The Boston Red Sox just dropped their series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates, an 8-3 beatdown where Patrick Sandoval’s one good pitch couldn’t save them from an early implosion. Sandoval, let’s just be honest, is not good enough right now, and that was brutally clear in the first three innings of today’s game.
Sandoval’s Struggle Was No Surprise
Man, I don’t know what kind of bullpen discussions went down, but rolling with this current starting group feels like a gamble that’s not paying off. Sandoval has one legitimately good pitch, his changeup. Sure, his slider can get strikes, but he hasn’t had the feel for it since coming back from injury. His four-seam fastball is just way too easy to hit, and the sinker? It’s fine at 93 mph, nothing more. When those other pitches aren’t working, that changeup is left hanging out to dry, and that’s exactly what happened today. This whole situation has been brewing for a while, too. Early in the season, he was somehow keeping opponents off the scoreboard, but it was always with traffic all over the bases. A blow-up outing was bound to happen, and it pretty much handed the Pirates the game in those brutal first three innings. Honestly, if it were up to me, Brayan Bello would be in Sandoval’s spot, opener or not.
Rain, Runs, and Raymond Burgos’s Grit
The offense didn’t do much to help, either. The only real bright spot was a Connor Wong home run in the fifth inning. They had a glimmer of hope in the second, but Andruw Monasterio killed that threat immediately by grounding into a double play after trying and failing to get a bunt down, putting himself in a negative count. Look, bunts can be great, but lately, it feels like they’re doing it way too much. Raymond Burgos took over for Sandoval, throwing two innings before severe thunderstorms forced a lengthy weather delay in Pittsburgh. The tarp came out, and we waited for about 2.5 hours. I’m not sure how Burgos passed the time, but he came back out and fired two more innings, only allowing one run. That’s some serious grit right there, especially after waiting that long. But despite Burgos’s efforts, the Red Sox failed to score a single run after the rain, and the Pirates officially walked away with the 8-3 win.
What a day for the Red Sox, huh? Patrick Sandoval ended up with four innings pitched and a shocking seven earned runs, and pretty much everyone in the lineup not named Connor Wong was a non-factor. Huge shoutout to Raymond Burgos, though. Four innings pitched and only one earned run, after coming up and down, being asked to eat meaningless innings in those less-than-favorable conditions? He’s an unsung hero, and he deserves some real props for that performance.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Over the Monster.
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