Red Sox Postseason: Three reasons to blame for ALCS Game 1 loss

Nunez’ Defense

Remember when we were concerned about the defense of inexperienced third baseman Rafael Devers costing the Red Sox a playoff game? It turns out it’s Eduardo Nunez we should have been worried about.

The first three runs scored by the Astros can all be pinned on the poor defense of Nunez.

George Springer put Houston on the board with a base hit to drive in a pair of runs against Sale in the second inning. The hard hit ball was correctly ruled a base hit but might as well have been viewed as an error with the ball rolling right under the glove of Nunez.

This isn’t to say that this was an easy play but an average third baseman should make that play. At the very least, you have to knock that ball down to keep it in the infield so that only one run scores.

Nunez was charged with an error on a routine ground ball in the sixth inning. He fielded the ball cleanly on a hop, then simply dropped it on the transfer. Instead of an easy double play that would have wiped Alex Bregman off the base paths, a Carlos Correa base hit ended up driving in Bregman to break at 2-2 tie.

It’s not as if Nunez was making up for these mistakes with his bat, going 0-for-3 with a walk in Game 1. His defense makes him a liability. Maybe Devers isn’t any better in the field but at least he has the power to change the game with his bat.