It was only two games but it's tough to picture the Red Sox (16-9 overall, 8-1 away) having a much better stay in New York City than they did yesterday and today against the Mets (9-10 overall, 6-4 home) at Citi Field. After last night's 2-1 victory for Boston, they topped that with a 1-0 shutout tonight that featured the unlikely storyline of Nick Pivetta (3-0) getting the better of Jacob deGrom (2-2) aka the best pitcher in the world. The Red Sox only had four total hits-third baseman Rafael Devers was 2-for-3 with a double-but that was twice as many as the Mets who had no answers for Pivetta or three Boston relievers. With their third straight win, Boston swept the series (with two more meetings set for Sept. 21 & 22 at Fenway Park) and remained three games ahead of second-place Tampa Bay (13-12) in the AL East.
Don't be fooled by his .500 record, deGrom (6 IP, 1 ER, 3 hits, 9 Ks, 1 BB) is off to an unreal start and his crappy team for years has rarely given him any decent run support. Pivetta (5 IP, 1 hit, 7 Ks, 3 BBs) has been one of the most pleasant surprises of 2021 for the Red Sox. He took on the challenge of opposing deGrom and even though he lasted one less inning, he was somehow a little better than him. The only run of the entire game was in the second inning as shortstop Xander Bogaerts doubled and two batters later, catcher Christian Vazquez took a 100 mph deGrom fastball that was a tad high and drove it to right center which allowed Bogey to score.
Boston manager Alex Cora's secret weapon out of the bullpen-righty reliever Garrett Whitlock (2 IP, 1 hit, 4 Ks, 1 BB)-is not going to be sneaking up on anyone for much longer. After him, Northeastern's Adam Ottavino pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning with one strikeout (and a great leaping catch by second baseman Marwin Gonzalez) for the hold. Finally, can we talk about how Matt Barnes has suddenly morphed into one of the best closers in MLB? It took him two more pitches (12) than last night but Barnes once again pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning and this time he struck out the side as well for his sixth save of the season.
Boston's road trip ends with a four-game series at Texas (10-15 overall, 4-8 home) that begins tomorrow night (8:05, NESN) with Martin Perez (0-1) facing Kyle Gibson (2-0). On Friday (8:05, NESN), it'll be Nathan Eovaldi (3-2) vs. Japanese rookie righty Kohei Arihara (2-2). The teams ring in May Day on Saturday night (7:05, NESN) with Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0) taking on Jordan Lyles (2-2). Finally, it ends on Sunday afternoon (2:35, NESN) as Garrett Richards (1-2) opposes Mike Foltynewicz (1-3). The Rangers haven't been good in years and this campaign looks no different as they are already five games behind first-place Oakland (15-10) in the AL West and squarely in last-place. It's tough to expect another sweep on the road, especially in such a long series so I'll say that the Red Sox should win three out of four in Arlington, TX this weekend.
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