Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move the whole world saw coming. Sox brass finally puled the plug on the Franchy Cordero experience. Cordero was sent down to Worcester and Colten Brewer has been called up to take his place. With Danny Santana hitting more home runs in two days than Cordero has in 2 months, Cordero's days were numbered. Jarred Durran is currently trying out for the US Olympic team or else he'd be the one called up, either way its bye bye Cordero. He was hitting just .179 with a whopping 37 strikeouts. Bet the Red Sox miss Andrew Benintendi who's currently hitting .289 huh? The Sox better hope Josh Winckowski or the PTBNLs they're getting better turn out to be something because Cordero was a flat out dud.
It was a great night for Boston sports. The Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets in Game 3 of their first round NBA playoff series and mother nature aided the Red Sox for the second time in 48 hours. After Wednesday's game was postponed for 3 hours, tonight's game against the Miami Marlins was called after the top of the sixth inning and pouring rain in Boston. The good news was the Sox were in the lead and got the cheap win. The Marlins struck first with a 2 run Jorge Alfaro home run but the Sox answered with a JD Martinez 2 run double. After Sox starter Martin Perez (3-2, 3.55 ERA) fired 5 innings of 2 run ball, Alex Verdugo hit the game winning 3 run bomb to put the Sox ahead. Adam Ottavino navigated through the top of the sixth inning for the "save" and when the umpires called the game at 10:48 PM, the Sox were 5-2 winners at Fenway Park.
Perez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jon Berti grounded out to first to start. Starling Marte doubled to center but Jesus Aguilar grounded out to second. Garrett Cooper struck out swinging to end the inning. Poteet got the ball in the bottom of the first inning as Kike Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Alex Verdugo grounded out to second and JD Martinez popped up to second to end the inning.
The Marlins struck first in the top of the second as Corey Dickerson singled to left to start and Jorge Alfaro effortlessly launched his first home run of the season into the Charles River to put the Marlins on top. Isan Diaz grounded out to second and old buddy Sandy Leon singled to right. Jose Devers forced Leon at second and Berti took strike three to end the inning with Miami up 2-0.
The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to begin. Rafael Devers struck out swinging but Danny Santana reached on an error by Jose Devers. Christian Vazquez struck out swinging to end the inning.
Perez cruised in the top of the third as Marte took strike three to start. Aguilar took strike three and Cooper flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Marwin Gonzalez popped up to second to start. Renfroe doubled to left and Hernandez walked, but Verdugo flied out to left. Martinez stepped up with a double to center to score both runners to tie the game. Bogaerts grounded out to first to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.
Dickerson singled to right to begin the top of the fourth but Alfaro banged into a double play. Diaz grounded out to short to end the inning. Poteet cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Devers struck out swinging to begin. Santana struck out swinging and Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning.
Leon flied out to center to start the top of the fifth but Devers grounded out to first. Berti flied out to right to end the inning. For some ungodly reason that was it for Perez after just 71 pitches in 5 innings.
The Sox looked to rally in the bottom of the fifth when somehow Gonzalez walked and Renfroe doubled to left. Hernandez popped up to first but Verdugo smashed a 3 run bomb to center to give the Sox the lead and chase Poteet. Anthony Bender came in and Martinez got a base hit to left. Bogaerts forced Martinez at second and Devers grounded out to second to end the inning but it was 5-2 Red Sox.
Adam Ottavino came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Martie flied out to center to start. Aguilar took strike three but Cooper walked. Cooper took second on a passed ball, Dickerson walked and Alfaro walked to load the bases. Somehow after throwing 12 of 13 balls, Diaz struck out swinging on 3 pitches to end the inning. In a near repeat of Wednesday night's game, the rain came and caused a long rain delay. At 10:48 PM with the rain not letting up, the umpires finally called the game. The Sox had won it 5-2.
Hero of the Night is Alex Verdugo. His 3 run home run won the game for the Sox.
The Good:
JD Martinez was 2 for 3 with 2 rbis.
Marwin Gonzalez walked and scored a run in two plate appearances.
Hunter Renfroe was 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored.
Martin Perez got the win with 5 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed 5 hits and struck out 4.
Adam Ottavino pitched a scoreless sixth inning to earn the "save".
The Bad:
Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.
Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.
Danny Santana was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.
Christian Vazquez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.
The Ugly:
Kike Hernandez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.
Final Thoughts:
Alex Cora got lucky tonight that mother nature intervened. Him pulling Perez after 71 pitches when he made Eduardo Rodriguez throw over 100 pitches last week is inexcusable. If the game wasn't called he was looking at his bullpen throwing 4 total innings when Perez could have kept going. As it is, Matt Barnes, Hiro Sawamura and Garrett Whitlock are now saved for the next game. The Sox showed some balls by tying the game in the third and Verdugo's blast was the difference in the game. If Cora says that he pulled Perez due to concern about getting hurt in the rain, that's totally understandable. Sox fans remember Dustin Hermanson and John Lackey getting hurt in games like this. But if it was "Well we thought Ottavino had a better chance in the sixth" he's playing with fire big time. It was a cheap ass win but we'll take it, especially since the New York Yankees lost on a walkoff home run to Robbie Grossman and the Detroit Tigers. The win improved the Sox to 31-20, 0.5 game behimd the idle Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to make it two in a row against the Marlins when Nathan Eovaldi (5-2, 4.39 ERA) takes on Marlins ace Trevor Rogers at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.
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