All reliever Michael Kopech could do was watch with his right hand on his hip as his fastball traveled in the air for a solo home run to Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg. After the home run, fans started to grow restless as they watched the team’s once three-run lead evaporate.
It was the second home run Kopech allowed in an eighth inning that saw Baltimore wrest away control of Saturday’s game in the Sox’ 5-3 loss.
While the second homer sealed the loss for the Sox, the first long ball Kopech allowed was the one that gave the Orioles the momentum. Facing designated hitter Anthony Santander, Kopech threw a slider up in the zone (almost precisely where he threw a fastball on the previous pitch).
“Santander was a little bit tardy on that first fastball, and you know he’s a smart hitter,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “He knows how to release that barrel. And the slider that he [Kopech] threw was left out of the plate and he was just a little tardy on the fastball. So it kind of sped him up a little bit.
I’m sure that’s not where Michael wanted to throw it or [Catcher Martin Maldonado] wanted it. But that’s where it ended up.”
Kopech said he flew open on the pitch, which allowed it to stay on the “outer half of the plate.”
The five-run eighth inning changed the game. The Sox entered the inning nursing a one-run lead with Leasure on the mound. The right-hander started the inning strong by recording an out, but he walked catcher Adley Rutschman and allowed a homer to right fielder Ryan O’Hearn.
“I thought Leasure did a really good job getting us out of that jam [with runners on first and second with one out, Leasure struck out two to end the seventh inning],” Grifol said. “He got out of there with minimal pitches. I sent him back out for the eighth. Got that first guy out and then a walk and obviously a homer and we brought in Michael.”
Starter Erick Fedde delivered another standout performance, throwing 6 ⅓ shutout innings, striking out six and allowing three hits. The offense capitalized on first baseman Gavin Sheets’ bases-clearing triple in the fifth inning, but the bullpen couldn’t shut it down.
The Sox (15-38) have to win games when Fedde is on the mound. He and starter Garrett Crochet have proven to be the team’s more reliable starters. But before Saturday’s blip, Leasure (2.91 ERA) and Kopech (4.18) had proven to be a formidable duo.
“They’ve been amazing,” Fedde said. “It’s easy to look at right this second, but if you look at the big picture, they’ve been amazing. Those are guys I enjoy handing the ball off to.”
Kopech had allowed zero earned runs in May before Saturday’s outing. Leasure had allowed one in 8 ⅔ innings. Saturday’s loss is more of an anomaly than the norm for the two relievers. Still, with a starting rotation near the bottom of the league in starter’s ERA, the Sox have to take advantage when one of their two reliable starters is on the mound.
“I don’t expect to be scoreless every single time,” Kopech said. “If I was, it’d be a perfect career, which is unheard of. That being said, there’d be a more ideal time to give up a run than the ones I have. It’s a tough one.
Sorry that Fedde didn’t get the win there, he pitched a great game. But yeah, I’ve got to wear that one for a little bit.”