Red Sox run roughshod over Mariners, defeat them 8-3

Fenway Park continues to be a house of horrors for the Mariners

Every year, the Mariners go to Fenway Park, a place that is kryptonite for the Mariners’ form of run-prevention-and-minimal-offense brand of baseball, and every year, the results are predictably bad.

Actually, I did know, having already steeled myself for a sweep and a 4-5 roadtrip (still good! still fine!), but that doesn’t make the actual experience of watching the game any more pleasant, especially as this loss featured things that rankle dyed-in-the-wool baseball fans: too many walks, poor control of the running game, a short outing by the starter, and blown opportunities with runners in scoring position.

The Mariners actually got off to a quick start in the game: Jorge Polanco homered in the first inning, jumping on a two-strike changeup that landed square in the middle of the plate:

The Mariners were then able to load the bases with just one out, taking advantage of some wildness from Boston starter Brayan Bello, who walked Cal Raleigh, and then hit both Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley. Rowdy Tellez grounded into a double play to end the threat, though, and also end the scoring for the Mariners for the next four innings, as Bello settled in, spinning a lot of easy ground ball outs and working around a third-inning Raleigh double and, in the fourth, a two-out walk to Miles Mastrobuoni, who was caught stealing to bail Bello out of an inning where he seemed to be experiencing a sore calf. They further squandered a Julio double in the fifth, stranding him at second and Polanco at first.

Meanwhile, Bryce Miller was again in survival mode from the first batter of the game, when Jarren Duran led off with a triple, scoring easily one batter later on a sacrifice fly. Miller was able to button that inning up quickly, but labored after that, giving up the go-ahead run in the third when the Red Sox again led off with a base hit, as Cedanne Rafaela singled and then stole second—Boston’s second stolen base of the game already—and then came home on a double from ancient enemy Alex Bregman.

Miller had to battle in seemingly every inning, as the Red Sox were able to reach the leadoff batter in four of five innings against him. Miller didn’t help himself out in the fifth, walking the leadoff man, nine-hole hitter Cedanne Rafaela, who then advanced on yet another stolen base, and moved to third on a groundout. After walking Devers, his second walk of the inning, Bregman then came up with yet another big hit, driving in two on another double and taking third on the throw to the plate.

Miller was able to get one more out, holding the runner at third, but then walked Abreu, causing Dan Wilson to come get him at 100 pitches, yet another day when a Mariners starter couldn’t complete five innings. Eduard Bazardo came in and allowed yet another stolen base to Abreu, but struck out Kristian Campbell to stem the tide there.

The Red Sox brought out groundball machine lefty Justin Wilson in the sixth, who immediately retired pinch-hitter Donovan Solano on a groundout, but then walked pinch-hitter Ben Williamson on five pitches, with Ben easily laying off a bunch of groundball-inducers low in the zone. Good Ben! Dylan Moore then worked a seven-pitch walk, laying off the same pitches. Good DMo! Pinch-hitter Leo Rivas grounded out, moving the runners to scoring position (good Leo), and then J.P. Crawford came up with maybe what is his biggest hit so far this season—a left-on-left, two-RBI single, as he went down and grabbed a slider at the bottom of the zone and parachuted it into left field.

Alex Cora got out the hook quickly after that, inserting Greg Weissert, who walked Julio on five pitches (good Julio) and then fell behind Jorge Polanco, who put a charge into one but couldn’t quite get it to the Monster, flying out on the warning track for the third out of the inning.

Bazardo continued on in the bottom of the sixth, walking Casas as the leadoff man, who advanced to second on a groundout and then to third on a little parachute single from Rafaela, who doinked a ball into right field to put runners on the corners with just one out. Bazardo then walked Duran to load the bases for Devers, which is a such painful sentence to type, please send your extra Easter jellybeans to me for sustenance in this trying time. Devers flew out to center, with a laster throw in from Julio keeping the runner at third, but that brought up - duh duh duh - Alex Bregman. Bregman went after the first pitch he saw...and flew out harmlessly to Arozarena, who locked things in with a two-handed catch. I’ll take those jellybeans in any flavor except licorice, thanks.

Garret Whitlock, working out of the bullpen these days, set the Mariners down in order in the seventh. The Mariners countered with Trent Thornton, who finally kept the Red Sox from reaching a leadoff batter, striking out Trevor Story. However, he couldn’t keep pesky Wilyer Abreu off the bases, giving up a single up the middle to the constant stolen base threat. Thornton then walked Campbell, utterly incensing Dan Wilson, who was convinced Campbell swung on a check swing attempt, but ending in a walk nonetheless: the seventh walk for Mariners pitching on the day. That would prove to be costly, as the homer-prone Thornton then gave up what would be the difference-maker in the game, a three-run blast to Casas...that would have been a home run at Fenway Park and nowhere else. Blech.

Sauryn Lao replaced Thornton to make his major-league debut, which, okay. Lao got stung by a bad-luck BABIP single after an absolutely egregious blown strike call. He then picked up his first major-league strikeout, finally retiring Rafaela, who went fishing after a slider. That turned over the lineup for Duran, who—look, I don’t even want to dignify this by putting it in words, but suffice it to say, the Red Sox scored another run, and it wasn’t Lao’s fault. Lao finished up his inning by absolutely stymying Devers on a slider. He worked the bottom of the eighth as well, skirting around a ground-rule double and collecting another strikeout, this time of Trevor Story. As much as this game was deeply unpleasant to watch from start to finish, Lao’s debut is a highlight.

Also a highlight: Ben Williamson with a line-drive base hit against Whitlock in his second at-bat. I believe it is time to pencil in Williamson as an everyday player now. Nothing came of it, of course, but still: go Ben, good Ben, gentle Ben (that’s a Chart Art callback for you).

Liam Hendriks had the bottom of the ninth and closed things out for the Red Sox neatly, and if someone has to put the Mariners down in this game, I appreciate that it’s certified Good Human Hendriks. The Mariners will try again to break their Boston curse tomorrow, when Emerson Hancock (gulp) takes the hill.