How Liam Hendriks Reacted To ‘Ruining’ Red Sox Pitching Performance
A rough week or two got even more difficult for Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks on Tuesday night in Milwaukee.
The Boston reliever took the loss in the club’s fourth straight defeat, surrendering a walk-off grand slam to Christian Yelich in the 10th inning at American Family Field.
After the Red Sox failed to push across a run in the top half of the 10th, Hendriks came on for the bottom half of the frame with the designated runner on second base. He gave up a single to Brice Turang and then didn’t come near the strike zone on a walk to Jackson Chourio. Hendriks did induce a flyout, but Yelich couldn’t be contained, socking a 1-1 pitch 400 feet to the seats in right-center field to end it.
“It’s not good,” Hendriks admitted to reporters after the game, per MLB.com. “We pitched a hell of a game, and to be on the end of that, letting the entire group down, that stings for me. A lot.
“We threw (eight) fantastic innings until I decided to go out there and ruin it.”
Hendriks wasn’t alone in his struggles in the back half of the bullpen, though. Aroldis Chapman blew a save after the Red Sox were able to push across a single run on a wild pitch in the sixth inning. Chapman probably got lucky to get out of the ninth with the game still intact after Wilyer Abreu made a game-saving sliding catch on a laser ticketed for the gap.
It was an emblematic performance given Boston’s current struggles. The Red Sox have rarely put together a full team effort. On a night when the pitching was nearly flawless for most of the game, Boston’s two highest-profile relievers gave it away. One run typically won’t cut it from the offense, either.
As for Hendriks, there’s never good timing for this sort of performance, but it’s especially unfortunate for the veteran right-hander. Just last week, he spoke about his frustrations with his role, candor that led to unfortunate reactions from a pocket of the fanbase.