The Boston Red Sox entered Saturday's matchup with the Los Angeles Angels on a five-game winning streak, but they were unable to stretch it to six, as they fell 2-1.
Boston's offense wasn't able to do much of anything, as they recorded just three hits and scored on run (an RBI single by Jarren Duran). In total, they struck out 14 times, as they failed to help their pitchers.
That wasn't the only way they let the hurlers down.
In the bottom of the sixth, with the bases loaded and two outs, Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon hit a chopper to third baseman Rafael Devers. Devers misplayed the ball, and it got into the outfield, allowing the tying and go-ahead runs to score.
After the game, Red Sox manager Alex Cora essentially called out his third baseman, saying it was a "routine play" and that Devers knows that.
Reporters questioned if Cora has given any thought to giving Devers time at designated hitter due to his inconsistencies in the field, but the manager shut that down.
"He's my third baseman," Cora said. "He's going to play a lot of third base here. He's made some improvements. Everybody saw it in Spring Training. He just missed a play today. Overall, he's been pretty solid for us for the last few months."
This is smart by Cora. He lets the player know publicly that he still has his back, but those mistakes aren't acceptable on plays that should be made.
