The Red Sox beat the Blue Jays tonight, winning 5-0. Tonight’s score matches the Red Sox’s record against the Jays this season. It was also the first shutout for the Red Sox this season, an impressive feat against one of the top lineups in baseball. The Sox now have a 14-11 record against the AL East and a 13-4 record against teams in their division, excluding the Tampa Bay Rays. This series holds significant importance for the Sox, as they are playing against the team they are chasing in the standings. They are currently four games behind the Jays for fourth place in the AL East and the third wild card spot.
The Red Sox offense finally showed signs of life. During their five-game losing streak, they had the worst offense in baseball. They ranked last in runs scored, fifth worst in batting average and strikeout percentage, and second worst in walk percentage and wRC+. However, tonight the Red Sox scored five runs on nine hits, including three home runs from Justin Turner, Jaren Duran, and Masataka Yoshida. The power display was a welcome sight for a team that had hit the fifth-fewest home runs in June. The Red Sox offense heating up would be a significant boost for the team, as their starting pitchers have performed well recently. In June, Red Sox starters have the seventh-lowest ERA, the fifth-lowest WHIP, and the second-lowest walk percentage in baseball. However recently the offense has not held up their side of the bargain. For example, in yesterdays game, Bryan Bello delivered an exceptional performance carrying a no-hit bid into the eighth inning, but the offense was shut out, leading to a 2-0 loss. Tonight’s game was the first time in a while where both sides of the team played well.
James Paxton, who was a cause of concern last week for Sox fans, as he exited early from his last start with knee soreness, was great again tonight. He threw 7 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and only two walks. Paxton’s ERA now stands at 2.70, leading the team’s starters and ranking ninth among all starters in the MLB (minimum 50 innings pitched). With Paxton and Bello pitching at such a high level, the Red Sox seem to have two ace-caliber pitchers in their rotation. Since June 14th, opponents are hitting just .151 against Bello and Paxton. On the season, Tony Gonsolin has the lowest opponents’ batting average at .176. The two starters also continue to go deep into games and give the bullpen rest. In Bello’s last three starts, he has gone seven innings, 6 2/3 innings, and seven innings again. In Paxton’s last three starts, not counting the one he left with an injury, he has gone 7 2/3 innings, 6 1/3 innings, and six innings. However, the other half of the rotation has been a challenge. With Chris Sale and Tanner Houck injured, the Red Sox have had to resort to bullpen games, where they have allowed six runs both times. The other two starters, Kutter and Whitlock, both have not been great this season. As a starter Kutter has a ERA of 5.70. Whitlock has a ERA of 5.15. The other starters need to step up on days when Bello and Paxton are not on the mound, or else the Sox will continue to lose games. However, I can only imagine how good this rotation will be when Sale and Houlk come back.
If not for Paxton, Jarren Duran would have been my player of the game. His fine night started when he robbed Vladimir Guerrero Jr on a ball that would have been at least a double if not a home run. In the fifth inning, Jarren launched his fourth home run, extending the Red Sox lead to 3-0. While he would not have another hit all night, he finished the night with three hard-hit balls, which matched the most by anybody on the team. It is truly amazing to think of how far Jarren Duran has come. I believe this starts on the defensive side of the ball. Last year, it was quite clear that Jarren was a bad defensive outfielder. He had three fewer DRS than the league average, and watching the games every night would tell you all you need to know. Jarren was unconfident, and he carried his errors with him to the plate. This led to a .221 batting average and a .645 OPS. This year, Jarren has a .290 batting average and .793 OPS. Last night summed up Jarren’s overall improvement, both offensively and defensively. Jarren has always had the speed, as his sprint speed is in the 94th percentile, but this season all the other tools are coming around for him.
The Red Sox will aim to win the series against the Jays tomorrow at 3:05 PM. Kutter Crawford will start for the Red Sox, while the Jays will go with Yusei Kikuchi. These games against the Jays hold significant importance, and tomorrow’s game will be no different.
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