The Red Sox Took A 2-1 Series Lead After A 12-3 Demolition Of The Astros In Game 3 Of The ALCS

 

    So it turns out even in the weird time of openers and starting pitchers being less coveted than ever in MLB that they actually do still matter more than the analytics nerds want you to believe. Just ask the Astros who currently are in full scramble mode without hardly any legitimate starters left to turn to in the ALCS. The result is that the Red Sox destroyed them 12-3 tonight in Game 3 at Fenway Park. For those keeping track, Boston has outscored Houston 21-8 in Games 2 and 3 to take a 2-1 series lead with the next two games also at Fenway the following two nights. 

    This one was over fast since the Sox scored six runs in the second inning keyed by first baseman Kyle Schwarber's grand slam (the MLB record third of the playoffs for the Sox and his first HR of this round) that came on a 3-0 pitcher from Astros starter Jose Urquidy who had last appeared on Oct. 3 vs. Oakland-the regular season finale. Boston tacked on three more runs in the third inning and cruised from there as their starter Eduardo Rodriguez (6 IP, 3 ER, 5 hits, 7 Ks, 0 BBs) was superb except for a harmless three-run bomb allowed to Houston's promising young right fielder Kyle Tucker in the fourth inning when his team trailed 9-0. 

    The first two runs for the Red Sox came on an RBI single by catcher Christian Vazquez that plated left fielder Alex Verdugo then DH J.D. Martinez came around to score on a ground out. Vazquez added another RBI single in the third that scored right fielder Hunter Renfroe then second baseman Christian Arroyo hit a line drive that just cleared the Green Monster for a two-run homer (his 1st of the series). No matter what scrub reliever that Astros manager Dusty Baker used (and he inserted five of them after Urquidy was done in the second inning), it hardly mattered as Boston scored more runs off of four of them. 

    Martinez crushed a two-run homer (his second of the series) of his own that went over the Monster in the sixth inning which scored third baseman Rafael Devers. Raffy put the final exclamation on an evening full of fireworks with an opposite field shot over the Monster in the eighth inning-also his second home run of the series. That vaunted Houston offense never really showed up in Game 3 as a trio of Red Sox relievers-Hansel Robles, Martin Perez and Hirokazu Sawamura-each pitched scoreless frames on 12 pitches or less. You can't overstate how important E-Rod's performance was in terms of saving the bullpen for other games.   

    I don't believe it's hyperbole to say that Game 4 tomorrow night (8:08, FS1) is basically a must-win for the Astros. Their pitching is in shambles therefore I can't see them reeling off three consecutive wins against Boston's on fire offense. Nick Pivetta gets his first start of the postseason for the Red Sox against the ghost of Zack Greinke who like Urquidy before tonight's beating hasn't appeared yet in the playoffs. Haha what could possibly go wrong there? Improbably, the Sox are only two wins away from the World Series and if they take care of business at Fenway these next few games, they won't even have to return to Houston.

With Five Yanks Placed On Covid-19 IL, Sox Blanked Them 4-0 To Improve To 7-0 Vs. NY In '21

 

    The Yankees (46-44 overall, 23-23 home) were already a disaster this season and now they are suffering a Covid-19 outbreak (still?) that caused last night's Red Sox (56-36 overall, 28-17 away)-Yanks game to be postponed. Tonight (along with the rest of MLB), the series and second half began with New York putting five players-left-handed pitchers Nestor Cortes and Wandy Peralta, along with outfielder Aaron Judge, catcher Kyle Higashioka and infielder Gio Urshela-on the Covid-19 injured list. Not surprisingly, with a lineup that was better suited for a Spring Training game in mid-March, the Yanks did not stand much of a chance as Boston shut them out 4-0 this evening at Yankee Stadium. By recording their first shutout in the Bronx in a little over three years, the Sox extended their perfect start (7-0) against their bitter rivals in 2021.   

