Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 20, 2021 7:24:19 GMT -5
Why Wednesday night’s win was a big one for Red Sox
Current Time 0:07
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Duration 17:03
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By Ryan Hannable
9 hours ago
The Red Sox entered Wednesday being in first place in the American League East for 39 straight days and they will wake up on Thursday with that number being extended to 40.
With the Blue Jays winning six of their last seven games, they had the chance to overtake the Red Sox at the top of the AL East standings with a win Wednesday, but they never had a chance.
The Red Sox started the game with five straight hits, led 5-0 after the first inning and never looked back in their 7-3 win over the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Florida.
While it’s only the middle of May and falling a half game out of first place wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world, it keeps the momentum going and shows the 2021 Red Sox are a strong bunch.
After a tough loss Sunday and an off-day Monday, the Red Sox were shutout by the Blue Jays Tuesday, but they made sure early on that a third straight loss would not be happening.
"It’s important to win the series and we have a chance to win it," manager Alex Cora said to reporters. "Not too many people thought we would be X amount of days in first place during the season. That’s for other people to think about. Our thoughts are, this gives us a chance to win the series. Now we do."
The five-run first inning included back-to-back home runs from Alex Verdugo and J.D. Martinez, as the team finished with four overall in the game.
One of those came off the bat of Kiké Hernandez, who returned from the injured list Tuesday. Not only did he homer, he paced the offense by going 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
Another reason why the game was so big was it showed it’s now time to take Garrett Richards seriously as a member of the Red Sox rotation.
The right-hander picked up his fourth win of the season, as he went 6 2/3 innings allowing two runs on seven hits, while striking out five. He did walk four, which will be something he looks to clean up for his next outing.
Ever since allowing six runs in two innings in his first outing of the year against the Orioles, he has a 2.72 ERA over his last seven starts.
It’s time Richards be taken seriously as one of the best pitchers in the rotation.
"He’s been working hard since the first day in spring training," Cora said. "He and Bushy (pitching coach Dave Bush) have a great relationship. I think the lingo now is the same. Like I said before the game, sometimes you try to make big adjustments. With him, it was the other way around. It was simplify your windup, be more a straight line to the plate, and throw more competitive pitches. He’s done that. He’s going deep into the games. He was one pitch away from giving us seven today. We’re very pleased with the way he’s throwing the ball. He feels good. His stuff at the end was crisp, was good. Just get ready for the next one."
So while it was just a regular May road game against a division opponent, down the road this could be viewed as an tone-setting win for the remainder of the season
Current Time 0:07
/
Duration 17:03
UP NEXT:
moving
By Ryan Hannable
9 hours ago
The Red Sox entered Wednesday being in first place in the American League East for 39 straight days and they will wake up on Thursday with that number being extended to 40.
With the Blue Jays winning six of their last seven games, they had the chance to overtake the Red Sox at the top of the AL East standings with a win Wednesday, but they never had a chance.
The Red Sox started the game with five straight hits, led 5-0 after the first inning and never looked back in their 7-3 win over the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Florida.
While it’s only the middle of May and falling a half game out of first place wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world, it keeps the momentum going and shows the 2021 Red Sox are a strong bunch.
After a tough loss Sunday and an off-day Monday, the Red Sox were shutout by the Blue Jays Tuesday, but they made sure early on that a third straight loss would not be happening.
"It’s important to win the series and we have a chance to win it," manager Alex Cora said to reporters. "Not too many people thought we would be X amount of days in first place during the season. That’s for other people to think about. Our thoughts are, this gives us a chance to win the series. Now we do."
The five-run first inning included back-to-back home runs from Alex Verdugo and J.D. Martinez, as the team finished with four overall in the game.
One of those came off the bat of Kiké Hernandez, who returned from the injured list Tuesday. Not only did he homer, he paced the offense by going 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
Another reason why the game was so big was it showed it’s now time to take Garrett Richards seriously as a member of the Red Sox rotation.
The right-hander picked up his fourth win of the season, as he went 6 2/3 innings allowing two runs on seven hits, while striking out five. He did walk four, which will be something he looks to clean up for his next outing.
Ever since allowing six runs in two innings in his first outing of the year against the Orioles, he has a 2.72 ERA over his last seven starts.
It’s time Richards be taken seriously as one of the best pitchers in the rotation.
"He’s been working hard since the first day in spring training," Cora said. "He and Bushy (pitching coach Dave Bush) have a great relationship. I think the lingo now is the same. Like I said before the game, sometimes you try to make big adjustments. With him, it was the other way around. It was simplify your windup, be more a straight line to the plate, and throw more competitive pitches. He’s done that. He’s going deep into the games. He was one pitch away from giving us seven today. We’re very pleased with the way he’s throwing the ball. He feels good. His stuff at the end was crisp, was good. Just get ready for the next one."
So while it was just a regular May road game against a division opponent, down the road this could be viewed as an tone-setting win for the remainder of the season