Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Walker Buehler wasn’t content with splitting a four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, especially when factoring in the injury loss of starting third baseman Alex Bregman.
The Red Sox crushed the Orioles, 19-5, in the series opener but endured the biggest defeat in the form of Bregman’s right quad injury — he missed 58 games in 2021 with a similar injury. Boston managed to weather the storm in the first half of its doubleheader with Baltimore on Saturday night, which still gave the team a chance to take three of four over its division rival. But instead, the Red Sox settled for a 2-2 split to close out the homestand and that didn’t sit well with Buehler, who took the mound in the finale.
“It’s one of those things, you lose a player like him and kind of see what we’re made of and that kind of stuff,” Buehler told reporters, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “Obviously I wanted to create a little bit more momentum than I did today. … Super disappointing for me. Obviously a game we wished we had and get on the flight happy and all that stuff. But sometimes getting on the road and kind of having the group together can kind of help out. So I think that’s kind of the goal this week.”
Buehler took home the loss (4-2) after going five innings while allowing two earned runs off four hits and two walks with three strikeouts. The right-hander provided a solid start on the mound, however, Buehler was given the zero insurance from the offense — the Red Sox didn’t score until the bottom of the ninth inning. Buehler’s frustrations summed up the mood of the overall homestand, as rather than mustering up some much-needed momentum, Boston played its on-brand .500 baseball by going 5-5 at Fenway Park.
There were signs of fireworks, but they turned into sparklers over time. The Red Sox scored 13 runs against the Orioles, albeit when facing infielder Emmanuel Rivera on the mound. It continued the ongoing trend of jarring potential that hasn’t been sustainable throughout a long enough stretch to help Boston climb the division standings.
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Next, the Red Sox hit the road for a six-game trip featuring stops against the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves. There’s still plenty of time for a turnaround, but with injuries catching up to Boston, the difficulty of matching the New York Yankees in the American League East has just amplified.