    The teams combined for eight hits so it was not exactly an offensive explosion but Boston at least made theirs count with a two-run homer and a solo shot. Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (7-5) wasn't his sharpest (40 of his 97 pitches were balls) but it was plenty good enough against such a weak starting nine. In 5.2 innings, E-Rod allowed just two hits with eight strikeouts and two walks. It only took two Sox relievers to complete the job from there: Hirokazu Sawamura induced a ground out (on three pitches) from Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez to end the sixth inning and strand a runner at second base. Tanner Houck has spent most of the season with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox (lucky him!) but he was recalled to Boston yesterday and he closed it out with three scoreless innings including three strikeouts for his first career MLB save. 

    Boston got all the runs they needed in the second inning as shortstop Xander Bogaerts scored on a ground out by right fielder Hunter Renfroe and second baseman Christian Arroyo crushed a two-run bomb to right center (his sixth of the season) that scored third baseman Rafael Devers. Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez added an insurance run with a solo homer to right in the eighth inning that made it 4-0 on his 19th home run of the season. Yankees starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery (3-5) was decent enough (6 IP, 3 ER, 3 hits, 4 Ks, 2 BBs) but he basically would have had to no-hit the Red Sox to steal a win for his overmatched club in the series opener. 

    With the victory, Boston held serve for a 1.5 game lead over second-place Tampa Bay (54-37) in the AL East while New York dropped to fourth-place behind Toronto (46-42). Even though the Yanks are a complete mess, they still undeservedly get the primetime spotlight the next two nights: Nathan Eovaldi (9-5) faces fellow All-Star Gerrit Cole (9-4) tomorrow (7:15, Fox) and Martin Perez (7-5) takes on Jameson Taillon (4-4) on Sunday (7:08, ESPN). There is no chance that the Yanks will make some miraculous comeback and push the Red Sox and Rays for the AL East crown this fall. Hell, I'd be shocked if they sniffed the neighborhood of the Wild Card spots. New York is hopeless but that is not our problem so we can only laugh at their misery as Boston continues to bury them in 2021. PS one of Boston's top prospects-outfielder Jarren Duran-was called up as well and since he's a lefty hitter, I bet that he makes his MLB debut vs. Cole. 

The Red Sox Won Another Softball Game 10-8 Against The Braves To Sweep The Two-Game Set

 

    Who said that baseball is way too boring and the sport is in major trouble when a mid-June regular season game takes four hours and 10 minutes? Haha OK maybe don't answer those. While you were probably watching something else or at least flipping back and forth, the Red Sox (42-27 overall, 22-10 away) were winning by identical 10-8 scores last night and this evening against the underachieving Braves (30-35 overall, 17-19 home) at Truist Park. They swept the two-game series and have won their last three games in a row while the Rays (43-26) have dropped their last two games, leaving Boston only one game back of Tampa Bay for first-place in the AL East.

    This is obviously not sustainable in the sense that the Red Sox' starting pitchers have to be at least a little better while their offense is good but they won't be able to carry them for almost 100 more games in the regular season. For the second straight night, Boston had a comfortable early lead that wasn't nearly enough for their crappy starter-in this case Garrett Richards (4 IP, 6 runs, 4 ER, 7 hits, 3 Ks, 1 BB). Check Atlanta's record, the three-time defending NL East champs are currently struggling: they are tied with Washington for third-place in MLB's worst division with only one team (the Mets) above .500. Luckily for the Sox, Braves rookie pitcher Ian Anderson (4 IP, 4 runs, 4 ER, 7 hits, 5 Ks, 1 BB) wasn't much better. If you're wondering why this game took so long, each team used six relievers apiece and there were a combined 26 hits. Oy vey.

    Trailing for the first time all game (7-6 in the 7th inning), pinch hitter Christian Arroyo crushed a grand slam (his 4th HR of the season went 467 feet!) to left to put Boston ahead 10-6. Closer Matt Barnes wasn't available so Northeastern's Adam Ottavino got to fill in for him and he allowed an RBI double to Atlanta's superstar right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (3-for-5, 2 doubles) in the ninth but he settled down to record his fourth save of the season. The Red Sox bats got going early as right fielder Hunter Renfroe (2-for-5, double, run) hit a two-run single in the first that scored DH J.D. Martinez (2-for-5 w/2B, 2 runs) and center fielder Alex Verdugo. Atlanta got a sacrifice fly in the third inning that cut it to 2-1 before Boston scored twice in the fourth inning on first baseman Bobby Dalbec's RBI single that scored Renfroe and Richards surprised everyone by smacking an RBI double (his first career MLB hit) to the right field gap that plated Dalbec. 

