Boston Red Sox
“I simply don’t really feel like I put us in a superb place to win the sport, if I’m being trustworthy.”
Sonny Grey’s Purple Sox debut was a forgettable efficiency.
The 14-year MLB veteran pitched towards his former group, the Cincinnati Reds (2019-21), in Saturday’s 6-5 loss for Boston. Grey’s outing yielded a no-decision by which he lasted simply 4 innings, tossing 80 pitches earlier than getting the hook.
Grey, 36, coughed up two runs in a attempting first inning in his new uniform to place Boston down early. The best-hander threw 35 pitches to start the sport, an indication that the bullpen was going to be referred to as upon sooner than the group would have favored.
Grey went on to permit one run every within the second and third innings. Reds first baseman Sal Stewart launched a solo residence run off a dangling sinker by Grey on his first pitch of the third body to increase Cincinnati’s result in 4-1.
After the sport, Grey gave an trustworthy assessment of his first Purple Sox begin.
“Total, I simply don’t really feel like I put us in a superb place to win the sport, if I’m being trustworthy,” he mentioned. “I simply put us in a reasonably large gap early and we did our greatest to climb out of it. However we simply got here up somewhat brief. I don’t really feel like I gave us a extremely good likelihood to win that sport.”
Supervisor Alex Cora didn’t harp on Grey’s rocky begin an excessive amount of postgame, stating that the protection behind him may have been higher. The skipper complimented Grey on settling in after the primary body regardless of solely lasting 4 innings.
“He completed sturdy, to be trustworthy with you,” Cora said. “[The Reds] didn’t chase an excessive amount of immediately. However they didn’t actually hit the ball all that onerous, so it’s form of like studying on the fly with him.
“He’ll be prepared for the subsequent one.”
Greg Weissert relieved Grey to start the fifth, who allowed a leadoff homer to shortstop Elly De La Cruz to place Boston at a four-run deficit.
Following that run, the Purple Sox’ bullpen was nails. Newcomers Danny Coulombe and Ryan Watson got here in after Weissert and posted scoreless frames, then did Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock within the ninth and tenth.
Grey praised his fellow pitchers’ lockdown appearances, which he mentioned put the group able to maintain themselves within the sport.
“After I used to be performed, I used to be simply proud to see how everybody continued to battle. And the bullpen did an unbelievable job,” he mentioned. “They gave us an opportunity.”
Justin Slaten finally allowed Reds heart fielder Dane Myers’s walk-off hit within the eleventh.
The Purple Sox by no means possessed a lead within the 11-inning contest; the closest they obtained was tying the sport within the ninth inning on a Wilyer Abreu residence run.
Grey’s subsequent begin is lined as much as be Boston’s residence opener on April 3.
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