Red Sox unable to complete sweep as Rangers jump on Connelly Early
For the first time in his young career, Connelly Early is struggling.
He endured his worst start Sunday night in the Red Sox’ 6-4 loss to the Rangers, giving up six runs in 4⅔ innings. It cost the club a chance at what would have been its first home sweep since last summer, wasted a two-homer night from Willson Contreras, and dampened the vibe at a livelier-than-normal Fenway Park that hosted thousands of singing and chanting Scottish World Cup fans.
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“That’s a fun game to pitch in,” Early said. “I wasn’t able to throw it as well as I wished.”
As is their tendency, the Sox made it close at the end. With two on and two out in the bottom of the eighth, Jarren Duran stepped to the plate representing the go-ahead run. But he grounded out against lefthander Jacob Latz, who went on to record a four-out save.
The Red Sox are 29-40 overall and 0-37 when trailing after eight innings.
“When you’re chasing that many, everything kind of has to go right,” interim manager Chad Tracy said of the lack of late comebacks and a four-run deficit this time. “You have to get the hit in that spot.”
The hole Early dug proved to be too deep. The Rangers (35-36) collected 11 hits and two walks against him and scored all of their runs on three big hits — a home run from Wyatt Langford, a home run from Kyle Higashioka, and a double from Brandon Nimmo.
In three starts this month, Early has posted a 7.36 ERA and 1.98 WHIP.
It is the first time at any professional level that he has allowed 12 earned runs in a span of three games.
“Every pitcher goes through ebbs and flows. What’s important is that we learn from games,” pitching coach Andrew Bailey said. “He has been really good at the major league level over a decent stretch now, but each and every time out, it’s a learning experience. We challenge him to take notes to learn from these, to write down his thoughts. Because it’s not the last time that he’s going to struggle with the major league level either. And we have to recognize that, too.”
Tracy said: “He’s a very mentally tough kid, and I think everybody knows — even a kid like him knows — you’re not going to just cruise through the big leagues without running into some struggles. The key is to get ready for the next one.”
His big problem lately: the long ball.
In the first eight starts of his career, including the postseason, Early did not allow any home runs.
In the 11 starts since, he has given up 14.
“I hope those come back to Earth a little bit,” Bailey said. “But when you look at the grand scheme of things, he does generate some [swings and misses]. The batted ball quality is a little bit concerning. . . . We know he has good stuff, and we just got to be able to execute a little bit better.”
Rangers righthander Nathan Eovaldi, a 2018 World Series hero for the Red Sox who received a warm applause during pregame introductions, held the Sox to three runs in seven innings. He struck out six and walked one.
Early’s troubles began with the first pitch. As soon as Langford stepped to the plate, he grooved a 93-miles-per-hour fastball over the inner third of the plate. Langford crushed it over everything and onto Lansdowne Street for a home run.
“Just flush it and keep going,” Early said.
In the second, Justin Foscue and Cody Freeman opened the frame with singles. Kyle Higashioka reached for a down-and-away changeup — decently located, Bailey and Tracy agreed — and hooked it over the Green Monster for a three-run homer.
“We’ve talked a lot about the home runs,” Tracy said. “They hurt more when people are on base.”
The Red Sox got a pair back off Eovaldi in the bottom of the second, on Contreras’s first homer and Marcelo Mayer’s RBI groundout. But that was all they managed until the sixth, when Contreras went deep again.
Early, meanwhile, continued to struggle in the fourth, walking two to help Texas load the bases with one out. Brandon Nimmo clanked a two-run double off the Monster.
“A full season is going to [involve] ups and downs,” Early said. “So how I can respond to that is the biggest thing.”
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