    The Braves got two runs in the home half of the fourth on a ground out and an infield single to trim the Red Sox lead to 4-3. Atlanta's awful bullpen was exposed in both of these losses as Boston scored twice more in the fifth when shortstop Xander Bogaerts (3 doubles, 2 runs) hit a double and Martinez scored on an error then third baseman Rafael Devers followed with an RBI single that scored his buddy. The Braves got serious at that point as shortstop Dansby Swanson (2 hits, 2 runs) tied it with a three-run homer (his 11th HR of the season) off Richards in the fifth. First baseman Freddie Freeman (3B, 2 runs, 2 BBs) gave them that brief 7-6 lead with a solo shot in the sixth (his 16th HR of the season). 

    Yacksel Rios (WHO!?) picked up the win even though he only faced one batter: he got Swanson to line out to him with runners on first and second and two outs in the sixth. For that brief appearance, the guy making his Red Sox debut after being acquired earlier this week from Seattle for cash considerations earned his first win for Boston. Sox lefty reliever Josh Taylor notched his ninth hold of the season by recording a scoreless eighth inning with two strikeouts. Did you ever think that you'd live long enough to say truthfully that Taylor is one of Boston's best and most valuable relievers on a playoff contending club? 

    The last off day for the Red Sox was on May 27 so needless to say, they are long overdue for the one that they get tomorrow. After that short rest, they are in Kansas City (30-37) for three games this weekend. The Royals got off to a unexpectedly solid start to the season but they predictably have fallen apart like you read about, going 1-9 in their last 10 games and they have dropped their last six games. Sadly, we won't get to see former Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi in action since he just went on the IL with a rib injury. The opposite of his terrible team, he was off to a brutal start in 2021 but he had been on fire lately before he got hurt. You need to get out more if you have heard of any of the pitchers that are starting for the Royals in this series: Nick Pivetta (6-2) faces rookie Jackson Kowar (0-2) on Friday night in the opener (8:10, NESN), Martin Perez (4-4) takes on Kris Bubic (1-2) on Saturday afternoon (4:10, NESN) and Nathan Eovaldi (7-3) gets Brad Keller (6-6) for the series finale on Sunday afternoon (2:10, NESN). If there was ever a series for the Sox mostly terrible starting pitchers to regain some confidence (well at least for a little bit), this has to be that time.

With The Spotlight On Them For The Next Few Months, The Sox Walked Off The Jays In A 6-5 Win

 

    The Bruins and Celtics are done for the season while the Patriots don't have a real game for almost three months so let's hope that the Red Sox (39-25 overall, 19-15 home) can handle being the main focus for the summer around here. So far so good as they beat the Astros (36-27) 12-8 in a wild game last night at Fenway Park and they topped that with a 6-5 triumph tonight in their series opener against the Blue Jays (31-30 overall, 18-17 away) at Fenway on left fielder Alex Verdugo's (3-for-4, 2B, run, RBI) walk-off single that scraped the Green Monster and scored pinch runner Danny Santana with the winning run. Boston isn't a great team (at least on paper) but they are tough to knock out as proven by their MLB-best 23 comeback wins: tonight was the largest deficit they've overcome as Toronto led 5-1 in the top of the sixth inning. This was the second walk-off victory of the season for the Sox and the third time in Verdugo's career that he's done that in his MLB career. 

    The Jays have to be sick to their stomachs because this was a game that they frankly gave away for multiple reasons: besides that lead (which should have been enough), they had twice as many hits as the Sox (16-8) and they left five more guys on base (13-8) which when you add those all up is a perfect recipe for disappointment. Boston's starting pitcher Garrett Richards (5.1 IP, 4 ER, 11 hits, 3 Ks, 2 BBs) is back to being pedestrian at best and honestly, it's a miracle that he lasted that long after allowing a run in the first inning, two runs in the second inning and another in the sixth inning before manager Alex Cora finally came to get him. Toronto's starter Ross Stripling (5.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 hits, 6 Ks, 2 BBs) was handed all of those leads but none of them were enough for him or the crappy Jays bullpen.  

