Red Sox overreact: Opening Day loss to the Orioles is ruined by bad pitching

Red Sox overreact: Opening Day loss to the Orioles is ruined by bad pitching

Red Sox overreact: Opening Day loss to the Orioles is ruined by bad pitching

At Fenway Park on Thursday, the Boston Red Sox’s atonement tour didn’t get started to the best of starts.

Their 2023 campaign got off to a losing start against the Baltimore Orioles, 10-9. Starting on Opening Day, seasoned right-hander Corey Kluber struggled, giving up five earned runs in only 3 1/3 innings. The Orioles collected 15 hits and nine walks, but the bullpen didn’t fare much better.

With 11 hits, Boston’s offence contributed, and a late surge kept things intriguing, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the pitchers’ flaws. When Chris Sale, a southpaw, starts for the Red Sox on Saturday, they will be hoping for better outcomes. Sale last started on July 17.

Here are some overreactions to the Red Sox’s defeat over the Orioles on Opening Day.

A Red Sox pitching issue exists.

The Red Sox pitching staff faced criticism throughout the winter, and their performance in Thursday’s opener did nothing to appease the doubters.

Kluber had a weak Red Sox debut. Before being removed from the game with one out in the fourth inning, the two-time Cy Young award winner gave up five runs on six hits and four walks. Of his 80 pitches, just 48 were strikes.

Adley Rutschman of the Orioles hit a single home run against Kluber in the first inning.

This contest began to lose steam in the fourth inning. Gunnar Henderson, the top prospect for the Orioles, was walked by Kluber before Ramos Urias hit a two-run home drive.

Before being relieved by reliever Zack Kelly, he finished his underwhelming stint with an Adam Frazier double, a Jorge Mateo single, and a Cedric Mullins walk. For Kluber, that was an unusual occurrence since he only walked more than two batters once and surrendered more than one home run twice all of last season.

He was by no means the first Red Sox pitcher to have a difficult outing. Kelly’s first pitch went wild, which resulted in a run being scored. He ran and also strolled.

In the fifth inning, Ryan Brasier entered the game and struck out his first hitter. By forcing a double play, he made up for it, but he continued to walk two hitters and allow two RBI singles.

After a disappointing spring training, Kaleb Ort was formally named to the roster earlier in the day. In the eighth, he allowed two more RBI singles. The Red Sox pitchers together gave up 10 earned runs on 10 hits and 9 walks. Additionally, Boston allowed five steals, which was their most in a game since September 2013.

Fans shouldn’t worry just yet about the pitching staff despite a difficult Opening Day. If Sale, Garrett Whitlock, and Brayan Bello keep healthy, better times should be ahead. With Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin in the mix, the bullpen is in better condition than it was last year.

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