It’s very hard not to overreact to today’s game. The Red Sox were the hottest team in baseball going into the All-Star break, and were relatively toothless in their first game back. I’m not actually worried that the break fundamentally changed the team, but winning the first game back would have done a lot to comfort us fans.
The first inning was all you needed to see in this one. Lucas Giolito walked the first two hitters, and Seiya Suzuki made him pay with a three-run home run. Outside of the first inning, Giolito was solid. He battled through 5.1 innings and was charged with four runs in total. A look under the hood isn’t cause for panic with Giolito. After some poor command in the first inning, he reined it back in and generated 14 whiffs. His fastball lived up in the zone, his slider on the glove side, and his changeup on the arm side. He made some early mistakes against a good offense and paid for them, but he should be fine going forward.
The offense couldn’t get anything going. They had opportunities, but left eight runners on base and grounded into two double plays. Roman Anthony hit a ball hard to right field with two runners on base in the seventh inning, but Kyle Tucker tracked it down to end the threat.
4-1 Cubs is your final score. Back at it again tomorrow night against Shota Imanaga.
Three Studs
Jarren Duran (1-2, 2 BB)
Duran struck out his first time up, but reached base in each of his next three plate appearances. He also put his body on the line to make a great catch in left field.
Roman Anthony (1-3, RBI)
Roman Anthony had the lone RBI on Friday when he doubled to left center field. He continues to hammer baseballs; it’s only a matter of time before he goes on a tear.
Marcelo Mayer (2-4)
Two hits and no blunders in the field are enough to earn the third stud of the day. Nice work, Marcelo.
Three Duds
Masataka Yoshida (0-1, K)
If you went to the bathroom, grabbed a snack, or blinked, you might have missed Yoshida’s appearance in Friday’s game. He pinch-hit for Carlos Narvaez in the eighth inning, struck out on three pitches, and returned to the bench. Not the best day in the office.
Greg Weissert (0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB)
The hope was that an extended break would help Weissert get back in form, but his first outing after the break wasn’t his finest. He inherited a runner on second in the sixth inning, walked the first batter he faced, and then allowed a single to the second. They escaped the jam with just one run allowed, but it extended the Cubs’ lead back to three.
Abraham Toro (1-4)
The Red Sox had runners on first and second with nobody out in the fifth inning. Alex Bregman stung a line drive, but Pete Crow-Armstrong comfortably caught the ball in center. For whatever reason, Toro took off and couldn’t retreat in time to avoid the double play. Ugly baseball from Toro.
