After losing the first two games of the series with the A's (23-16 overall, 10-5 away) at Fenway Park, tonight the Red Sox (23-16 overall, 11-11 home) needed a win to salvage something from one of the toughest opponents (either them or the White Sox, take your pick) that they have seen so far early in the 2021 season. With their easy 8-1 triumph, the Sox were able to maintain a one-and-a-half game lead over Toronto (20-16) and remain two games ahead of New York (20-17) for first-place in the AL East. Boston's starting pitcher Garrett Richards (3-2) delivered the goods with six shutout innings of work: he allowed five hits, struck out four and walked three in 91 pitches.
It was not competitive for very long as the home team scored three runs in the first inning and three more in the second inning to take a commanding 6-0 lead. Oakland's starting pitcher Sean Manaea (2 innings, 10 hits, 7 earned runs, 2 strikeouts, 1 walk) got completely shelled as you can tell from his pathetic numbers. The Red Sox had 13 hits, led by shortstop Xander Bogaerts (3-for-3 w/HR, 2B, 3 RBIs, BB) and left fielder J.D. Martinez (3-for-4 w/run & RBI). Batting leadoff second baseman Michael Chavis added two doubles, first baseman Bobby Dalbec was 2-for-4 w/2-run HR and right fielder Hunter Renfroe was 2-for-4 with a run. Martinez got the party started early for Boston with an RBI single that scored Chavis in the first inning then Bogaerts followed with a two-run homer (his 8th of the season) over the Green Monster. Dalbec crushed a two-run homer (his 3rd of the season) to dead center in the second inning that scored Renfroe and Xander later notched an RBI double in the frame that plated shortstop Jonathan Arauz.
Boston made it 7-0 in the third inning as a run came home on a double play then Chavis scored in the sixth inning after an infield single by Martinez and a throwing error by third baseman Matt Chapman. Oakland was held to eight hits in the entire game and their lone run came in the eighth inning on a ground out. Red Sox manager Alex Cora must have been thrilled that he only needed to use one reliever as Garrett Whitlock covered the last three innings (3 hits, 1 ER, 2 Ks, 1 BB) all by himself and was credited with one of those goofy saves that MLB hands out in long relief blowout victories like that. What a silly rule.
The other California team in the AL visits Fenway this weekend as the Angels (16-20 overall, 8-11 away) are here for three games. After a decent start to the season, LA is back where they have mostly resided for years: the basement of the AL West. Mike Trout is an all-time great player but in baseball, it takes more than one transcendent outfielder to get anywhere. The Angels are 3-7 in their last 10 games coming into this series. Sadly, we won't get to see Shohei Ohtani pitch against the Red Sox this time around after he started on Tuesday. Nick Pivetta (5-0) faces Griffin Canning (3-2) tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) followed by Martin Perez (0-2) vs. former Oriole Dylan Bundy (0-4) on Saturday afternoon (4:10, NESN) then concluding with Nathan Eovaldi (4-2) opposing Jose Quintana (0-3) on Sunday afternoon (1:10, NESN). I'm hoping that the Sox take at least two out of three against that crappy club.
No comments:
Post a Comment