PITTSBURGH — The Boston Red Sox continued to go through a difficult stretch with an 8-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, marking their sixth defeat in their last seven games.
Rookie starter Jake Bennett became the center of attention after a night that did not go as planned, as Pittsburgh repeatedly took advantage of his poorly located pitches to build an early lead.
Bennett completed only 4 innings, threw 82 pitches and allowed 4 runs, marking the first time in 14 MLB starts that he failed to get through the fifth inning.
Rafael Flores Jr. opened the scoring with a solo homer in the second inning before the Pirates added three more runs in the fourth to put Boston in comeback mode.
The Red Sox tried to fight back as Nick Sogard and Andruw Monasterio generated offense, but Brandon Lowe’s three-run homer off Jovani Morán quickly stretched the deficit to 7-2.
Boston ultimately scored four runs but could not complete the comeback, continuing a disappointing stretch after previously putting together a nine-game winning streak.
Bennett did not try to blame the defense, the strike zone or any of his teammates when he faced the media after the game.
Instead, the young pitcher took full responsibility for his performance and admitted that he simply did not execute his pitches well enough.
“This loss is on me. I didn’t make the pitches I needed to make, and I put our team in a position where we had to chase the game too early. My teammates fought to get us back into it. I have to be better, learn from tonight and make sure next time I give this team a chance to win.”
That straightforward message quickly earned Bennett sympathy from many Red Sox followers, especially considering that he is still navigating an up-and-down rookie season.
Bennett previously had a six-start stretch with an ERA of just 1.17, but his last five appearances have seen that number rise to 5.67.
Despite the declining results, interim manager Chad Tracy has maintained that Boston has not seen any alarming signs involving the young pitcher’s physical condition or velocity.
But the numbers were not the most memorable image after the game ended.
As most of the players began leaving the dugout area, Bennett remained sitting on the bench, staring down at the ground in a dazed state after a performance that had clearly left him disappointed.
That was when Nick Sogard came back.
Sogard, who directly produced two RBIs for Boston in the game, walked toward Bennett instead of heading straight into the clubhouse with the rest of the team.
He said a few words to his young teammate, placed a hand on Bennett’s shoulder and then reached out his hand.
Bennett took it, and Sogard pulled him to his feet before the two walked together toward the clubhouse — a small gesture that carried a very clear message.
There was no long speech, no camera was needed, and there was no way to change the 8-4 result on the scoreboard. But at the moment Bennett was blaming himself the most, Sogard reminded him that one loss was not something he had to carry alone.
The Red Sox still have to find a way out of their current slump, while Bennett must rediscover the command that helped make him one of the most notable rookies in the rotation. But on this night in Pittsburgh, Nick Sogard’s simple pull of the hand became the strongest reminder of all: get back up and keep moving forward.
