Sox Rallied Three Different Times To Get Their Fifth Straight Win & They Own The AL's Top Mark

 

    Why is it that we spend so much time focusing on the Red Sox' (49-31 overall, 25-17 home) weaknesses rather than the fact they continue to find ways to overcome them? I'm guilty of it myself but at the moment, it all seems a bit silly since thanks to Boston's 7-6 victory against hapless Kansas City (33-45 overall, 15-26 away) tonight at steaming hot Fenway Park, the Sox currently own the best record in the American League. That's right, Houston (48-32) has dropped its last three games in a row while Boston has won five straight games and gone 7-3 in their last 10 to suddenly be tied with the Dodgers for the second best record in baseball, trailing only the Giants (50-29). It is time to stop doubting them and get aboard the growing bandwagon for one of the most exciting teams in MLB this season.

    We can debate whether this is sustainable in the long run but the last time that I checked it isn't October yet and since the Sox haven't made the playoffs in a few years, let's relax and enjoy a quality regular season shall we? If I didn't know any better, I would say that Boston is toying with Kansas City because for the second night in a row, they fell behind (instead of four runs, it was three different instances) only to rally each time and eventually hang on for another one-run win. The Red Sox' starting pitchers are a major issue but they are able to mostly survive their mediocrity by the fact that the offense is so relentless and the bullpen is becoming a major strength of this club (who knew?). The Royals are one of the worst hitting teams in the AL but you wouldn't know it by the way that they crushed Nick Pivetta (4.1 IP, 6 ER, 9 hits, 5 Ks, 2 BBs, 3 HRs allowed). Luckily for the home team, they were up against the immortal Brad Keller (5 IP, 6 ER, 10 hits, 0 Ks, 5 BBs) who is a glorified pitching machine come to life. 

    You might not know the name but Kansas City's second baseman Whit Merrifield is one of the best hitters in MLB. He led off tonight's game with a home run that wrapped around Pesky's Pole for his eighth blast of the season. Boston responded immediately in their first at bats as designated hitter J.D. Martinez drove in second baseman Kike Hernandez (2-for-4) with an RBI single. The Sox took the lead as the next hitter-shortstop Xander Bogaerts-beat out an infield single which allowed left fielder Alex Verdugo (2 runs scored, 2 walks) to score and make it 2-1. KC's center fielder Michael Taylor (3-for-3, walk, stolen base) knocked in left fielder Hunter Dozier with an RBI single in the second inning which knotted things at two. Right fielder Hunter Renfroe helped Boston regain the lead at 3-2 in the third inning with a sacrifice fly that plated Martinez. Taylor answered with a two-run shot to right field in the fourth inning that scored Dozier and gave the Royals a 4-3 advantage. Boston added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth as Hernandez drove in center fielder Danny Santana with an RBI single and Martinez's sacrifice fly allowed first baseman Bobby Dalbec (2-for-3) to come home with a 5-4 lead.  

    KC DH Ryan O'Hearn ended Pivetta's subpar outing with a two-run blast to center field in the fifth inning which handed the Royals their final lead (6-5) of the contest. Martinez put the capper on his four RBI performance with a two-run double in the sixth inning that scored Verdugo and Michael Chavis who pinch ran for Dalbec. As bad as Pivetta was, the Red Sox' bullpen was superb: four guys followed Pivetta and they all went at least one inning but none of them allowed a single run. Yacksel Rios (2-0) started the procession with 1.2 scoreless innings, Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a scoreless seventh inning and Northeastern's Adam Ottavino threw a scoreless eighth inning before ace closer UConn's Matt Barnes struck out the side in a 1-2-3 ninth inning to record his 18th save (2nd of the series). 

