Catching up with top prospect Marcelo Mayer
It was just a one-run loss, one which snapped a five-game win streak. But within the Red Sox' 2-1 defeat to the Angels Saturday night were all the warning signs Alex Cora's team have been trying to avoid.
First and foremost, the defensive acumen that the Sox had been hanging their hats on throughout the first week took a turn for the worse. In particular, Rafael Devers' glove work once again came into play.
With two outs in the sixth inning and the Red Sox clinging to a one-run lead, Devers failed to reel in a grounder off the bat of Anthony Rendon, allowing two pivotal runs to score
"That’s a routine play,” Cora told reporters. “He knows it." The manager added, "In between hop. And the ball just kicked up. And he just missed the play.”
The miscue came immediately after a slow transfer to second from shortstop Pablo Reyes - allowing Mickey Moniak to beat out the inning-ending fielder's choice - loading the bases and extending the frame.
"Moniak did an outstanding job getting a good secondary lead and hustling on that play,” Cora relayed after the game. “I didn’t see a replay. Pablo took longer than what he wanted to. But I think the guy at first got a great jump and got to second base. And we didn’t make a play after that."
There were other elements of the loss that didn't feel quite right.
For a second straight game, the Red Sox' starter didn't go as many as five innings, with Garrett Whitlock throwing 101 pitches over just 4 1/3 frames.
Then there was the Trevor-Story-less offense.
The Red Sox had no answers for Angels' lefty starter Reid Detmers, who struck out 12 over six innings while giving up just one run.
A huge positive for Cora's club continued to be Rule 5 draftee Justin Slaten. The rookie came on to pitch the final two perfect innings, striking out five.