Game 21: Red Sox 2 The Rain Gods 6

Dank, Dreary, and Dismal - Detroit

A tightly-knit game in the rain comes unraveled fast as Crochet drops stitches into the zone

Well, we got knocked out by the Tigers’ ace yesterday, so the appropriate comeback is to throw our ace out the next day. And we have that with Garrett Crochet. Unfortunately Garrett is coming off his career-worst start (don’t trigger me, you can read the recap I did five days ago), and the guy going for the other team is Framber Valdez, late of the Houston Astros. 

It’s hard to believe Valdez is 32 and now has 1100+ IP in the majors, but every enfant terrible turns into a veteran workhorse eventually (or they’re out of baseball early). Valdez has pretty much always looked like he could throw no-hit stuff every outing, and he will be tough. It was a sign the Tigers were very, very serious about competing that they signed him as a free agent to be Skubal’s wingman.

The lineup is a new one for the Sox on the year, with Monasterio getting a start and batting second (!), Willson at DH, Narvaez back at catcher (after Wong has been in the lineup, and productive, the last three games), and IKF at second instead of spelling Durbin at third. They also moved Cedanne down a couple of notches to 6th and have Wilyer, who’s been ever so slightly scuffling (making good contact, but hitting it right at them) into 5th. The real surprise here is Trevor Story in clean-up; I suppose this is trying to capture lightning in a bottle, since Trevor has had a couple of good games in a row, and also I’m sure the Sox have all the analytics on matchups against Valdez. Me, I am far too lazy to investigate why this might be. I have to believe there’s an actual reason to hit Monasterio second here and not just an attaboy from the manager. In any event, it’s a sort of new-look. 

We are starting at 4:30, which is weird, but it turns out the game was indeed scheduled originally at 1:30 but the Sox looked at the forecast and moved it back. The rain let up, the tarp is off, so kudos. In the old days, the clubs would have never done this as a courtesy to the fans a day in advance, as the Sox did yesterday. Nor of course were the weather forecasts as good as they are now. I once explained to one of my kids the weather forecasts used to be limited to three days (and you would read them on page two of the newspaper) and they looked at me like it was time to put me in a home already. Two signs of progress, and a welcome relief I wasn’t sundowning about the start time. I guess I should look at my phone instead of the printed schedule on the fridge. PROGRESS. I’m not being snarky here. 

Unis: yellow for the second day in a row. I was under the impression that Sunday after two days in a row of alternate uniforms were supposed to always be the traditional home white. It can’t be an effort to move more merch because there’s a jersey shortage out there right now (no: really) due to the recall of last year’s awful Nike design and the WBC taking up a lot of available shirt production, following materials shortages induced by the idiotic tariffs.

Matt Vierling hits a two out double off Crochet in the first, and the way the ball drags towards left, and the way Roman played it very tentatively, had it make a funny low-speed carom off the metal of the monster. This indicates the field is playing wet, for sure. You can cover the infield but the outfield, nope, and it will play heavy all day. 

Carlos Narvaez calls for an ABS review on a 2-2 pitch with two outs, and it is AGONIZINGLY close, less than a tenth of an inch off the plate, and the call is confirmed. Hard to blame Carlos there, although he’s been very quick on the appeal. But the very next pitch, the next hitter doubles off the wall and already we’re down 1-0. It’s a game of…tenths of inches. The next guy whiffs and we’re out of it, but this started out looking like a quick, damp first inning, but Crochet is already up to 25 pitches.

The Tigers call for an ABS challenge on the very first pitch to Roman Anthony, and it is indeed a strike by a couple of tenths. Valdez has a pitch that tails inside that must look very fat for a second before it looks terrifying and if he can hit that for strikes it’s going to be a bad day at the plate for the home town team.

Boy, weird things keep happening with ABS: Contreras appeared to have tapped his head for a challenge, but the ump at the plate didn’t notice, the first base ump said it was a challenge, and then Contreras either said it wasn’t a challenge but a helmet tap, or the home plate ump said, nope, too late. And the crazy thing was it would have been overturned to a ball. So Contreras is down 0-2…and LAUNCHES ONE OVER THE MONSTER! Mammoth! We are tied 1-1! That was amazingly welcome.

Trevor singles and steals with Wilyer up and two outs. 

It has been misting a bit more aggressively at Fenway and equipment is obviously wet. Trevor’s uniform is already muddy from his slide into second.

Wilyer takes the count to 3-2 and fouls off a couple more, then draws the walk, running Valdez’ PC up into the 20s, and this is definitely an equalizer of an inning in that regard. Cedanne whiffs but that leaves Valdez at 26 pitches and that’s a decent first inning, or at least a decent bottom of the inning.

How would you describe the blue in the Sox’ yellow uniforms? It’s not Dodger Blue, but it’s also not Royals blue, it’s a kind of creamier cross between the two. I like the design for the “B” on the caps, too, and NESN today has got its transition graphics using that same B with the connect color in-filled. 

