You know the game has gotten away from you when Jackie Bradley Jr. is pitching the ninth inning. Unfortunately, that was exactly the predicament the Red Sox found themselves in Friday night, needing their Gold Glove outfielder to spell the bullpen for the final frame of a 12-5 blowout, their fourth loss in as many games.
Bradley’s pitching debut was more Pollock than da Vinci, but the right-hander had his moments, showing impressive velocity for a position player (he topped out at 92 mph) while fooling former batting champ DJ LeMahieu on a 67-mph eephus pitch for his first major-league strikeout. It took Bradley 30 pitches to navigate the ninth, scattering a hit, a run and three walks (one with the bases loaded) before retiring Gleyber Torres on an inning-ending groundout to escape the jam.
Fans, at least the ones who stayed, seemed to appreciate the novelty of Bradley pitching, serving as the perfect palette cleanser for a game that went off the rails early and never got back on track. JBJ described the experience as “unique,” while insisting he could have thrown harder if given more time to prepare.
Bradley, who didn’t see an at-bat Friday night (apparently, manager Alex Cora didn’t want him facing left-hander Nestor Cortes), arguably would have been more useful at his natural position in right field, where Christian Arroyo cost the Red Sox with an embarrassing blunder, turning a routine popup into a two-run triple for Joey Gallo. Arroyo would later shift to the infield, giving hobbled All-Star Rafael Devers a breather at third base.
Decimated by injuries to their starting rotation (Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Rich Hill and Michael Wacha count among their walking wounded), the Red Sox were forced to start rookie Connor Seabold, who fared disastrously before ultimately bowing out with “forearm tightness” (2 2/3 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 2 BB over 71 pitches). The Yankees, owners of a league-best 61-23 record, are hard enough to beat without being gifted extra opportunities, a cardinal sin the Red Sox were guilty of Friday night, shooting themselves in the foot with sluggish pitching, worse defense and an embarrassing 12 runners stranded, at one point leaving the bases loaded twice in a span of three innings.
Now 16 games back of the first-place Bombers and only 4.5 ahead of the surging Orioles (who scored another walk-off win Friday), the Red Sox will try to right the ship when the series resumes Saturday night at Fenway.
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