The Red Sox beat the Blue Jays by a final score of 5-4 in one of the best games we have seen all year. Not only was it a great game, but it was also a great win for the Red Sox to complete the three-game sweep of the Jays and stay unbeaten against Toronto on the year. This team’s inconsistency continues to amaze me. After one of the lowest points of the year when the Red Sox were swept by the Marlins, they fell five games back of the Jays. They then bounced back in a massive way, taking all three games in Toronto, putting them only two games behind the Jays. This team shows resilience today more than once, as not only did the Sox starter get pulled after one inning, but the Sox were also trailing by two runs going into the seventh inning. The Sox are now back over .500 after an incredible series sweep.
Today, and throughout the entire series, the Sox played well in all aspects of the game. The Sox scored five runs on 12 hits, five of which were for extra bases. Overall in the series, the Sox offense had a slash line of .301/.341/.549. The Sox hit six home runs in the series and had an ISO of .248, which is higher than any team’s ISO this season. In the game today, the Sox showed excellent baserunning, which definitely put a smile on the manager’s face. In the seventh inning, with Duran at second, Justin Turner hit a looper into right field that was just out of the reach of the second baseman, Whit Merrifield. Duran, at second, broke for the plate the moment the ball was hit, knowing it was going to drop, and he scored easily. Later in that inning, with Turner at first, Verdugo hit a weak tapper to the third baseman, Matt Chapman. Turner was stealing on the pitch, and when Chapman threw it to first to retire Verdugo, Turner broke for third. This forced Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to make a difficult throw to get Turner, but instead, Guerrero threw it into right field, allowing Turner to come home and tie the game.
Red Sox Nation was put into shock when Garrett Whitlock did not come out in the second inning. We later found out that Garrett was experiencing right elbow tightness, meaning that the Sox would have to resort to a bullpen game. However, this team shows its resilience and held the Jays to just three runs on five hits against the bullpen. The Sox used five relievers, the most important of whom was Nick Pivetta. Nick threw four innings, allowing just one run on two hits. Today was a continuation of what Nick has done all year since he was moved to the bullpen. As a starter, Pivetta was terrible. In 40 innings, Nick had a 6.30 ERA, and opponents were slashing .270/.357/.528. In the bullpen, in 24 innings, Pivetta has a 2.63 ERA, and opponents are slashing .131/.240/.238. Pivetta’s K% in the bullpen of 32.3% is way up from his 23.0% as a starter. Unfortunately, Pivetta might need to go back to the rotation depending on the health of Garrett Whitlock.
What a game it was today for Jarren Duran. Jarren went 5-5 with four doubles. Jarren’s 25 doubles are now only two shy of the major league lead, despite the fact that Jarren has played almost 20 games less than the guys in front of him. Today, Jarren once again showed his ability to stretch what would be a single for anybody else into a double for him. The fact is that Alex Cora needs to find a way to make Jarren Duran an everyday player. There is no way around the fact that his speed is completely game-changing, and it is something I need to see more of.
Today, for the second game in a row, Alex Verdugo won the game for the Sox in the ninth inning. In Saturday’s game, he threw out Bo Bichette at the plate to end it, and today he hit the go-ahead homer in the ninth inning. After the game, we found out that Alex Verdugo won’t be headed to the All-Star Game. I believe this is the biggest snub of the whole event. For starters, Verdugo has been the best defensive right fielder in the AL. His 10 DRS lead the American League and ranks second in the entire MLB. Among AL right fielders, he is first in batting average, third in wRC+, first in doubles, and has the second-lowest K%. Alex Verdugo is also one of the clutchest players in baseball, which is something that can’t be quantified. While the Red Sox will be represented in the All-Star Game by Kenley Jansen, Alex Verdugo should be going with him.
The Red Sox will come home to Fenway to take on the Texas Rangers. Game one will be on Tuesday after the off day on Monday. The Rangers are in first place in the AL West and will come into Fenway leading the MLB in runs. They also lead the MLB in batting average and lead the American League in OPS. This will be a very tall task for a very banged-up Red Sox pitching staff. However, if the bats continue to produce, the Sox will be just fine.
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