Boston Snapped Season-High Five-Game Losing Streak With A Much-Needed 4-1 Win In Detroit

 

    Since they failed to do much (besides obtaining an injured Kyle Schwarber) at the trade deadline last Friday, it had been a rough few days for your Red Sox (64-45 overall, 31-23 away). They got swept by the Rays (65-44 overall) last weekend, they dropped to second-place in the AL East behind Tampa and they were generally falling apart as they lost a season-high five games in a row. Thankfully, that all changed-at least for a night-as Eduardo Rodriguez (8-6; 5 IP, 0 ER, 2 hits, 10 Ks, 4 BBs) pitched five shutout innings this evening and Boston bounced back from last night's 4-2 loss to the Tigers (52-58 overall, 31-25 home) with a 4-1 victory tonight at Comerica Park. The starting pitching for the Sox has predictably crumbled lately so it was a boost to get a good outing for a change coupled with three home runs from the similarly struggling Boston bats. 

    Detroit has been playing much better lately but come on, this is a rebuilding club with future Hall of Famer slugger Miguel Cabrera and a bunch of guys that only the most hardcore baseball fans (raises hand) has ever heard of. One of the Tigers' top young pitching prospects Casey Mize (6-6) got the start and like E-Rod, he only lasted five innings but he gave up four earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and a walk. The Red Sox never trailed as DH J.D. Martinez hit a solo homer to right field in the second inning-his 21st of the season. Boston got the rest of its offense in the fifth inning as ace leadoff hitter and second baseman Kike Hernandez crushed a two-run bomb to left field-his 15th of the season-and that was followed by an opposite field (to left) homer by rookie center fielder Jarren Duran (his 2nd of the season).

    Stop me if you've heard this before but Rodriguez threw way too many pitches in five innings (99) so he gave way to Hirokzu Sawamura in the sixth who worked around a single and a walk to strike out two and get a scoreless frame. The Tigers only managed five hits in the entire game and they struck out a combined 18 times so their lone highlight was a solo homer by former Orioles great and second baseman Jonathan Schoop to left field (his 18th of the season) in the seventh inning off Josh Taylor. Boston's superb set-up man and closer combo were back in business as Northeastern's Adam Ottavino recorded the last out in the seventh and a scoreless eighth inning with two strikeouts while UConn's Matt Barnes recorded a 1-2-3 ninth inning on 11 pitches with two strikeouts for his 24th save of the season. We all got a scare before yesterday's contest as Barnes tested positive for Covid-19 (despite supposedly being fully vaccinated) but it all turned out to be a false positive and he came off the Covid-19 IL this afternoon after just one day on it. 

    As I'm sure you already know by now, tomorrow afternoon's (1:10, NESN) series finale is also the final meeting of the 2021 regular season between the Red Sox and Tigers. Boston is 3-2 against Detroit so that outcome will decide if the Sox take the season series 4-2 or it ends in a lame 3-3 tie. Sox lefty Martin Perez (7-7) will oppose Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal (6-10) in a game that despite being a getaway day for the Sox may take awhile since both of those guys stink. Boston has plenty of motivation since they only trail Tampa Bay by one game while the Red Sox will head out for an important four-game trip to Toronto (56-49) this weekend, marking the first time they've been to Canada since the 2019 season. It is a short flight from Detroit to Toronto but a win on Thursday would certainly make for an even more enjoyable ride North of the border.

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.