Manager Alex Cora described Kutter Crawford’s start as “interesting.” Crawford himself described it as “an emotional roller coaster.”
“The homers and the traffic early on and then after that, he was dialed in,” Cora said.
Crawford allowed a solo homer in each of the first three innings. He then settled in and pitched into the seventh inning but the Red Sox lost 5-2 to the Reds here at Great American Ball Park on Friday.
Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford throws to a Reds batter during the second inning Friday
“We were hanging in there. We had a bad inning defensively (in the seventh) and that was it,” Cora said.
For Cora, it was an easy decision to send Crawford back out for the seventh not only because the righty had retired 10 straight batters at that point and had thrown only 77 pitches. Cora also had Sunday in mind when Boston is expected to string together a bullpen game instead of using a starter. That’s the case after Boston optioned starter Cooper Criswell to Triple-A Worcester earlier this week.
“Especially understanding what’s going on Sunday,” Cora said. “Coming from the off day (Thursday), we should be OK Saturday and Sunday. His stuff was really good at the end. We just didn’t make a play.”
Asked if he definitely will go with a bullpen game Sunday, Cora replied, “Kind of. Most likely.”
Crawford appreciated Cora sending him back for the seventh.
“It means a lot for him to run me out there in that situation,” Crawford said. “Obviously it didn’t go as we planned but him sending me out there, it shows he’s got some trust in me and I appreciate that a lot.”
Crawford allowed five runs (three earned runs), five hits and two walks while striking out seven in 6 ⅓ innings.
Boston made three errors in the seventh and the Reds scored two runs.
Second baseman Enmanuel Valdez couldn’t make a clean throw to first base on Santiago Espinal’s grounder to begin the inning. Crawford then retired Will Benson on a flyout. But Luke Maile’s double put two runners in scoring position and knocked Crawford out of the game.
Cam Booser replaced Crawford. TJ Friedl put down a squeeze bunt on the first pitch Booser threw. Booser fielded the 11-foot bunt. He tried to flip the ball home using his glove but it sailed over catcher Connor Wong’s head. That plated both Espinal and Maile.
“We don’t make a play, the squeeze is the squeeze,” Cora said. “We opened the door for them.”
Two of the three homers Crawford allowed came on the first pitch. Jeimer Candelario hit two homers, including a 410-foot blast in the third inning that made it 3-2 Reds.
“Candelario hitting that ball 450 was kind of a punch in the mouth,” Crawford said. “Trying to get ahead first pitch and he jumped all over it and didn’t miss it. Put a good swing on it. At that point, I tried to really lock it in and stay on the attack and try to really execute pitches. And I think I was able to do that from there on.”
