Postgame Report: BOS (-255) Loss

I sat down for lunch, it was 3-2 Boston into the ninth.  I had a good lunch too.  Brown rice with vegetables and hot sauce.  Checked the scores.  5-3 the scoreboard reads.  

It's a tough loss.  Blown saves are soul crushing defeats.

Garrett Crochet aced his start:  7.0IP 3H 1ER 8K 1BB -- 94 pitches.  It would have been nice to see him take the ball in the eighth.  

A two run homer from Wyler Abreu in the fourth made it 2-1 Boston.  The Sox added a run in the bottom half of the seventh to make it 3-1 Boston.  Give credit to Janson Junk for keeping Miami in this game.  Seven innings, three earned.  He gets a no decision but pitched some good innings for the Fish.

It was Garrett Whitlock out of the bullpen for Boston in the eighth.  Whitlock has been the most reliable reliever for the Sox all season.  I understand the call here with the top of the lineup on deck but with the lefty Crochet out of the game, rookie Jakob Marsee pinch hit for Derek Hill and led off the eighth with a base hit.  Marsee has been the hottest hitter on the Marlin's team.

Whitlock got a fielder's choice on second baseman Xavier Edwards, pegged catcher Augstn Ramirez, and got shortstop Otto Lopez to line out to right field, advancing the runner to third.  Two outs, 3-1 Boston, runner on third.  

Miami manager, Clayton McCullough, sends his second pinch hitter to the plate.  It's lefty Liam Hicks.  Cora leaves the righty Whitlock in the game.  Hicks delivers a two out basehit.  3-2 Boston.  

In the ninth, righty Greg Weissert got the call for the Sox.  Right fielder Dane Myers led off the inning with a solo homerun for the Marlins.  That bomb tied the game at three a piece. 

Lefty Troy Johnston pinch hit and grounded out to third.  First baseman Eric Wagaman collected a base hit.  One down, runner on first, lefty Jakob Marsee at the plate.  

Alex Cora goes to the bullpen for lefty Steven Matz.  

"Lefty! Lefty!  Read all about it!" 

Marsee crushes a two run homer into the right field seats.  5-3 Marlins.  It's a blown save and a loss charged to Weissert.  

Whitlock in the eighth was questionable with Marsee and Hicks on the bench.  Marsee and Hicks have been two of the better hitters on the Marlins' team.  Leaving Crochet in to work the leadoff hitter in the eighth was the best option.  It strands both Marsee and Hicks on the bench.  Marlins' manager Clayton McCollough isn't going to pinch hit at the top of his lineup.  Chapman in the ninth keeps them on the bench.  

Bad loss for the Red Sox.  Bad loss for the Pickstreak.  I was planning ahead, counting my winnings before the game went official and the blown save crushed me.  

I studied the game, I liked the pick.  I made the bet.  I take the losses with the wins.  It is hard to avoid the hopeful feeling that arrives with a lead into the ninth, the victory is so close.  When it is snatched away, well, they are the most difficult defeats to handle in this game.

You can't win them all.  You are going to take losses like this one today and you have to process the negativity and move on.  It's part of gambling.  I did the research.  I liked the pick.  I laid the odds and made the bet.  I'll take the loss.

Back to the picks tomorrow.  I'm laying off the Sunday Night Game.  The Mets are full of volatility.  Hot bats and a winning bullpen one minute, ice cold playing awful baseball the next.  They swing like Freddy Couples at a sock hop. 

Going to look at the Monday slate and see if I can find a good game to play.  It would be nice to put together a winning streak before the weekend.