Red Sox Blow 6-Run Lead in Toronto

 

The much anticipated and long awaited debut of Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito, who signed a two-year, $38.5 million contract with Boston in December 2023, finally make his Boston debut tonight. His performance was brilliant for five innings - no runs, seven strikeouts, and only two walks. Meanwhile, the Red Sox got six runs on homers by Bregman and Narváez and RBI base hits by Duran and Devers. 6-0, Red Sox. Nothing can go wrong, right?

Unfortunately, after two outs in the sixth, Giolito gave up back-to-back homers, giving the Blue Jays three runs. In the seventh, reliever Garrett Whitlock gave up a three-run homer after two outs of his own and the game was tied, 6-6.

There was no scoring in the eighth or ninth, and the Sox went three-up/three-down in the top of the tenth. In the bottom of that extra inning, the Sox allowed the Jays to load the bases with two intentional walks, and then a single to deep left center brought a runner home and Toronto won, 7-6.

As bad as the Sox blowing a six-run lead is the fact that they did it on a night when the Yankees lost, squandering a chance to move with a half game of first place. As it is, the Red Sox (17-15) are now 1½ back from New York in the AL East.

Game 3, the rubber match in this series, is tomorrow at 7:00. Tanner Houck (0-2, 7.58) will face José Berríos (1-1, 4.24). 

My take is Giolito's debut wasn't the disaster some are making it out to be, although the game was a disaster. He got left in the game too long - should have been pulled after the first homer, if not sooner - and then the shaky Boston bullpen allowed the tie. And for the life of me, I don't understand intentionally walking two batters on one out in the 10th.

Let's do better tomorrow, okay?