Don't expect to see recaps from every Red Sox game this season on this wonderful blog. That is, unless they start to be good and/or interesting again. This afternoon at freezing Fenway Park, they hosted the Orioles in the 2021 regular season opener after Thursday was postponed because it rained in the morning (haha but was clear in the afternoon). Opening Day is always one of the best times in an MLB season but they don't exactly have the same excitement around them when your team stinks and there isn't much hope that will change anytime soon. O's lefty John Means pitched a gem (7 IP, 1 hit, 5 Ks, 0 BBs) as Baltimore (1-0) blanked Boston (0-1) 3-0 in game one of a three-game Easter weekend series. It wasn't exactly optimal hitting conditions but both teams had to deal with it and one did way better than the other: Baltimore outhit Boston 9-2. This was the first time since 1976 (!) that the Red Sox were shut out in their home opener.
For awhile, this was shaping up to be a pretty good pitchers' duel as Boston's starter Nathan Eovaldi (5.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 hits, 4 Ks, 1 BB) cruised through five scoreless innings before he got pulled with one out in the sixth. Blame the nerds who shuddered at the thought of him facing the O's lineup for the third time not to mention the fact that he had thrown 89 pitches. Red Sox reliever Matt Andriese was the first guy out of their bullpen and he promptly gave up a two-run double-scoring catcher Pedro Severino and first baseman Trey Mancini-off the Green Monster to something called Ryan Mountcastle who was Baltimore's DH. Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander-the namesake of the crappy bank that I have used since college-added an insurance run with an RBI single in the eighth off Red Sox lefty Josh Taylor that scored center fielder Cedric Mullins.
Boston's two hits couldn't have been placed much further apart in the game: second baseman Kike Hernandez hit a lead-off single in the bottom of the first then was promptly picked off first base. DH J.D. Martinez hit a two-out double in the bottom of the ninth before shortstop Xander Bogaerts (0-for-4 with strikeout) lined out to right to end it. Baltimore's set-up man Tanner Scott walked two in the eighth but he managed to pitch a scoreless frame by striking out rookie first baseman Bobby Dalbec (on 3 pitches!) with two outs and runners on first and second. Reliever Austin Brice made his Red Sox debut and got the last two outs in the eighth while Japanese import Hirokazu Sawamura pitched a scoreless ninth in his first MLB inning. The Orioles closer is a guy named Cesar Valdez and he worked around that Martinez double for a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout for the save.
It is supposed to be a little warmer tomorrow afternoon (1:10, NESN) as former Mets great turned journeyman starting pitcher Matt Harvey takes on Red Sox rookie Tanner Houck who was one of their few brightspots in last season's debacle of a shortened season. Harvey seems like the perfect guy for the Red Sox offense to wake up against. I say that and he'll probably shut them down while Houck will get shelled. Ugh, remember when this team mattered and you actually enjoyed watching baseball? That feels like so long ago since the last two years might as well have not happened for the Red Sox. I think that many people have already tuned them out for good but I do believe that they have a short window here to be competitive before almost everyone else stops paying attention in 2021. No pressure guys!
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