    Right fielder Teoscar Hernandez opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first that plated shortstop Bo Bichette. In the second, Dante's son knocked in catcher Reese McGuire with a run-scoring single and Hernandez followed with another RBI single to make it 3-0. Boston's offense woke up in the third when first baseman Bobby Dalbec crushed a solo homer to center (his 7th HR of the season). That was quickly forgotten as DH Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (3-for-4, 2B, BB) smoked a two-run bomb (his MLB-leading 19th of the season) that went two feet (443) further than Dalbec's and off the Draft Kings sign that's above the Monster. The Red Sox scored three times in the sixth inning to cut it to 5-4 in favor of the Blue Jays. Right fielder Austin Renfroe knocked in Verdugo with an RBI single, shortstop Marwin Gonzalez (Xander Bogaerts was a late scratch with left knee soreness) walked with the bases loaded to score Renfroe and catcher Christian Vazquez came home on a wild pitch. 

    Toronto had something going in the seventh inning but Boston's lefty reliever Josh Taylor survived a bases-loaded with one out jam by striking out third baseman Cavan Biggio and pinch hitter Riley Adams to end the inning and keep it a one-run game. Arroyo tied it at five with a solo blast of his own (3rd of the season) into the Monster seats in the eighth inning. Garrett Whitlock (2-1) celebrated his 25th birthday with two scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts which earned him his second win of the season. Apparently, the Blue Jays really want Rafael Dolis (1-2) to be their closer but in his appearances vs. the Red Sox this season, he's been a complete disaster. After a throwing error by Bichette put Santana on second base with no outs, Boston didn't take too long to end it as Verdugo was the next guy up and you know what happened then. 

    This is one of those weird wraparound (aka 4-game) series so Boston and Toronto play three more times including on Monday night. Both weekend contests are day games: Nick Pivetta (6-1) starts tomorrow afternoon (4:10, NESN) for the Red Sox against Steven Matz (6-3). On Sunday afternoon, Red Sox lefty Martin Perez (4-3) takes on Blue Jays lefty Robbie Ray (3-2). Finally, Monday night (7:10, NESN) pits Nathan Eovaldi (7-3) against promising youngster Alek Manoah (1-0) who will be making his fourth career start in MLB. This was an important win as well for Boston from the standpoint that the Sox had to keep pace with the first-place Rays (40-24) who beat the Orioles (22-40) 4-2 this evening but remain only one game ahead of Boston while idle New York (33-30) trails Tampa by 6.5 games and Boston by 5.5 games.

Eight Days Later, The Red Sox Finish Their Sweep Of The Lowly Marlins For Their Fifth Straight Win

 

    I don't know about you but nothing gets me fired up quite like a Monday afternoon makeup game between the Red Sox (37-23 overall, 17-13 home) and the Marlins (25-34 overall, 13-22 away) at Fenway Park in the middle of a rare early June heatwave. While you were coming home from work (is that still a thing?), eating dinner or getting ready for Game 5 of Bruins-Islanders, Boston and Miami had to complete their three-game series that saw the finale cancelled last Sunday afternoon because it poured. Not surprisingly, it was not the most exciting or interesting game of the season but at least the Sox still put in enough effort to come away with a 5-3 victory. With the win, Boston pulled within a half game behind first-place Tampa Bay (38-23) in the AL East and their fifth straight victory officially makes them the hottest team in MLB. 

