SAN DIEGO -- As Yoan Moncada stared at another off-speed pitch for another called third strike in the eighth inning Tuesday night and trudged back to the dugout after his seventh strikeout in as many at-bats, the Boston Red Sox must have been wondering how they got here with their can't-miss phenom.
Not literally, of course. Benintendi has absolutely nothing to do with Moncada's struggles since getting called up -- rushed, it appears -- from Double-A Portland last week to give the Red Sox a jolt of energy for the playoff push. Getting picked off first base last Sunday in Oakland, the seven consecutive strikeouts over the past two games in San Diego, looking overmatched against breaking pitches -- that's all on Moncada.