Before the game the Boston Red Sox got some shocking bad news. Hiro Sawamura was placed on the Injured List with right tricep inflammation and Phillips Valdez was called up from Worcester to take his place. I've been saying all year that Sox manager Alex Cora pulling starters too early was going to kill the bullpen and Sawamura is the first casualty. The rumors is he may need surgery and this is a huge blow to the team.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Eduardo Rodriguez suffered a migraine and had to leave tonight's game against the New York Yankees in the second inning. Rodriguez went down in the second inning with a migraine and had to leave with the Sox trailing by a run. Thanks to the effort of Phillips Valdez, the Yankees were kept off the board long enough for the Sox bats to get going. Rafael Devers was a one man wrecking crew, bashing a 2 run and later a 3 run home run to pace the offense. Devers outscored the Yankees all by himself and the Sox pushed the Yankees further to the brink. The Sox lost Rodriguez but won the game 6-2 at Fenway Park.
Rodriguez got the ball in the top of the first inning and DJ LeMahieu lined out to left to start. Giancarlo Stanton struck out swinging and Rougned Odor grounded out to second to end the inning. Cole got the ball in the bottom of the first and Kike Hernandez grounded out to second to start. Jarren Duran struck out swinging but Xander Bogaerts singled to right. Rafael Devers took strike three to end the inning.
Things went south in the top of the second inning as Gary Sanchez walked to start. Gleyber Torres singled to left and Brett Gardner doubled home Sanchez to give the Yankees the lead. All of a sudden Rodriguez keeled over and had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Mass General's ICU. Phillips Valdez came in to pitch and Chris Glittens struck out swinging. Ryan LeMarre was plunked to load the bases but Greg Allen struck out swinging. LeMahieu took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees only getting 1 run, but Rodriguez was gone trailing 1-0.
The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as JD Martinez took strike three to start. Alex Verdugo struck out swinging but Hunter Renfroe beat out a roller to third. Christian Vazquez flied out to left to end the inning.
Stanton walked to start the top of the third but was forced at second by Odor. Sanchez struck out swinging and Odor was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Bobby Dalbec lined out to second to begin the bottom of the third but Hernandez walked. Duran walked but Bogaerts took a full count 101 mph fastball on the outside corner for strike three. Devers whiffed on an elevated fastball to end the inning.
Valdez was asked to go one more inning in the top of the fourth and he got Torres swinging to start. Gardner went down hacking but Glittens singled to left. LeMarre went down hacking to end the inning. Valdez threw 55 pitches and put out a huge fire, keeping the Sox in the game. Great work by Phillips.
Valdez keeps the Sox in it
Martinez hit a bullet but right to Odor to start the bottom of the fourth. Verdugo doubled to center but Renfroe popped up to first. Vazquez took strike three to end the inning.
Yacksel Rios came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Allen struck out swinging to start. LeMahieu grounded out to second but Stanton walked. Stanton took second on a wild pitch but Odor flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fifth although Dalbec took strike three. Hernandez then hit a rocket off the top of the Monster for a single and Duran hit a shot into the centerfield triangle...into the stands for a ground rule double. Bogaerts hit a sac fly to right to score Hernandez to tie the game and Devers pounded his 25th home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Martinez flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.
Rob Brantly pinch hit for Sanchez to start the top of the sixth and Verdugo caught a fly ball on the warning track to start. Durran almost misplayed a liner by Torres but recovered before Gardner walked. Glittens was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. Nestor Cortes came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Verdugo lined out to left to start. Renfroe took strike three and Vazquez grounded out to third to end the inning.
Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Estevan Florial pinch hit for LaMarre. Florial struck out swinging but Allen was plunked. LeMahieu dropped a single to right and both runners moved over on the Stanton grounder to short. Odor flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the seventh although Dalbec struck out swinging to start. Hernandez got a base hit to right and Durran singled off the glove of Odor, but Bogaerts took strike three. Devers then crushed a 3 run bomb to increase the lead and light up Fenway. Martinez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.
Darwinzon Hernandez came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Dalbec made a great stab of a Brantly grounder to start. Torres was hit in the foot but Gardner took strike three. Glittens walked but Florial struck out swinging to end the inning. Justin Wilson came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Verdugo flied out to left to start. Renfroe took strike three but Vazquez walked. Dalbec grounded out to short to end the inning.
Brandon Workman came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Allen lined out to center to start. LeMahieu grounded back to the mound but Stanton got a base hit in the hole at third. Odor doubled to left to score Stanton but Brantly popped up to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-2.
Sox win
Hero Valdez
Devers Hero
We have Co-Heroes of the Night. Phillips Valdez put out the fire in the second inning and tossed 3 scoreless innings to keep the Sox in it.
Hero number 2 is Rafael Devers. He hit two home runs and drove in 5 runs to outscore the Yankees by himself.
The Good:
Kike Hernandez was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.
Jarren Duran was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.
Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with an rbi.
Yacksel Rios got the win with 2 scoreless innings.
Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless seventh inning.
Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
The Bad:
JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Eduardo Rodriguez allowed a run in 1 plus innings of work and left with an injury.
Brandon Workman allowed a run in the top of the ninth.
The Ugly:
Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.
Hunter Renfroe was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.
Final Thoughts:
It seems surreal that the Red Sox and Yankees switched roles from 2019. The Yankees are beat up, injured and are slumping all around while the Red Sox look rejuvenated. Cole was supposed to be the savior and he's been damn good, but he can't pitch all 5 games in a row. Missing Aaron Judge, Gio Urshela and Luke Voit hurts but nobody shed a tear for the Sox the last two years with all their injuries and illnessess on the pitching side. Hopefully Rodriguez is going to be okay but losing him after 1 inning put a huge strain on the bullpen for tonight and more importantly tomorrow. Still, hats off to Yacksel Rios and especially Phillips Valdez for tossing 5 scoreless innings between them. Can only imagine what Brian Cashman feels seeing Valdez, Rios and Whitlock throw good innings for the Sox when he could have had all three of them. Valdez was picked up off the scrap heap before last season and the Sox gave a bag of cash to Seattle for Rios earlier this year, Cashman could have done that. Devers was a one man wrecking crew and the Sox need him to keep it going because the Tampa Bay Rays just won't go away. Tonight the Rays turned a 4-4 game into 10-4 with a 6 run top of the ninth in Cleveland. The Sox may need to sweep this series with New York just to keep pace with the Rays. The win improved the Sox to 60-38, 1 game in front of the Rays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to pound another nail in the coffin of the Yankees when Nathan Eovaldi (9-5, 3.57 ERA) takes on Jameson Taillon of the Yankees. The game begins at 4:05 PM at Fenway Park.
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