        The final score was not that high in terms of total runs scored but you wouldn't have guessed that since each club had to use six pitchers (come on!) apiece just to get through nine innings. Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (4.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 hits, 6 Ks, 3 BBs) did not have his best stuff in what looked like a great spot to pick up an easy win. Of course, it also helped that Boston was staked to a 2-0 lead in the second inning and it was 5-1 Red Sox by the fifth inning. Garrett Whitlock was the first reliever summoned from Boston's bullpen and he got the final out in the fifth inning on two pitches. Darwinzon Hernandez recorded two outs (both via strikeouts) and Boston's newest weapon-Hirokazu Sawamura (2-0) earned his second win of the season after notching four outs including striking out two. Sox manager Alex Cora pieced together the final two innings by having Josh Taylor get two outs before Northeastern's Adam Ottavino hung on to nail down the last four outs for his third save of the season. Closer Matt Barnes was mercifully unavailable after he pitched in high leverage situations for all three games against the Yankees over the weekend. 

    Shortstop Xander Bogaerts scored on a wild pitch in the first inning to give the home team a 1-0 lead. Left fielder Alex Verdugo (2-for-4) added an RBI double in the third inning that scored second baseman Christian Arroyo (2-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs, 2B, BB) to make it 2-0 Red Sox. Miami got on the board in the fourth when catcher Jorge Alfaro drove in right fielder Adam Duvall (2-for-5, 2B) with an RBI single. Arroyo answered with a two-run single in the home half of the frame that scored catcher Kevin Plawecki and center fielder Enrique Hernandez. Arroyo later came around on a fielding error by Duvall. Marlins center fielder Starling Marte (3-for-4) crushed a solo homer (his 4th of the season) to center in the fifth that cut it to 5-2 Sox. Miami's third baseman Isan Diaz knocked in left fielder Corey Dickerson with an RBI double in the ninth. Ottavino appeared in his third game in a row and had to throw 23 pitches so I'm pretty sure that he won't be available for Boston's series-opener vs. Houston (33-26 overall, 13-13 away).

    The Astros just took three of four from the Red Sox last week at Minute Maid Park so they'll be trying to continue that roll as two of the best teams in baseball face each other three more times this week at Fenway. Martin Perez (4-2) gets the ball tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) in the series opener against Framber Valdez (1-0); they both pitched gems last week against these same clubs. On Wednesday night (7:10, NESN) Nathan Eovaldi (7-2) takes on Jake Odorizzi (0-3) who the Sox shelled in his last outing. Finally, Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4) opposes Zack Greinke (6-2) on Thursday night (7:10, NESN). Houston is in a similar position to Boston in the AL West as they trail first-place Oakland (35-26) by only one game and who really expects that to last for much longer? The heatwave should be here for a few more days as these contenders meet yet again for what should be a better series than the mostly one-sided affair in Texas.

Martin Perez Throws A Gem To Help The Red Sox Avoid A Four-Game Sweep In Houston & Win 5-1

 

    After losing their first three games of the series in Houston (31-25 overall, 20-13 home) and scoring a grand total of four runs in said defeats, the Red Sox (33-23 overall, 17-10 away) were in desperate need of a win this afternoon at Minute Maid Park. Boston's fifth starter Martin Perez (4-2)-who has been sneaky good all season-picked a great time to have his best outing in two years with the Sox. He went 7.2 scoreless innings (his longest outing since May 2, 2019), striking out four and walking only one as Boston won 5-1. Considering that this week-long road trip continues this weekend in New York with their first series against the Yankees (31-26 overall), this was one of the more meaningful victories so far in 2021 for the Red Sox. 

    Astros starter Jake Odorizzi (3 IP, 3 ER, 2 Ks, 3 BBs) wasn't nearly as economical with his pitches as Perez was, Boston's starter only needed 82 pitches to come four outs away from a complete game while the former Ray and Twin labored through 76 pitches in less than half as many innings of work. All of the Red Sox' offense came from two swings of the bat: second baseman Christian Arroyo hit a three-run home run to left field in the second inning that just reached the seats. Third baseman Rafael Devers (2B, two BBs) and right fielder Hunter Renfroe (1B, BB) scored on Arroyo's first homer of the season/as a Red Sox. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts was in his first extended slump of this campaign (0-for-24) at the plate but hopefully he broke out of it with a two-run double in the seventh inning that plated DH J.D. Martinez (two 2Bs) and left fielder Alex Verdugo (two BBs, 1B). 

