Red Sox Recap: Royals flush Tazawa and Red Sox, 8-6

Aug 23, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Junichi Tazawa (36) throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the ninth inning at Fenway Park. Kansas City defeated Boston 8-6. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Two teams in two different directions finished off their season series on Sunday with an 8-6 Kansas City win behind a total meltdown by Junichi Tazawa and some clutch hitting by Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas for the Royals.

Boston wasted a pair of RBI doubles by Jackie Bradley and a strong six innings by Eduardo Rodriguez, who allowed two earned runs, as Boston tied up the game, went ahead, and then watched it all vaporize.

For Kansas City it was just another road trip on their way to the playoffs and for Boston another game for new Generalissimo, Dave Dombrowski, to evaluate what is now a very expensive failure. At least Dombo got to see a potential ace in action with Johnny Cueto and, hey Dombo, looks like Johnny may have some James Shields like Fenway issues. Tread lightly on dumping 200M on that pony. And, Dombo, doesn’t take a baseball genius to realize your bullpen is a wreck.

If there is any solace for the last place Red Sox is they have captured the season series against the Royals (4-3). They also outscored the Royals 44-29 for the season. Now on to the autopsy of the latest bullpen blow-up.

Aug 23, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (25) gets a hit to drive in a run against the Kansas City Royals in the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Three frames and a lead. Thank you, JBJ.

Two out runs can be a deflator that would make Tom Brady jealous and the Red Sox did jut that with their eighth two out score of the series – and were not satisfied and added on a ninth.

Edinson Volquez allowed an infield hit to Rusney Castillo – notice how Castillo is suddenly approaching .300? With two outs Bradley cleaned out a fastball to left-center and Castillo, a real speedster, easily motored home for a two out run. And to pump up the 72.5M Castillo – the hit streak is now at eight games.

The ninth position has been rather productive for Boston and up came Josh Rutledge, who hit a shot into center and a second run. Mookie Betts then hammered a ball to deep center that Lorenzo Cain brought down in front of the wall. The Red Sox now took a 2-0 lead. Now it was the Royals turn to respond and they did.

Singles by Alex Rios and Omar Infante set up a sac situation by Drew Butera, who laid down a beauty that would pay dividends. Rodriguez hung a breaking ball to Alcides Escobar, who got the run in with a sac fly. Ben Zobrist ended the mini uprising with an easy grounder to Rutledge off a quality change by E-Rod.

Home run number 27?

Boston fans did get a bit of excitement in the last of the third when David Ortiz hit a deep shot to right that Rios flagged down, so the count to number 500 stalled.

Aug 23, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (52) throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the game at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

With a little “help” from my friends the lead disappears

The fourth saw a defensive disaster for Rodriquez.

With one out Hosmer banged a single to center. That presented no problem as Kendrys Morales bounced a sure double-play ball to Rutledge. Rutledge did his best to imitate a wicket and the ball went bouncing through to Betts. Error number one. Betts observed an opportunity to potentially divest the Royals of a possible run with toss to third.

Third is a base. A baseball base is a 15 inch square and Betts missed it by several feet or is it meters? Error number two and a run comes home for a tie, but not for long.

Royals fans now had the opportunity to chant “Moose” as Moustakas hammered a double and a run in and a 3-2 lead. The Red Sox survived a scare in the fifth.

Butera bounced a double into to the left field corner. The Royals, playing for a run, scarified Butera to third to set-up a one out situation for Zobrist who grounded out to freeze the runner on third. Cain, in a lengthy at bat, whacked a shot to Sandoval to end the threat.

Meanwhile the mist and fog were rolling in.

In the sixth, Moustakas went into a long at bat against Rodriguez and won it with a Monster Seats fly ball for his second home run of the series. That was the game for Rodriguez.

The Comeback

Rodriguez took the potential loss off his ledger when the Red Sox evened the game up in the last of the sixth.

Sandoval started the action with a wall ball double to center and eventually rode home on an Ortiz sacrifice to left field that just missed being a scrapper. Travis Shaw then followed with a two out double to right and that put the Sox into, yet again, a two out situation. Castillo drove in Shaw with a single to right and managed to get nailed in a rundown attempting to take second. New game.

Aug 20, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas (8) is welcomed back to the dugout after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Battle of the bullpens

In a battle of the bullpens the Royals have a huge edge. With the Red Sox bullpen you know it is like a car wreck – you should not gawk, but you can’t help yourself. Today was no different than many other games.

In the seventh the defibrillators were on stand-by as Alexi Ogando and Tommy Layne did their best to get some work for coronary units. Thankfully, the Red Sox bullpen escaped with two on and no runs allowed. A promising start for the bullpen.

The Red Sox finished off Volquez (6.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 5 K) in the seventh. Ryan Hanigan lined a single to left and hustled home on a Bradley double down the line in right to break the tie. Rutledge sacrificed and Bradley didn’t read a line drive out to right and remained planted on third. Into the game Franklin Morales.

Sandoval hit a slow roller to Morales, who took the slippery ball and tossed it closer to the fans than first base. Error on Franklin and run for Boston and a 6-4 lead.

The Boston ‘pen responded with another scoreless inning in the eighth.

What were they thinking?

To lead off the Royals ninth Infante hit a one hop wall ball that danced around Bradley to be a triple, but Infante – with the Royals down two runs – got the green light to go home. A Bradley one hop cannon shot to Hanigan gave the Sox an out and Infante a triple.

Tazawa gives it up

The Royals had no problem solving Tazawa and racked up five straight hits with the key being a Hosmer two run single to left. Tie game. Tazawa then loaded the bases with Moustakas coming up. Interim manager, Torey Lovullo, decided to leave in Heathcliff Slocumb – sorry, a flashback – to pitch to lefty Moose who was (note: was) 0-8 in bases loaded situations this season. Now 1-9. Lead gone. Game gone. And I wonder why, since lefty Robbie Ross was ready, but not in to face Moose. Possibly after five hits in a row the chances were there would not be a sixth?

With a 8-6 lead in came Wade Davis and that was that.

Next up for the Boston Red Sox is a trip to U.S. Cellular Field to face the Chicago White Sox, who will start right-hander free agent possibility Jeff Samardzija (8-9, 4.64). The Red Sox will counter with a revitalized Joe Kelly (6-6, 5.37).