With two outs on the top in the fourth inning of a 1-1 tie on Tuesday afternoon during the Boston Red Sox's home opener, Cedric Mullins took the plate for the division-rival Baltimore Orioles.
Mullins cracked a high fly ball to far left field, and Jarren Duran took off at a run to meet it. He sprinted through the shadow of the Green Monster and into the sun, where he lost the ball and it dropped to the ground.
Ryan Mountcastle and Mullins were safe at second and third — Mountcastle was only on due to a miscue by Rafael Devers. Then, Colton Cowser scored them both on a double. The game-winning run was scored after the Red Sox had multiple chances to get three outs.
But the sloppy defense didn't stop there. In the eighth inning, Mountcastle drilled a hard liner in David Hamilton's direction. The ball squeezed under his glove and rolled to the middle of the outfield. What could've been a double-play ball was the second step to loading the bases for Baltimore. Luckily, the Orioles only got a sac fly out of the deal.
The Red Sox lost to the Orioles, 7-1, but they were spared from complete embarrassment by their pitching.
Oof. First Rafael Devers boots a ground ball and then Jarren Duran loses a line drive in the sun. Just like that the O's have runners at second and third.
— Mac Cerullo (@MacCerullo) April 9, 2024
The Red Sox defense is back to its old self after gaffes by Jarren Duran, David Hamilton and more
Duran and Hamilton posted Boston's two errors on the game, but there were more costly miscues throughout the Opening Day contest. Enmanuel Valdez dropped the ball while attempting to make a tag at second base which resulted in the runner being called safe. He's made his fair share of fumbles in the field in his 11 games with the Sox.
Not even an early moonshot by the red-hot Tyler O'Neill could lift Boston's spirits in the wake of the Trevor Story injury news — and the Red Sox have sorely missed his presence on defense since his dive in their April 5 matchup with the Angels. They've posted six errors since the game Story departed early.
Boston's bats didn't do the team any favors, either. The Red Sox only collected two hits against Corbin Burnes and the Orioles' bullpen.
Maybe the news of Story's and Nick Pivetta's injuries shook the Red Sox lineup to the point of sloppiness, or maybe they really were too confident after 7-3 start to the campaign. But among the many empty seats at Fenway Park, Boston looked nothing like the "good vibes" team it was just days ago.