ANAHEIM, Calif. — Rapid reactions from the Red Sox’ second-straight 9-5 loss:
1) Buehler? Buehler? Anyone? It was a nightmarish first inning for Red Sox starter Walker Buehler, who issued four walks while hitting two other batters while allowing five runs. After giving up a leadoff homer to Zach Neto, Buehler suddenly lost the strike zone in a big way. At one one point, he had this sequence to four hitters — hit-by-pitch, bases-loaded walk, bases-loaded walk, bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. Of the 39 pitches he threw, just 16 were for strikes. The four walks were the most he’d ever allowed in one inning in his career. Somehow, Buehler managed to get through four innings, and didn’t allow another run after the first — though he did walk three more hitters for a career-high of seven.
2) It took until the 80th game of the season to happen, but finally, catcher Connor Wong got on the RBI board Monday night. In the top of the fourth, with Ceddanne Rafaela on third, Wong lofted a flyball to medium left, more than deep enough to plate Rafaela as the Sox pulled back to within a run. Even allowing for the fact that he missed several weeks earlier in the season with a broken finger, 80 games is still a long time to wait for your first RBI of the season.
3) On the subject of Wong, look for more of him in the coming days. Monday represented his second start in the last four games. Part of that is to make sure that Carlos Narvaez doesn’t get worn down in his rookie season. Another part is to try to get Wong going at the plate. Wong came into Monday hitting just .147 for the season with, as noted above, no RBI. The Sox feel he needs to play at least a little more regularly to get his swing in order.
4) It wouldn’t be a Red Sox game without a curious baserunning decision. Monday’s came in the top of the fourth. Jarren Duran led off with a hustle double. But when Abraham Toro followed with a routine grounder to short, Duran, with no outs, inexplicably started for third and was immediately caught in a rundown, tagged out about 20 feet from third base. Worse, Toro, sensing an opportunity that wasn’t there, attempted to take second during Duran’s rundown and he, too, was thrown out.
5) On Sunday, after being ejected by second base umpire Doug Eddings, Alex Cora said: “I hate to get thrown out; I hate it.” But it happened again in the top of the fifth. Cora contended that Los Angeles third baseman Luis Rengifo, covering the play at second, put his leg down to block Toro’s access to the bag. Cora came out of the dugout to plead his case, but after the umpires conferred in the middle of the infield, they stayed with the out call. Cora exploded and was run by second base umpire Alan Porter. Cora got pretty heated and had to be restrained by first base coach Jose Flores. It was Cora’s fourth ejection of the season.
6) The Red Sox made a curious decision in the top of the seventh. The Angels had lefty Reid Detmers on the mound with the bases loaded, one out and Roman Anthony due. It might have made sense to pinch-hit Rob Refsnyder there, who croaks lefties (1.029 OPS this season). Instead, the Sox stuck with Anthony and watched him fan on four pitches, swinging and missing at three of them.
7) The 11 walks were the most given up by Red Sox pitching in a single game since Aug. 30, 2019, which, coincidentally enough, also came against the Angels in Anaheim. That game, however, lasted 15 innings. The last time the Sox issued 11 or more walks in a nine-inning game was April 2, 201 against the Yankees, when they walked a dozen.
8) The two teams will meet for the middle game of this three-game series, Tuesday night at 9:38 ET. The Red Sox will send ace LHP Garrett Crochet (7-4, 2.20 ERA) vs. LHP Tyler Anderson (2-5, 4.56 ERA).
