Mariners maul Red Sox as Boston plays the logistics game

You wouldn’t know it from these last 36 hours, but the Mariners actually rank dead last in all of baseball in runs scored this season. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, bad MLB hitting can still erupt against bad MLB pitching, and that’s what happened in Boston’s 9-6 loss to Seattle.

Without showing their lines, here’s the list of pitchers who took the mound for the Red Sox:

That’s probably all you need to know (although Gamboa did pitch quite well again).

With the Sox in a stretch where they play 14 games in 13 days, they largely planned this as a reset day, calling up Paez, and using as many (but also as few) low leverage relievers as possible to create a pseudo off day for the arms that have any chance of sniffing the mound in October. It’s just where they’re at given the combination of their place in the standings (very likely to make the playoffs and open on the road), and the number of tanks they have running on empty.

So call it whatever you want: Offering Paez as a sacrifice to the baseball gods, punting the game, dropping a deuce on a card trick to have a better chance later in the hand, or making a chess move geared towards the bigger picture. No matter how you slice it, the Red Sox approached tonight with their eye on October 1st more than September 1st.

That philosophy however was exclusive to the guys making management decisions, because several regulars in the lineup played hard and played well. Most notably, Mickey Gasper, who went deep again!

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This is unbelievable! After ending August with a 1.671 OPS, he starts off September with another bomb; and not just any bomb, but another shot OVER the bullpens in right. This is getting so ridiculous it’s fair to question if Gasper unlocked something as a hitter. He’s obviously never going to be this hot again in his life, but this type of production might be telling us we have a guy who’s made the jump to legit major league hitter. He’s a completely different guy at the plate, and this will be a very fun story to watch unfold throughout September.

You know what else is notable? The Red Sox forced the Mariners to use their closer, Andres Munoz, in a game Seattle was up 9-1. With heavy bullpen usage for Seattle on Monday (including using Munoz for four outs), this effort by the Sox tonight puts them in a better position to win tomorrow and take the series.

And speaking of potentially taking the series, how big does that comeback yesterday look now? If Boston doesn’t piece that together, they’ve lost six of seven and are facing the possibility of getting swept. Even with all the runs allowed, the fight these guys have shown the last two days is a great sign.

Studs

Mickey Gasper: His home run tonight is his seventh in his last 11 starts! He had zero career home runs in a Red Sox uniform when this streak started. Baseball (and Mickey Gasper) remain amazing!

Trevor Story: For the third straight game since returning, Story’s posted multiple hits. (He had a single and a double tonight.) This is a wonderful development as last week I argued he looked done in Worcester and shouldn’t be allowed to return. Let’s hope he continues to make me look like a fool!

Roman Anthony: Like Story, Anthony’s returned hot at the plate. Two more hits tonight (both with exit velocities over 100mph) and another lineout. It’s only been three games, but more than half of Anthony’s at bats have ended with balls in play going over 100mph. If he starts lifting the ball at all, he might turn into Mickey Gasper.

The Bench: Both Eli White and Jahmai Jones pinch hit in this game and knocked in a pair of runs. There’s so many guys on this roster just doing their job, and tonight their efforts directly helped force Seattle to use their closer (Munoz).

This guy who gave a young fan a souvenir and made his night:

Duds

Jedixson Paez: Tough to get a dud in your first major league start, but giving up eight runs and twelve baserunners in in 3.2 innings of work will get you here every time. Hopefully he takes this as a good learning experience.

Ceddanne Rafaela: Went 0-3 with two strike outs before being pinch hit for by White. Would not shock me if he has a day off coming soon.

Caleb Durbin: 0-4 with a strike out as his cold streak continues. With Isiah Kiner-Falefa back on the roster, it also wouldn’t shock me if he has a day off coming soon.

Looking ahead:

Tomorrow is a late afternoon start (4:10pm) and will feature Bryce Miller against Patrick Sandoval. After that, the Red Sox travel to Baltimore for a four game set against the Orioles.

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