In the 5th Jamai Jones hits a rocket off Crochet, who had been cruising and up to 7 Ks, off the stanchion in center. It was an amazing shot. 2-1 Tigers, with Crochet up to 72 pitches. We are informed the weather is getting really bad in about thirty minutes, so this has to be played like sudden death innings.  Crochet is losing his spots, as he gives up a four pitch walk to Gleyber Torres, and then a single, and the bullpen stirs. This is an incredibly critical juncture of this game: still a one run game, but with the day about to end for Crochet one way or another. Dirk Diggler Dirty Dingler Dillon works the count to 3-1.

One pitch too many: it’s a homer to dead center, disappearing behind the fence near the pole, and it’s now 5-1 Tigers and a good outing by Crochet is now ashes. Soggy ashes. Horrible 3-1 pitch selection by Crochet (and maybe Narvaez) Crochet gives up a few more baserunners before eventually slogging out of it at 93 pitches and five innings, five earned runs.

In the meantime, Framber Valdez has been his classic self, and gets through five with 85 pitches. I am positive he won’t last long, but I am equally positive this game may get called due to rain with the Sox behind. They go quietly in the fifth and we’re in the delay of game phase for the Tigers.

Hats off to Caleb Durbin - literally - in the 6th (with Ryan Watson pitching) — he has an inbetweener he cuts off in front of Story (as you’re supposed to) and Story elbows him in the head, and Durbin’s cap goes flying. But he stays with the play and gets the runner by a half a step. Good bang bang play, not quite a defensive gem, but a nice play.

The Sox are going down rather quietly as the rain gets worse and the fans look utterly miserable. I know it’s raining in my heart. Valdez manages to get through six with 98 pitches, one run, 3 hits, 2 walks, and 7 Ks. All in all a really, really good outing, especially in this weather.

Kyle Finnegan on to pitch for Detroit. Narvaez gets a two out double in the bottom of the 7th and Alex plays it like it’s a multi inning game, pinch hitting Marcelo for IKF. It is 43 degrees in Boston right now and still raining. Mayer works a good count but fouls out to third base and that’s that.

Two outs nobody on in the eighth and water is visibly pooling in front of home plate. Willson Contreras can let his tears drain there, unnoticed, as he grounds out for the third out.

Roman Anthony, as he takes the field, has a noticeably red nose. How much fun it must be to stand out in the middle of an open field during a forty degree rain storm.

Jack Anderson, by the by, has pitched another two excellent — perfect —  innings after Watson took the sixth (gave up two hits but no damage). He does give up a lead off hit in the ninth and one wonders how sacrificial his outing is going to be. He was at only about 20 pitches to start the frame. Then a walk, and I’m wondering about the sacrifice theory. Then the dinkiest book-rule double you’ve ever seen drops off the foul line and then into the netting. Oops, the Umps completely missed it — they didn’t call it a double. The run still scores — 6-1 — but I guess on a day of misery we should be grateful for minor breaks. I'm still giving Anderson full credit here for an excellent outing.

Nice double play Durbin stepping on the bag and throwing across to Monasterio, who stretches. We are back to a runner on second and two outs. Then the next batter drops a single to left, Roman fields it on one hop, and has a dead line on the runner and he is OUT. BASERUNNER KILL! And that’s a nice thing to see from Roman, given his early season throwing troubles from left. 

The ninth has our 4-5-6 hitters, Story-Abreu-Rafaela. Everybody’s breath is visible now. The pitcher, Seabold, who has less reason to be cold than anybody else on the field, somehow looks more miserable.

Trevor strikes out, but Wilyer hits a dribbler to third for an infield hit. Hope is a thing that is soggy.  Cedanne reaches way outside for a meek swinging strike three and it’s left up to the worst hitter in the majors, Caleb Durbin. (Yes, that is not hyperbole. Among hitters who qualify for the batting title, he has the lowest OPS in the majors, at .400 (it was at .330 a few days ago). 

Oh ye naysayers — Durbin doubles off the wall and it’s 6-2. Hope is still dripping. Only four more doubles like that and we've tied it up...Yoshida on to pinch hit for Narvaez. Masa grounds out quietly to second and yellow jackets and all the Sox have lost this agonizing game. I bet it felt a lot longer than two hours forty minutes.

Tomorrow is Patriot’s Day — Marathon Day — Boston Strong day — and we will face off again against the Tigers at 11. They will need to shake this off fast and try to split the series, because otherwise we’ll be reopening the hole created by the first ten games. We’ve gone 6-5 since that start and that won’t be good enough to climb back into contention without a significant winning streak. 

Takewaways: Garrett Crochet is not the pitcher he was last year. Rain or no rain, he is just not sharp for as long as a starter needs to be, and hasn’t been sharp out of the gate all but one of his starts this year. The Sox offense sputtered against another good Tiger pitching outing, but neither did they get purchase against three innings of bullpen work. The cold and misery of today certainly probably killed any esprit de corps that might’ve spurred a rally.