It’s important to remember that baseball is a marathon, not a sprint. As a one-time marathon runner (no big deal), starting out too fast is a real concern. Just ask one-time marathon runner Jacob Roy, who went out too fast and ran the final six miles at about 10 minutes per mile after running the first 20 at a sub-seven pace. At the same time, if you start too slow, you get stuck behind slow runners and expend more energy passing people and weaving through traffic. On Sunday, Alex Cora was caught between the two.
Following the 2-6 start, the Red Sox can’t afford to punt wins. They needed to use the whole bullpen to secure the victory on Friday, and went to their high-leverage arms again on Saturday in a tight game. On Sunday, after the Red Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third, Ranger Suarez gave three runs back in the fourth. After he allowed a lead-off single in the fifth, Cora turned to his bullpen to hold the lead. Weissert gave up the lead, and Cora had to take his foot off the gas by giving the ball to Tyler Uberstine. The rookie did a good job keeping the team in the game in his debut, holding the Padres scoreless over his first two innings.
In the seventh, the Red Sox rallied behind Wilyer Abreu and Masataka Yoshida, tying the game at six. That’s where Cora got caught in between. Going to Justin Slaten or Aroldis Chapman would have been like sprinting the tenth mile of a marathon. Cora stuck with Uberstine, electing not to push it and keep some gas in the tank. Uberstine gave up a home run to Jackson Merrill, and the Padres had the lead back.
With the Red Sox trailing, the Padres went to Jeremiah Estrada and Mason Miller. The two relievers were untouchable, and the Padres held on to win 8-6.
Congratulations to Garrett Whitlock on the birth of his child, but it came at an inconvenient time (I hope the whole family is happy and healthy).
Abreu was a home run away from the cycle and continues to put the lineup on his back.
Yoshida was 3-4, including two doubles off of lefties. The guy can hit if he gets the opportunity.
I’m a sucker for MLB debuts, and Uberstine is a cool story. It’s a miracle he’s in the major leagues at all, let alone getting Fernando Tatis Jr. out. Jackson Merrill’s home run was a damper on the outing, but he’s a stud nonetheless.
Weissert took over for Suarez with a runner on in the fifth. He struck out the first two hitters he faced, but Jackson Merrill singled on a first-pitch changeup. Manny Machado then took a changeup way off the plate over the Green Monster to give the Padres the lead. Look how far off the plate this is.
That’s the problem with same-handed changeups. While they can be effective in catching a hitter out in front, they’re slow and tend to run right to an area where hitters can drop the barrel and get around the ball for hard contact. That’s what happened here, and Weissert paid the price.
Suarez did a great job getting his cutter in on righties in his first start. Today, he didn’t do that at all. He also still doesn’t have a feel for his changeup, which is typically his best pitch. His two-strike changeups, in particular, were well below the zone and didn’t generate a whiff. Suarez had an unusual spring training with the World Baseball Classic, and the pitch is also showing more depth than last season. Hopefully, as a veteran, he’s able to make the adjustment and execute with the pitch.
Anthony came up to the plate with two runners on base in the sixth and struck out. He drew a walk in the third and scored, but hasn’t hit with runners in scoring position so far this season. The expectations for Anthony might be unfair to him, but the Red Sox need him to hit if they’re going to win games.
