Coming into Tuesday the Red Sox were on a roll. The club had won six straight games thanks largely to its starting pitchers, who had gone at least six innings in each to help make sure the Red Sox were always in command.
But that kind of streak is hard to maintain, and the Red Sox stumbled badly Tuesday night in Seattle.
Walker Buehler endured another rough setback, allowing eight runs over 3.1 innings in the Red Sox’s 8-0 loss to the Mariners. Cal Raleigh did the bulk of the damage, going 3 for 4 with a grand slam and six RBI, and Seattle starter Bryan Woo threw seven scoreless innings, holding the Red Sox hitless into the fifth inning.
The Red Sox suffered their second shutout loss of the season, recording just two hits as a team in the process.
After escaping a first inning jam to keep the game scoreless, Buehler ran into big trouble in the bottom of the second. He allowed a leadoff single to Rowdy Tellez, walked Ben Williamson and allowed an RBI double to Cole Young. A second run nearly scored on the play as well, but Ceddanne Rafaela and David Hamilton were able to quickly get the ball in to Carlos Narvaez, who tagged Williamson at the plate for the second out of the inning.
Unfortunately Buehler couldn’t capitalize and limit the damage to one. He followed by walking both J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodriguez to load the bases, and Raleigh made him pay by smashing a grand slam to put the Mariners ahead 5-0.
“He wasn’t able to finish hitters,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said afterwards, noting that there were eight at bats where Buehler got ahead with two strikes before letting the hitter reach base. “We had two outs at one point, one pitch away from getting out from that inning and it just didn’t happen.”
Raleigh drove in two more on an RBI double his next time up in the bottom of the fourth, which chased Buehler from the game. Raleigh subsequently came in to score on Jorge Polanco’s sacrifice fly against Zack Kelly, closing the book on Buehler’s ugly day.
The final damage: eight earned runs allowed on eight hits, four walks and only two strikeouts over 3.1 innings. Buehler needed 93 pitches to record 10 outs.
“We’ve got to figure it out because when you’re ahead in the count 1-2, 0-2, we have to be able to finish them,” Cora said.
On the other side, Woo was masterful for the Mariners.
The promising right-hander allowed only one baserunner through the first four innings on a hit by pitch. After Marcelo Mayer singled to break up the no-hitter and Hamilton walked in the fifth, Woo struck out Rob Refsnyder and forced Rafaela to fly out to end Boston’s best scoring chance of the game.
The Red Sox never seriously threatened again, and Woo finished with only one hit allowed over seven scoreless innings. He struck out six, walked two, and generated 16 whiffs.
“Stuff-wise he’s one of the best in the league,” Cora said of Woo.
For Buehler, Tuesday was the latest setback in a season that’s been full of them. Last time out the veteran right-hander appeared to right the ship, allowing three runs over seven innings after previously giving up five runs in each of his prior two starts.
Since returning from the injured list on May 20, Buehler now has an 8.17 ERA over his last six starts.
Jorge Alcala made his first appearance for Boston since being acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Twins last Wednesday, throwing a scoreless seventh inning. The Red Sox bullpen collectively was not charged with an earned run over 4.2 innings of relief, but with the club in a big hole and the offense coming up empty, it didn’t wind up mattering.
The Red Sox are now 38-37 on the season. They will go for the series victory over the Mariners in Wednesday’s rubber match, which is scheduled to begin at 4:10 p.m. ET.
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