Aug. 7—Have the Red Sox finally hit rock bottom? It sure felt that way in the fifth inning Friday night when Boston got tagged for nine runs by the Toronto Blue Jays in what felt like the blink of an eye. The Red Sox would go on to lose 12-4, making it seven losses in eight games to fall 2.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East standings.
1. Hits keep coming
After getting a two-run lead in the top of the inning, Nathan Eovaldi melted down in the bottom of the fifth and allowed seven runs on six hits, five of which went for extra bases. Toronto had three straight doubles to lead off the inning and tie the game, then got an RBI single, a two-run double and a two-run home run by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. It was the second straight bad outing for Eovaldi, who said afterwards that his performance was unacceptable.
“They’ve given me the lead and I feel like I’ve let them down,” Eovaldi said.
2. Bogaerts struggling
Xander Bogaerts had another tough day at the plate, going 0 for 3, and after the game he expressed frustration about his inability to help get the team back on track. Though he said the sore wrist that held him out of the lineup last week hasn’t been an issue healthwise, it has continued to affect his ability to get back into a rhythm.
“Once I had my wrist injury I changed so much mechanically and I’m fighting to get back to the right mechanics and get going again,” he said.
3. Perez to the bullpen
Following his 1.1 inning debacle on Thursday in Detroit, Red Sox starter Martin Perez was officially pulled from the starting rotation and moved to the bullpen. It is expected his spot will be filled by rookie Tanner Houck, and with Chris Sale’s return from Tommy John surgery imminent the competition for starting jobs is set to get even more competitive.
4. Duran on COVID list
Red Sox rookie Jarren Duran was unavailable for Friday’s game after being placed on the COVID-19 injured list. Duran was reportedly showing symptoms and his test results won’t be available until Saturday. If Duran tests negative he could be back in the lineup for the team’s Saturday doubleheader.
5. AL East tightening
A little over a week ago the Red Sox beat the Yankees three out of four times to deliver what seemed like a knockout blow to New York’s divisional title chances. Since then the Red Sox have gone 3-8 while the Yankees have gone 9-2, and suddenly the AL East race looks and feels a lot different.
With Friday’s loss the Red Sox are now 2.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first and only 3.0 games ahead of the Yankees and 3.5 ahead of the Blue Jays. The next two weeks’ games against Toronto, Tampa Bay, Baltimore and New York will be pivotal.
Email: mcerullo@northofboston.com. Twitter: @MacCerullo.