BOSTON -- Due to mechanical issues on the team charter following Wednesday afternoon’s game in Denver, the Red Sox didn’t land in Boston until after 5 a.m. on Thursday.
It was hardly an advantageous way for a slumping team to start a four-game series against the Yankees, particularly with their phenom, ace Cam Schlittler, on the mound.
But after being shut down by the fireballer in the first four innings, the Sox got up off the mat for a four-run bottom of the fifth that paved the way for a 6-3 victory in the opener of a rivalry weekend series.
This is what mattered most:
1. Cashed-in opportunity
Sure, the Yankees created an opening for the Red Sox when third baseman Amed Rosario allowed a 112.8 mph ground ball by Willson Contreras to go through his legs for an error that allowed Boston’s first run to score in the bottom of the fifth. But unlike many other occasions this season, the Sox maximized the opportunity Rosario provided them.
The slumping Jarren Duran hit a 243-foot fly ball to left, and third-base coach Chad Epperson got aggressive, sending Ceddanne Rafaela, who slid in safely on a bad throw by left fielder José Caballero. Then came the big swing by Caleb Durbin, who launched a two-run homer that just cleared the Green Monster to cap the damage in the four-run frame.
2. Rotation continues to sizzle, with some history
Thanks to a strong performance by rookie lefty Connelly Early, who faced Schlittler in a rematch of Game 3 of last year’s AL Wild Card Series (won by the Yankees), the Red Sox extended their streak of quality starts to eight straight games.
And this time, they turned such quality into a victory, which was not the case in three of the previous four games.
Not only that, but the Sox made some history along the way. Early’s nine-strikeout night meant that this was the first time Boston has had the starting pitcher strike out nine or more in four consecutive games. Jake Bennett started the streak with nine punchouts on Monday in Colorado. Sonny Gray had 11 strikeouts on Tuesday, followed by nine from Ranger Suarez on Wednesday.
3. This time, the bullpen comes through
The Red Sox very well could have swept the Rockies, but instead lost two out of three due to blown leads in the late innings on Monday and Wednesday.
This time, a combination of Greg Weissert, Danny Coulombe, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman got the job done, and Boston opened a seven-game homestand in victorious fashion.
Coulombe got the dangerous Ben Rice to tap one back to the mound with the tying run on base with two outs in the seventh. Whitlock ripped through a 1-2-3 eighth on just 10 pitches, putting the ball in Chapman’s left hand for the ninth.