    Mercifully, this latest heatwave in New England is supposed to end tomorrow but it promises to remain a sauna at Fenway as Martin Perez (5-4) goes up against Mike Minor (6-5) beginning at 7:10 pm on NESN. The Royals have lost seven straight games to drop into last-place in the AL Central so they no doubt are losing any hope by the day that they can make anything of this season. Obviously a win is all that matters but it would be nice to see the Red Sox not have only nailbiters against Kansas City this week. Tampa Bay (47-33) lost 4-3 to Washington (39-38) tonight as well so Boston is now two games ahead of them for first-place in the AL East. Tomorrow's game is the 81st of the regular season (aka the halfway point) for the Sox meaning another victory would put them right on pace for 100 wins. Coming into this campaign, who could have believed they would be this good right away in manager Alex Cora's return from purgatory? 

Sox Slugged (4 HRs) Their Way To Fourth Straight Win & They Are Tied With Astros For Best AL Mark

 

    I am already growing weary of bashing Red Sox pitcher Garrett Richards (5.2 IP, 5 ER, 11 hits, 3 Ks, 3 HRs) in his first season with Boston. Don't get me wrong, he deserves all the criticism that he's getting from every angle but how many ways can you say the same thing over and over again? The guy is a human puddle without his now illegal sticky substances. Despite his general ineptitude at his job, the Sox (48-31 overall, 24-17 home) won in spite of him. This evening they rallied from an early 5-1 deficit to beat the spiraling Royals (33-44 overall, 15-25 away) 6-5 at scorching Fenway Park in the series opener. I guess that he should be saluted for going that long after allowing all five runs in the first two innings but I'm not a Little League coach or his parent so I'm not here to pat him on his goofy head. He should not be in Boston's starting rotation anymore, they are playing with fire thinking that he'll turn it around anytime soon at the MLB level. 

    Anywho, the Red Sox hit four home runs led by right fielder Hunter Renfroe who had a pair of mammoth blasts. Unlike Richards, Renfroe was a great free agent signing by Boston's GM Chiam Bloom. Their fourth straight victory combined with Houston's (48-31) shocking 9-7 loss to lowly Baltimore (25-54) meant that Boston settles into a tie with the Astros for the best record in the AL. Furthermore, the Giants (50-27) are the only team in baseball with a better record than them. The Royals won two out of three against Boston a few weeks back in Kansas City but the Sox are catching them at a good time since they have now dropped five games in a row. First baseman Carlos Santana hit a three-run homer in the first inning (his 13th of the season) to right field for an early 3-0 KC lead. For the second game in a row, center fielder Kike Hernandez (2-for-3, BB) led off with a home run (his 8th of the season) in the bottom of the first that went over the Green Monster. Center fielder Michael Taylor (his 6th, to right center) and second baseman Whit Merrifield (his 7th, to center; 3-for-5, 2 runs) each hit solo shots in the second for that 5-1 advantage. 

    It was basically Home Run Derby a few weeks early as the Royals starter/opener (since he was working his way back from an injury) Danny Duffy also allowed three bombs in only 3.1 innings of work. First baseman Bobby Dalbec (2-for-4, 2 runs) started the comeback with a solo blast (his 10th of the season) of his own, over the Monster in the bottom of the second inning. Renfroe cut it to 5-4 Royals with a two-run laser (his 10th of the season) to center field that scored shortstop Xander Bogaerts as well. Michael Chavis tied it at five later in that frame with an RBI single that plated Dalbec. The last run of the contest obviously came from one last roundtripper as Renfroe smoked a solo homer over the Monster in the sixth inning. 

    Kansas City's offense-like the rest of their sorry club-is not good but regardless, Boston's bullpen was still excellent: they went 3.1 innings and only allowed one total hit. Hirokazu Sawamura (4-0)-another gem from Bloom-got four outs including a strikeout to kick things off. Josh Taylor pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning for his tenth hold of the season followed by closer Matt Barnes who recorded a 1-2-3 ninth inning on 13 pitches for his 17th save of the season. Tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) promises to be just as gross in terms of weather at the ballpark but Nick Pivetta (6-3) vs. Brad Keller (6-8) is a very winnable matchup for the Red Sox. These won't be the sexiest games of the season but it's a great time for Boston to pile up the wins while they take advantage of a bad team that is going nowhere fast.