Yes, we are only 10 games into the usual absurd 162 game regular season in MLB but how wrong were we about the Red Sox (7-3 overall, 4-0 away)? After having their series opener at Target Field delayed by a day, they fell behind 2-0 in the first inning this afternoon to the Twins (5-5 overall, 1-3 home) then proceeded to grind out a 4-2 victory. Boston has now won seven games in a row after getting swept in their opening series against Baltimore (5-6) which feels like years ago at this point. They are in first-place in the AL East and have the second-best record in MLB, trailing only the Dodgers (9-2)-the defending World Series champions.
So how are they doing this? It's certainly not behind a dominant pitching staff, rather they are getting timely hits up and down their lineup while their unheralded bullpen has been lights out. Minnesota loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first but Boston's No. 5 starter Martin Perez (5 IP, 2 ER, 4 hits, 2 Ks, 3 BBs) managed to wiggle out of that major jam by only allowing a sacrifice fly and a ground out that each scored a run. It took a little while for the Red Sox offense to get going today but can you blame them when the temperatures were in the low 30s? Right fielder Hunter Renfroe hit a solo homer to dead center in the fifth, his first for Boston and what a bomb it turned out to be. Imagine how far that would have gone on a warm summer day at Fenway Park vs. through swirling winds and snow flakes in Minneapolis. The Red Sox tied it later in the inning as rookie first baseman Bobby Dalbec hit an opposite field double to right that scored second baseman Christian Arroyo (2 for 3, 2B, 2 runs) with the tying run.
Dalbec and Arroyo teamed up to do the same exact thing in the eighth inning which gave Boston the lead for good at 3-2. Third baseman Rafael Devers is red hot since his solo homer in the ninth inning (his 5th HR of the season) gave him home runs in four straight games. Boston's bullpen was nothing short of brilliant against the Twins as four guys combined to pitch four scoreless innings and they only allowed one total hit with two walks. The first and last guys were the most impressive as rookie Hirokazu Sawamura pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning with one strikeout. Northeastern's Adam Ottavino walked one but had a scoreless seventh inning to earn his first win as a Red Sox. Lefty Darwinzon Hernandez was the only shaky one since he allowed a walk and a single but he survived to record a scoreless eighth inning. Closer Matt Barnes got his first save opportunity of the young season and he was just as dominant as the other four times that he's gotten the ball in 2021: he had a clean ninth inning on 14 pitches with one strikeout for his first save of the year.
Due to yesterday's postponement, tomorrow will be a doubleheader with Minnesota. It's always hard to get a sweep in a doubleheader but Boston will have their two best starting pitchers going: Game 1 (2:10, NESN) is Nathan Eovaldi (1-1) vs. Kenta Maeda (1-0) while Game 2 (which starts 30 minutes after Game 1 ends, NESN) features Eduardo Rodriguez (1-0) against Twins ace Jose Berrios (2-0). Let's hope for a little better weather forecast since baseball is not meant to be played in freezing conditions (unless it's October) and snow squalls. Haha regardless, nothing can slow down the Red Sox who continue to be the hottest team in Major League Baseball.
No comments:
Post a Comment