    Red Sox manager Alex Cora got ejected earlier in the game for dumping on home plate umpire Lance Barrett's terrible strike zone. I mention this only because bench coach Will Venable was in charge when the time came to either pull Perez or let him try to get out of his first jam of the day (runners on 1st and 2nd). Venable took the cautious approach and lifted Perez in favor of Northeastern's Adam Ottavino who got Houston star Alex Bregman to fly out to center to end the threat. Brandon Workman is back with the Red Sox and he made his first appearance of the season in the ninth. Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel (3-for-4) hit a solo home run to left (his 8th of the season) but it only meant that the Sox would not get a shutout, oh well. 

    While the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry isn't what it used to be, it is still one of the best in MLB, especially when they haven't met for the first two months of the regular season. Just like the old days, it will get the primetime TV slots: Nathan Eovaldi (6-2) goes for the Sox tomorrow night (7:05, NESN) vs. TBA; on Saturday night (7:15, FOX), it will be the struggling Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4) against Jameson Taillon (1-4); for Sunday Night Baseball (7:08, ESPN) Garrett Richards (4-4) takes on Domingo German (4-3). Boston enters the three-game set with a 2.5-game lead on New York with a game in hand. After today's 9-2 loss to the first-place Rays (36-22 overall and 2 games ahead of the Sox), the Yanks are 3-7 in their last 10 games while the Red Sox are 5-5 in their last 10. Boston also lucked out that NY's ace Gerrit Cole (6-3) pitched this afternoon so they won't being seeing him in action this weekend. Two out of three wins in the Bronx is what I'm realistically wishing for and I think that is an attainable goal for the Red Sox.

Rodriguez (3-0) Is Starting To Look Like An Ace Again As Sox Beat Ryu (1-2) & Jays 4-2 Last Night

 

    It's easy to forget sometimes because so much has happened since then, but we are only two seasons removed from an outstanding 19-6 campaign by Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez. Yes, he gets hurt all the time and he missed all of 2020 with a scary heart condition (not to mention a bout with Covid-19) but so far in 2021, Eddie is showing signs that he has found that No. 1 starter form again. Last night in the mini-series opener at Fenway Park vs. Toronto (7-10 overall, 4-7 away), Rodriguez (6 IP, 2 ER, 3 hits, 6 Ks, 1 BB) helped Boston (12-6 overall, 6-5 home) to a 4-2 victory. He was matched up with the Blue Jays ace Hyun Jin Ryu (5 IP, 4 ER, 8 hits, 2 Ks, 0 BBs) and Rodriguez came out on top of that battle.

    The only runs for Toronto came via a solo home run by shortstop Bo Bichette (2-for-4) in the fourth-fifth of the season-and center fielder Randal Grichuk (2-for-4) in the seventh-his second of the season. That gave them a short-lived 1-0 lead in the fourth and cut it to 4-2 in the seventh. All of Boston's runs were in the fourth inning as shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2-for-4) crushed a three-run bomb to center that scored second baseman Christian Arroyo (3-for-4, 2B, run) and left fielder J.D. Martinez. We had started to worry a bit that Bogey hadn't homered this season but with the weather starting to warm up, I bet that gets him going. The Aruba native is hitting .393 with a .439 OBP and .557 SLG, so everybody can relax. First baseman Bobby Dalbec (2-for-3) added an RBI triple (1st 3B of his career) that plated third baseman Marwin Gonzalez. 

    I feel like a broken record here but once again, Boston's bullpen was excellent. Matt Andriese pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning with one strikeout, Northeastern's Adam Ottavino had a scoreless eighth inning with one strikeout and one walk setting the stage for closer Matt Barnes who allowed an infield single but got a strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning for his third save of the season. Tonight (7:10, NESN) is the series finale with Garrett Richards (0-1) facing something called Trent Thornton (0-0). Haha whatever the over/under is, take the over since I feel like both of those nobodies will get shelled. There is no Celtics or Bruins game this evening so expect a long night of baseball at Fenway.

The Red Sox Sweep A Doubleheader With The Twins As Their Win Streak Rolls On To Nine Games

 

    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.

Not Even A Little Minnesota Snowstorm In Mid-April Can Cool Down The Red Sox At The Moment

 

    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.