After taking the first two games of their three-game series against the Miami Marlins, the Boston Red Sox were looking for a sweep going into their huge four-game weekend series against the New York Yankees over three days in the Bronx.
Boston interim manager Chad Tracy handed the ball to 16-game winner Sonny Gray. However, the right-hander acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals over the winter struggled. Gray lasted just four innings, and the Red Sox defense had a season-high for errors in a 4-0 loss to the Marlins.
It wasn’t the way that Boston wanted to head into an off day in New York City, and after the game, Gray didn’t mince words about his outing and the series as a whole in South Florida.
Boston Red Sox Pitcher Sonny Gray Addresses Loss To Miami Marlins
After struggling against the San Francisco Giants last Friday night at Fenway Park, Gray lasted five innings against Miami, scattering seven hits, allowing two runs and striking out five. However, he needed to throw 93 pitches to get through five frames.
“Just not a well-played game all around,” Gray said, per Perla Paredes of MLB.com. “(It) started with me. They just beat us tonight. No other way around that.”
Not a well-played game all around would be a major understatement. First baseman Nick Sogard and catcher Connor Wong each made a pair of errors. Sogard was playing first as Willson Contreras got the night off, while Adley Rutschman rested again behind the plate in favor of Wong.
Miami scored one run each in the first two innings. They then added two more in the eighth, both unearned, to pull away for the win.
“As you go into it, you know they’re one of the more active teams running the bases. I think you saw more of that today,” Tracy said, per Paredes. “They were very frequently moving today, and when they do that, you can create some errant throws and things like that.”
Red Sox Look Ahead To Yankees Showdown
In the overall big picture, winning two out of three in Miami is a successful series. The Marlins are 42-27 at home this season. They swept the Washington Nationals last weekend before the Red Sox came to town.
“I think it was a good series for us overall,” Gray said, per Paredes. “We found ways to win the first two games, which was great. And then tonight they just beat us, and that’s part of it sometimes.”
Boston’s loss, combined with the Yankees’ 9-3 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday, dropped the Red Sox 2.5 games back of their rivals for the first American League wild-card spot and home-field advantage in the AL Wild Card series next month. New York will close out their series with the Astros on Thursday night at home.
Boston will not have Gray or Payton Tolle throwing in the series this upcoming weekend. They announced their starters on Wednesday afternoon before the Marlins series final. They will send Patrick Sandoval to the mound on Friday night in the opening game against Cam Schlittler. A day/night doubleheader will be played Saturday, followed by the series final Sunday afternoon.
Boston Red Sox Pitcher Sonny Gray Drops Blunt Quote After Loss To Marlins