Winners And Losers From Red Sox' Disappointing Opening Weekend Vs. Orioles
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Red Sox? Pretty bad!
In a weird season where expectations were low to begin with, the Red Sox somehow managed to disappoint in their opening series loss to the lowly Baltimore Orioles. It was ugly, it was grisly, it was foreboding for the outlook of the season -- if it can even continue.
On that note ... it's probably worth revisiting some winners and losers from opening weekend at Fenway Park. One category is a little bit busier than the other.
Winner -- Jose Peraza (briefly)
The Red Sox' new second baseman had a dynamite debut, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs out of the nine-hole on Friday night. As debuts go, that one was as good as it gets. Unfortunately for Peraza, he didn't handle his promotion up the lineup too well. He went 0-for-4 while batting fifth on Saturday and 0-for-4 out of the leadoff spot on Sunday.
Loser -- Martin Perez
The Red Sox were out of Saturday's game almost immediately, after Perez allowed back-to-back hits to start the first inning before giving up a two-run double to Renato Nunez. A Rafael Devers error cost the Sox another run that inning, and the Orioles had all the runs they'd need to win the game.
Winner -- Nathan Eovaldi
It feels like ancient history already, but Eovaldi was dynamite on Friday night. He made it look effortless, as he allowed just one run over six innings en route to earning his first win of the year. Considering last year's injury-ruined season saw him win just two, that's no small feat.
Loser -- Xander Bogaerts
In a shortened season, every game matters a whole lot more. So having your meat-of-the-order, star young shortstop miss the second game of the year is not ideal. While Bogaerts did deal with a hamstring issue during summer camp, it appears this absence from the lineup was about avoiding injury rather than treating injury. Bogaerts ended up having to enter the game in the sixth inning anyway, and he played the rest of the game, thus mitigating any intended effect.
Loser -- Ron Roenicke
As we all get to observe Ron Roenicke's managerial style, we can safely declare that as a manager ... he is passive. Not challenging close plays, not using his best relievers, not starting a catcher with tremendous numbers vs. Saturday's stater, moving a player from the nine-hole to the leadoff spot in a matter of two days, and not really pushing too many buttons from the dugout was the mark of his first weekend in Boston. In the season that's being descirbed as a "60-game sprint," the word "passive" is not the one you're looking for when describing your manager.
Winner -- Jackie Bradley Jr.
In a weekend without too many highlights, Bradley had a few. He makes diving for fly balls look easier than it has any business looking.
Bradley really had as good of an opening weekend as he could have hoped for, as he also went 7-for-11 at the plate.
Winner -- Kevin Pillar
Keeping with the outfield defense angle, Pillar recorded the first out of the entire season by catching a hot shot to right in a full sprint, just before crashing into the fence.
He also went 3-for-5 at the dish with a double and three RBIs on Friday night, making for a nifty Red Sox debut.
Loser -- Ryan Weber
His 3.2 innings of work were tough to watch, as the soft-throwing righty gave up six hits with three walks and two bombs en route to surrendering six runs while recording just 11 outs. That he was starting the third game of the season does not say much for the state of Boston's pitching. That he couldn't get through the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles does not say much for his chances of staying there.
Winner -- Christian Vazquez
Roenicke didn't start Vazquez on Saturday, despite his tremendous career numbers vs. Alex Cobb. Vazquez didn't appear bothered, though, as he turned in an impressive Sunday of work. He hit a moon shot over the Monster in his first at-bat, he fired a picture-perfect throw to second base to catch a would-be base stealer, and he showed that his snap throw to first is in midseason form on a play that might have been ruled an out if Roenicke had challenged the call on the field. At the plate, he's off to a 4-for-7 (.571) starts with a double and a homer, good for a 1.768 OPS in his eight plate appearances.
Loser -- Rafael Devers
A double in the sixth inning on Sunday marked his first knock of the year, as he went 1-for-13 with five strikeouts over the weekend. He also made two errors in the field, one of which cost the team a run, which isn't really the way that anybody wants their season to begin.
Winner -- Alex Verdugo
Certainly the player with the highest expectations in the return haul for Mookie Betts, Verdugo delivered in his debut, going 3-for-4 on Saturday. He followed that up with an 0-for-4 on Sunday, albeit with a nice catch out in left field. While his spot as a winner could have gone either way, his between-inning socially distanced fight with an umpire on Saturday was enough to push him over the hump to the good side.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley..
