The Boston Red Sox badly needed a win Sunday to avoid being swept by the Chicago Cubs in their first series after the MLB All-Star break, and Garrett Crochet stepped up and delivered.
The Cubs scored four runs Friday and six on Saturday in wins over the Red Sox, but they couldn’t muster much offense versus Crochet in the series finale.
Boston’s ace allowed only one earned run on eight hits while striking out five and walking two over six innings. The Red Sox won 6-1, improving Crochet’s record to 11-4.
He now leads, or is tied for the lead, among American League pitchers in wins (11), ERA (2.19), strikeouts (165), games started (21) and innings pitched (135 1/3).
The Red Sox went into the All-Star break with a 10-game win streak. But after two losses at Wrigley Field, it was fair to wonder if Boston’s hot streak was merely the result of an easy schedule, and that the momentum would grind to a halt now that the schedule is getting much tougher.
Crochet righted the ship, at least temporarily, for the Red Sox. That’s what great pitchers do, and his teammates took notice.
“When you need a stopper, he’s a stopper. When you need somebody to keep it going, he keeps it going. When you need someone to set the tone and be the ace of the staff, that’s what he’s done,” Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman said after Sunday’s victory, per MLB.com’s Ian Browne.
“He’s delivered time and time again all year long and we feel very confident every time he takes the hill that we have a really good chance to win.”
Crochet has easily been the MVP of the Red Sox this season, but he cannot drag the team to its first playoff appearance since 2021 by himself.
The Red Sox need other starters, such as Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello, to step up and provide the team with quality outings on a consistent basis. Giolito and Bello did this before the All-Star break, but now the competition is more intense.
Next up for the Red Sox is a three-game series versus a very talented and experienced Philadelphia Phillies squad. After that, they host the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers for three games. The following two series are against a pesky Minnesota Twins team on the road and then a home series versus the AL West-leading Houston Astros.
That’s a very difficult stretch for the Red Sox as the July 31 trade deadline approaches. If Giolito, Bello and other Red Sox starters don’t get the job done over the next week, going into the trade market to find another reliable starter would be the best course of action.
