Throughout the Red Sox 15 game winning streak, they leaned heavily on spectacular starting pitching. Unfortunately, they didn’t get that tonight.
Eduardo Rivera was given the opening role for the third time over the course of this heater, and this time, the cracks beneath the surface fully materialized in costly fashion. He gave up four runs before the national anthem was over, and had to the leave the mound after only recording two outs and throwing over 40 pitches. He had zero fastball command, which the Orioles quickly figured out, and then sat on his slider to deliver the knockout punch.
Sadly, that’s pretty much the story of the game. From there, Kyle Bradish kept the the Sox offense off balance, and there was never a real rally despite the lineup putting the ball in play most of the night.
The bigger story now is the conclusion of the winning streak and what it’s done for the season. In short, its ensured there’s going to be meaningful baseball here for August and September (and hopefully October too, but they still have to earn that).
It’s also going to be remembered as the signature run of this team. The stretch that propelled them from dead in the water while other clubs circled the ballpark like buzzards waiting to see what they could pick from the carcass at the trade deadline, to in possession of Wild Card spot. Incredible stuff!
Many fans gave the team a standing ovation after the final out was recorded, and even as underwhelming as this particular game turned out, it was well deserved. They may have squashed what could have been an all time crazy atmosphere tonight, but they’ve also ensured there’s going to be plenty more crazy atmospheres at Fenway for the rest of the summer, and after where they were a month ago, that’s all we can ask for.
Now the focus turns to Friday, the trade deadline, and the race to the playoffs. I can’t wait to see what the guys in that clubhouse do with the opportunity they’ve given themselves!
Brayan Bello: Once again, Bello was strong in the bulk relief role, registering 5.1 innings of scoreless baseball. His ERA is 10.35 as a starter this year and under 1.00 as a reliever. Unfortunately, the team was already in a hole the offense would not be able to dig out of when he entered the game, so other than the innings he ate, his work was largely wasted.
The Fenway crowd: Every time the Red Sox got even the slightest whiff of a rally going — and that’s all they got — the atmosphere at Fenway Park immediately sounded like the tying run was in scoring position. In reality, they never even got it to the on deck circle at any point in the entire game, which is too bad because we would have really seen the place turn into a madhouse if they made a true rally.
Dennis Eckersley back in the booth for half an inning: In the bottom of the sixth inning, Dennis Eckersley returned to the booth in a guest role, bringing back memories of the outstanding analysis he gave there over the years.
He also made a very interesting comment when he said “they’re gonna make a move here” in regards to the trade deadline. I wonder how informed that is given he seems to still keep up with the team.
Eduardo Rivera: No explanation needed here. The Red Sox just needed him to not be terrible in the opening frame, and instead he lit the game on fire.
Update: He got optioned after the game:
Jarren Duran: Not only did he go 0-4 at the plate and make the final out, but he also made this lousy read on the Johnathan Rodriguez double in the first. If he just played it off the wall instead of trying to be a hero, the run probably doesn’t score on the play, and the maybe they get out of the inning at 3-0.
Carlos Narvaez: Hitless at the plate before being pinch hit for late, burned a horrible challenge on a ball three inches off the plate (probably one of the worst challenges in any game all year), and allowed a pair of balls to get to the backstop with a man on third base (the last of which he didn’t hustle after hard enough for my liking).
It’s not so much a play, but more the storyline of the streak ending. With tomorrow’s day off, we can all take some time to reflect on how amazing it was and wonder if it might serve as the foundation to something even bigger going forward. Also, that was fun! Let’s not wait another 80 years to do it again.
