the starters (which included Friday's opener) held the Orioles to a .123 batting average and .564 OPS.
Sunday also allowed the Red Sox' worn-out bullpen to reset somewhat, with Bailey Horn and Brennan Bernardino retiring the final eight outs. With the added good news of Liam Hendriks' impressive first rehab appearance in Worcester.
And while there was just two runs from the Red Sox' lineup, it did put up 42 hits over the four games, with the added dimension supplied by Triston Casas (who went 2-for-4 Sunday) and Tyler O'Neill offering the batting order an even more potent feel.
:I didn't like the way I controlled the plate," said Casas, who has gone 5-for-14 with two walks in his first three games back. "I felt like I could have swung at more strikes and let go of some balls, found some holes with some hits. But I'm looking for better swing decisions, for sure. It was a great couple of days to start. We got a bunch of wins early. We got two out of the way. Today we were just shut down by Mr. (Albert) Suarez. He pitched a really good game. Keeping us off balance with the changeup and honest with the cutter. We need to do a better job in Houston putting together hits. But overall, I thought they were good games. That's what matters.
He added, "I think Triple-A level pitching is just as good as this one. The atmosphere is different. Travel is different. But the level is just the same and I'm going to keep getting better. I think I can improve in those areas, for sure, and that will help me make better contact and having better ways to drive the ball."
It's not going to be easy taking care of business against an Astros team that swept the Red Sox in three games at Fenway a week ago (and has won 10 of its last 11 games), and there might not be much help elsewhere, as well.
The Royals - who just swept the Reds in three games, out-scoring Cincy 28-3 - are slated to face another sub-.500 club in the Angels in Kansas City for the three games. It is a Los Angeles team that has gone 2-6, and 12-15 since the All-Star break.
If the Red Sox can survive these three games, at least they can lean on the fact that Kansas City's schedule gets appreciably more difficult, with three games at home against the Phillies before a 17-game stretch vs. the Guardians, Astros, Twins and Yankees.
It could have been better for the Red Sox, but it could have been a lot worse. For now, it will have to do.