Porcello has definitely been the best and most consistent starter for the Boston Red Sox.
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– Tuesday’s loss had a silver lining for Boston, as the Toronto Blue Jays’ loss to the Rays allowed the team to maintain its two-game lead atop the AL East.
As Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter (26) (center) looks on as shortstop J.J. Hardy (2) is congratulated by third baseman Manny Machado (13) as catcher Matt Wieters (32) and first baseman Chris Davis (19) looks on after his three-run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the second inning at Fenway Park.
After a 1-2-3 first inning, Pomeranz allowed five runs in the second inning, including two home runs.
The Orioles, who came in tied with Toronto for both second place and the top AL wild-card spot, fell three games off the division lead. Miley didn’t even make it out of the second inning, and by then the game was already well on it’s way to being out of control. The reason why he only gets a B is because especially in the beginning of the season he did not pitch great which is why his era is as high as it is. “A couple of walks mixed in on a couple of 3-2 pitches that were up in the strike zone”. He threw his fewest pitches since a 3-2 decision over Detroit on August 15, when he tossed just 51 in 5 1/3 innings of work. “Two swings of the bats, as they are very capable of doing at any point in the lineup, is to drive the ball out of the ballpark”.
Drew Pomeranz (10-12) gave up 5 runs and 4 hits in 2-plus innings, his shortest outing of the season.
WHITE SOX 8, INDIANS 1 (at Chicago) – Toms River’s Todd Frazier and Carlos Sanchez each drove in two runs in a seven-run sixth inning, and Chicago won for the fifth time in seven games.
“It was pretty frustrating”, Pomeranz said after the game. “I was trying to get on some of the guys and the ball was shooting over to the middle of the plate. Not what I wanted out there”.
That’s especially true against Baltimore, which hit another home run in the ninth inning and now has scored all eight of its runs in this series via the long ball. The Red Sox were 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base.
PIRATES 5, PHILLIES 3 (at Philadelphia) – Sean Rodriguez had a pinch-hit three-run homer in the ninth inning as Pittsburgh remained six games behind the Mets for the second NL wild card.
The Red Sox bullpen kept them in the game and the offense had its chances late, but the theme of the game was the inability to get a clutch hit. Zach Britton earned his 42nd consecutive save getting the last four outs for the Orioles. He was able to avoid further damage by striking out Xander Bogaerts and inducing an inning-ending groundout from David Ortiz.
Jose Quintana (12-10) held Cleveland to five hits over eight innings.
– It wasn’t the start Pomeranz was looking for. He’s averaging just 5 1/3 innings per start since coming over from the Padres. Hanley Ramriez ripped his twenty-fourth dinger of the year, and Mookie Betts made the kind of hustling, heads-up, smartest guy on the field base-running play in the first inning that makes baseball purists grin ear to ear. The Red Sox have some unproven and seriously questionable options in the likes of Fernando Abad, Junichi Tazawa, and Robby Scott. Six relievers – Heath Hembree, Joe Kelly, Robbie Ross Jr.
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Pomeranz ran into trouble early and was gone before an out was recorded in the third inning. “We didn’t think that was going to be enough to win tonight”, said Travis Shaw, who was 3 for 4 and scored a run for Boston.
