San Diego scored nine runs in the fifth inning.
Tim Crowley
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30 minutes ago
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4 min read
BOSTON — The Red Sox got four solid innings out of Nick Pivetta in their series opener against the San Diego Padres on Friday night at Fenway Park, then took a lead in the bottom of the inning.
That success came to an abrupt end after five tries.
Pivetta’s pitching took a turn in the fifth inning when his sweeper lost his touch. That inning hurt Pivetta, especially with Kyle Higashioka’s game-winning home run. The Red Sox starter allowed four straight runs and a walk before leaving the game with no outs. Pivetta’s pitching turned around quickly, allowing just three hits and striking out four in four innings.
“The sweeper didn’t work that inning,” manager Alex Cora told reporters. “… We just couldn’t execute. It all happened too fast.”
“I wasn’t happy with the result,” Pivetta told reporters. “The ball was in the middle of the zone. They’re a strong team and they took advantage of that opportunity. I walked batters and I wasn’t able to lead my team to a victory.”
Things didn’t get any better when Greg Weisert came on to the mound for the Red Sox. The Padres just couldn’t lose. San Diego finished the inning with eight hits, nine runs, and 13 batters to go, and the Red Sox lost, 9-2.
In an instant, a controlled, competitive night for Boston turned into a blowout victory with the Red Sox hoping to erase that loss and fight back for a chance to win the series.
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Here are some other notes from Friday’s Padres-Red Sox game:
— The Red Sox improved to 6-4 all-time against the Padres at Fenway Park.
Pivetta failed to complete five innings for the second straight time.
“I just haven’t been able to do my job,” Pivetta said. “I need to throw the ball a little further. I probably need to get ahead of the ball a little better. … I just couldn’t generate strikeouts.”
Two-time World Series champion and former Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts returned to Fenway Park on Friday but did not play in the game as he remains on the disabled list with a fractured shoulder.
Bogaerts took some time to reflect on the injury and his relationship with Boston.
The Red Sox honored the infielder with a video tribute after the first inning, and Bogaerts emerged from the visiting dugout to thank the Fenway Park crowd.
Boston lost consecutive games against the Chicago White Sox for the first time since June 7 and 8.
— The Red Sox are 16-13 against National League teams and 30-13 in games in which Boston has scored first.
It was the sixth time this month that Boston has scored two or fewer points.
— The Red Sox and Padres continue their three-game series on Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park. First pitch is at 4:10 p.m. ET. You can watch the game and an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.
