It only took one day in Toronto for Tanner Houck’s absence to be felt.
Houck, who is not in Canada due to his vaccination status, was supposed to start Game 2 in the series on Tuesday. But the Sox reshuffled their staff last week, adding Garrett Whitlock to the rotation, pushing back Rich Hill (bereavement list) and letting Houck pitch out of relief on Sunday.
Monday, Houck and Kutter Crawford were placed on the restricted list for the four-game set in Toronto and Tyler Danish, added to the roster along with John Schreiber to replace them, was called on in the eighth inning of a tie game.
Danish served up the game-losing grand slam to Bo Bichette as the Red Sox fell to the Jays, 6-2, in the series opener.
The takeaways:
1. Nathan Eovaldi was removed after just 72 pitches.
Eovaldi was as sharp and efficient as he’s been all year, cruising through seven innings of two-run ball on just 72 pitches. With the bottom of the Jays’ lineup due up in the eighth, the Red Sox confusingly removed Eovaldi, who had thrown more than 72 pitches in each of his first three starts. He threw 76 pitches in a 6-5 loss to the Yankees on Opening Day, 101 pitches in a 9-7 win over the Tigers and 95 pitches in a 2-1 win over the Jays last week.
Will Venable, the acting manager serving in place of Alex Cora, who is out with COVID-19, said the Red Sox were eyeing lefty Matt Strahm for the bottom of the Jays’ order and liked the matchup.
“The way we were looking at it, we weren’t going to have (Eovaldi) face the top of the order again,” Venable told reporters in Toronto. “That was a really good pocket for Strahm. We highlighted that spot going in. Nate gave us everything we needed tonight. Regardless of pitch count, that was a good spot for Strahm.”
Eovaldi was great aside from solo homers he allowed to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Matt Chapman. He’s now allowed seven homers in four starts.
“I felt great,” Eovaldi said. “Tonight I had a hard time finding my pitch count so I wasn’t aware where I was at… you trust the bullpen is going to get it done. I trust whoever is coming in in that situation.”
2. This game might’ve never gotten to Danish had Bobby Dalbec made a routine play at first base.
To start the eighth inning, Strahm retired Raimel Tapia and allowed a sharp single to Santiago Espinal to set up an at-bat with Bradley Zimmer. Zimmer hit a swinging bunt down the first-base line that Strahm fielded cleanly and tossed right into Dalbec’s glove at first base, but Dalbec dropped it.
The Red Sox then removed Strahm, called on Danish and watched the game unravel.
George Springer roped a single to load the bases with one out, then Danish left a hanging sinker to Bichette, who launched it over the right-field wall for a grand slam that put the Jays ahead, 6-2.
Danish has just 13 games of big league experience since his MLB debut in 2016, but the Sox have liked what they’ve seen from him so far this year. He entered Monday with five strikeouts in three scoreless innings.
Still, calling on him in a tie game with bases loaded in the ninth inning and the heart of the Jays’ order due up was a bold move.
“We weren’t going to go to (Hansel) Robles without the lead,” Venable said. “We were looking to get a groundball in that spot. Danish has a great sinker, just left it over the plate.”
3. Small-ball sparked the Red Sox offense.
Jose Berrios was pitching a gem opposite Eovaldi in this one.
The Sox loaded the bases with one out in the second inning, but Christian Arroyo grounded into an inning-ending double play.
After that, the game was flying by. Half the game was over in less than an hour. And by the time the eighth inning rolled around, the Sox offense needed to change things up.
With the Sox down 2-0, Dalbec and Arroyo hit back-to-back singles to start the game, then Kevin Plawecki dropped a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third. Kiké Hernandez smoked a single to left to score one, and Alex Verdugo hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game before Bichette blew things open in the bottom of the inning.
The Sox left 10 men on base and went just 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They finished with just seven hits.
They haven’t scored more than four runs in a game since April 17. They’re hitting .219 with just two homers in nine games while averaging 2.2 runs per game in that stretch.
“We’re running into some tough luck,” Alex Verdugo told reporters in Toronto. “We’re hitting the ball hard right at people. Seems like there are no holes at the moment…
“Any time you have a starter going that deep and only giving up two runs, with this offense, most of the time that’s going to go well for us. We’re scuffling at the moment. A lot of us are taking good at-bats, hitting the ball hard. It’s like we’re chasing results right now.”
