I hope that you have already started to pay attention to the Red Sox (9-3 overall, 6-0 away) this season because what they are doing right now is rather incredible. In today's adventure, Boston swept a doubleheader at Target Field against the Twins (5-7 overall, 1-5 home). The Red Sox took Game 1 by a score of 3-2 and then the nightcap turned into a blowout as they won that 7-1. Boston has won nine games in a row after getting swept by Baltimore (5-6) in their season opening series at Fenway Park while Minnesota has dropped its last five straight games. Besides the constant winning-which is always fun-the Red Sox are making it interesting by getting the results in different ways. I would still maintain that the starting rotation is their biggest question mark but thus far, it has done the job while different relievers and hitters step up in every game.
Keep in mind that all doubleheaders are seven innings long (unless they go to extra innings) thanks to a much needed rule change by MLB last season to tighten things up a bit. Nathan Eovaldi (2-1) started the opener this afternoon and he was relatively sharp for the 82 pitches that manager Alex Cora had him throw. In five innings, Eovaldi allowed two earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and no walks. He outlasted Twins starter Kenta Maeda (1-1) who only went 4.1 innings, allowing three runs (2 earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
In Game 1, Boston scored all of its runs in the second inning while Minnesota did the same in the third inning. Right fielder Hunter Renfroe gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with an RBI single that scored first baseman Marwin Gonzalez. Renfroe ended up later scoring on a throwing error by Maeda then second baseman Christian Arroyo (2 for 4, 2B) added a run-scoring single of his own that allowed left fielder Franchy Cordero to cross home plate. For the Twins, second baseman Jorge Polanco hit a two-run single that scored catcher Ryan Jeffers and shortstop JT Riddle. Boston's bullpen got two scoreless innings that let them hang on to that one-run lead for good. Lefty Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning on just seven pitches (haha way to be patient Minnesota) while closer Matt Barnes recorded his second save of the season thanks to two strikeouts and a great diving catch by Alex Verdugo (2 for 4) in left field to end it.
Game 2 looked like it would be a pitcher's duel between Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0) and Minnesota's ace Jose Berrios (2-1) but that's not exactly how it played out. The Twins actually had a 1-0 lead for a few innings as left fielder Kyle Garlick (what a great name) knocked in third baseman Josh Donaldson with a sacrifice fly. Berrios cruised through the first four innings but he started to labor in the fifth inning and Minnesota's manager Rocco Baldelli had a strangely quick hook which immediately blew up in his face. Cordero walked with the bases loaded which scored third baseman Rafael Devers (2 for 4, 2 RBIs, run, 2B). Baldelli elected to swap Berrios for something called Tyler Duffey and what do you know, it didn't work! Verdugo's (3 for 4, 3 RBIs, 2 runs) two-run single scored first baseman Bobby Dalbec and catcher Christian Vazquez with the go-ahead runs. Cordero came around to score on a wild pitch by Duffey and finally, Devers greeted another scrub Twins reliever (the immortal Caleb Thielbar) with a two-run single of his own that scored DH J.D. Martinez and Verdugo.
The promising part for E-Rod is that he was far from at his best but he went five innings and only allowed one earned run on five hits with five strikeouts and a walk. Credit to Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom for discovering Rule-5 pick Garrett Whitlock from the Yankees. The righty reliever had his third consecutive scoreless outing, pitching a clean sixth inning with one strikeout in 10 pitches. Expect his role to expand as the season goes along, he is a real weapon out of the bullpen (and eventually in the rotation) for Boston with quality stuff. After Verdugo's solo bomb in the seventh (his 2nd HR of the season), it became such a laugher that the Red Sox were able to use their 26th man (called up since rosters expand for a doubleheader) righty Eduard Bazardo who made his MLB debut. It was a little rocky as it took him 24 pitches to get three outs since he walked two guys but he got a strikeout and most importantly didn't allow a run as Red Sox manager Alex Cora (who in Game 1 collected his 200th MLB victory) got to rest his top bullpen guys.
Tomorrow is Jackie Robinson Day in MLB so every player will be wearing his No. 42. Boston goes for the sweep with its worst starter-Garrett Richards (0-1)-looking for his first win as a Red Sox-going up against former Yankees pine tar aficionado Michael Pineda (1-0). It's another afternoon game with an hour earlier start time (1:10, NESN) so that Boston can hopefully get back home before it's too late tomorrow night. They also bid for their 10th straight win which would make them the second team in MLB-after the Dodgers (10-2) of course-to reach double digit victories in mid-April.
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