BOS Vs MIL Series Recap: Benches Clear. Sox Stuck In Neutral.
Why Did The Benches Clear?
Both the bullpens and benches cleared at Fenway Park on Sunday, following an argument between Red Sox pitcher Chris Martin and Milwaukee 1st base coach Quintin Berry. The argument supposedly started following Milwaukee’s second consecutive bunt. This is something that seldom happens in the modern game of baseball, and was taken as a sign of disrespect by the Red Sox veteran reliever. After covering 1st base to record the final out at the inning, Chris Martin yelled at the coach at first base, sarcastically telling him to “BUNT AGAIN B%&H”. Instead of being the bigger man and walking back to the dugout, Berry decided to escalate things by allegedly yelling “Man, f*#k you”. After this remark, the two men got in each other’s faces, after which, the benches and bullpens spilled onto the field.
While I don’t want to psychologically analyze the actions of a first base coach, there are a couple things worth noting about the career of Quintin Berry. Berry is 39 years old, and has been out of the game since his age 32 season in 2017. Over his five year professional career, Berry played a total of 132 games. On the other hand, Chris Martin (currently 37 years old) has put together a very nice career, appearing in 344 games over the last ten years. Seeing one of his peers continue to have success in the big leagues (long after Berry’s own career proved to be so insignificant) is something that likely fueled the 1st base coach’s aggressive behavior.
In terms of bench clearing altercations, this was one of the most tame that I have ever seen. While there was a bit of pushing and a lot of words exchanged, nobody seemed to throw a single punch during the debacle. While this stands out as the most eye-popping moment of the series, there is certainly a lot to cover with this roller coaster of a weekend…
DEFENSE:
Positives:
Wilyer Abreu isn’t perfect, but there is nobody I would rather have in right field for the Red Sox. His combination of underrated athleticism and a cannon arm makes him a perfect fit for Fenway’s ocean of a right field.
Despite not throwing out the runner at first, Dominic Smith and Reese McGuire had a nice pick off attempt of a runner who had been building a strong lead.
Dominic Smith made a throwing error in the first inning of the first game, but the mistake was quickly erased with a double play.
Watching Jarren Duran play defense this year is such a nice experience.
Vaughn Grissom is settling into his 2nd base role. He may not be the best in the world, but if his bat can return to form, he will be an everyday player for years to come.
Negatives:
It is a shame that we can’t watch Ceddanne Rafaela play in centerfield everyday. He is absolutely electric out there.
He is good at shortstop, but a completely different animal in the outfield.
STARTING PITCHING:
Positives:
Tanner Houck is the ace of this staff, and he showed why again in this series. On Sunday, Houck pitched six innings, allowing only one run.
Houck continues a trend of getting through games where he doesn’t have his best stuff. Houck struggled to locate pitches in the strike zone, particularly on the first pitch against each batter.
It’s unclear whether this was a strategic call from Andrew Bailey, or if he was just having a hard time finding the zone. Either way, Houck got through it. His ERA dropped to 1.90
Negatives:
Kutter Crawford had his roughest outing of the season on Friday, posting a line of: 4.1 IP, 7 H, and 2 BB, for 6 ER
Similarly, Nick Pivetta struggled mightily in his start on Saturday, putting up: 3.1 IP, 7 H, and 3 BB, for 5 ER
Kutter Crawford allowed six earned runs in 4.1 innings of work on Friday
THE PEN:
Positives:
Brennan Bernardino only threw eight pitches, but recorded two outs in his lone series appearance.
Chris Martin, Justin Slaten, and Kenley Jansen were all electric on Sunday.
Chris Martin recorded 3 outs on only 6 pitches.
Justin Slaten struck out all three batters he faced.
Cam Booser recorded five outs without allowing a run. He has been a welcome surprise for this team.
Greg Weissert looked pretty solid in this series. He pitched one inning, and only allowed one man to reach base on a walk.
Negatives:
Chase Anderson looked like himself in this series. 4 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, for 1 ER is pretty much on par for him.
Zack Kelly wasn’t awful, but gave up a home run in his three inning appearance.
AT THE PLATE:
Positives:
Wilyer Abreu had a rough game one of the series, but bounced back with 4 hits and an RBI over the following two games.
Jarren Duran didn’t have his best series, but made a big impact in the third game. His RBI single drove in Wilyer Abreu, and ended up winning the final game for Boston.
Aside from a dismal game one, Rafael Devers found ways to contribute. He drove in a run on a sacrifice fly during a low-scoring game on Sunday.
David Hamilton struggled in the middle game, but went 4-7 collectively in the other two.
Dominic Smith hit a home run in game one, but I still wish he wasn’t playing everyday. He recorded only one hit in the final two games of the series.
I will also give Dom Smith some credit for walking 3 times in the middle game of the series.
Ceddanne Rafaela had a very nice series, recording 4 hits and 2 RBIs in the three games.
Negatives:
The Red Sox as a whole went 6-24 with runners in scoring position, stranding 20 runners on the bases over the weekend.
Tyler O’Neill failed to record a hit in the series, and struck out in six out of his seven at bats.
Garrett Cooper also went hitless in the series in 6 plate appearances. I am so sick of watching this guy play baseball.
Both Rob Refsnyder and Romy Gonzalez played minimally in the series, but failed to add any offensive value.
Vaugh Grissom’s struggles continue…. He went 1-6 in the series with a walk.
This was not Connor Wong’s best series. He was given Sunday off, but only reached base twice in the first two games.
I personally find it very difficult to be upset at a series like this. We know what the 2024 Boston Red Sox are. This team has been left rudderless with the losses of Casas, Yoshida, and Story. There are so many holes in this lineup that simply cannot be filled by guys like Garrett Cooper, Romy Gonzalez, Dominic Smith, David Hamilton, or Rob Refsnyder. As a Red Sox fan, I am starting to care less and less about actual results of baseball games in 2024. Instead, I look forward to watching guys like Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Connor Wong continue to take steps in their development. The season isn’t over, but I no longer have any wild thoughts about this team making the playoffs. Perhaps this shift is premature, but this is how I feel.
