Boston Drops Home Opener

The Red Sox got their rings but lost the game (NESN)

The Red Sox lost their home opener to the Milwaukee Brewers today, falling 6-2 in their first interleague game of the season. On a positive note, the Sox received their 2013 World Series championship rings in a pregame ceremony, so the day wasn't a total loss.

The Brewers took a short-lived two-run lead in the second inning after Jonathan Lucroy led off the frame with a home run over the Monster and Carlos Gomez singled home Khris Davis. The Red Sox responded immediately, getting one back in their half off the frame and another in the bottom of the third.

The score stayed knotted at two-all through the next five innings as the day's starters--Jake Peavy and Marco Estrado--settled down. They were both gone by the seventh inning, leaving the fate of the game to their respective bullpens.

Milwaukee waited until the top of the ninth to strike its final and decisive blow. With Sox newcomer Edward Mujica on in relief of Burke Badenhop, Davis led off with a double and things snowballed from there. After Scooter Gennett's bunt put runners on the corners, Lyle Overbay broke the tie with a two-run double. His big hit was followed by RBI singles from Gomez and Aramis Ramirez.

Ramirez's hit marked the end of Mujica's day, but not the end of the threat. It looked as though the game was going to get out of hand when Andrew Miller loaded the bases by walking Lucroy and Logan Schafer, but Miller rallied to fan Davis and escape without further damage, giving Boston's bats one last chance.

After all the late-inning magic and fortitude the Sox provided last year, the capacity crowd held out for the possibility of a comeback, however slim. But alas, it was not to be. Jonny Gomes, Sizemore and Xander Bogaerts went down 1-2-3 against Francisco Rodriguez, and that was the ballgame. Nevertheless, fans exited Fenway Park in an upbeat mood, for witnessing the Old Towne Team commemorate its third World Series championship in ten years was entertainment enough.