Under siege on several fronts, Sox dig deep for huge win

Eagle-Tribune - 9/2/2021

Sep. 2—The Red Sox needed a win and, after failing to show up most of the second half, they finally played like their season was on the line Wednesday.

Facing serious adversity on multiple fronts between the team's on-field struggles and the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, the Red Sox dug deep and earned a huge 3-2 win over the first-place Tampa Bay Rays. Coming on the heels of the ugliest night of the season, Boston played a clean game that felt like a throwback to the first half, when the team spent 85 days in first place and seemed to always make the big plays when it counted.

"We were scratching and clawing, this was by no means an easy win," said ace Chris Sale, who pitched six strong innings in the victory. "Tight ballgame the entire way and we did what we had to do. We found a way to scratch and claw through there and come up big.

"We've been kicked, we've been punched, and to see us fight like that and win a game the way we just won that game, that's a momentum boost."

Even though Sale wasn't particularly sharp, he still pitched well enough that his defense was able to pick up the slack. He allowed six hits and two walks while hitting two batters over six innings, but it didn't matter as he was able to draw double plays to end the first, second and fourth innings.

The Rays' only runs came on a two-run home run by rookie sensation Wander Franco, who got ahold of a pitch that few big leaguers could have sent out of the yard.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay was uncharacteristically sloppy, especially Manuel Margot. He let two line drives get past him in the second inning, allowing the Red Sox to score their first run, and in the fourth he was caught stealing third with no outs, which would later cost the Rays a run when the next batter singled.

Then, in both the seventh and eighth innings, the Rays had runners thrown out at the plate on weak infield grounders.

All told, the Rays had five opportunities with runners in scoring position and fewer than two outs and didn't capitalize on any of them. To put it bluntly, the Rays looked like the Red Sox had throughout the month of August.

And Boston finally looked like a team ready to exorcise its demons.

Offensively, the Red Sox weren't great, but they were good enough. Christian Vazquez went 3 for 4, including the game-tying solo home run in the seventh, and in the top of the ninth Jarren Duran delivered the go-ahead two-out RBI single with two men on to score Rafael Devers.

The bullpen, heavily depleted and trying to rally after a horrible August, stepped up as well. Garrett Whitlock pitched two strong innings after Sale, and Adam Ottovino posted a perfect ninth to shut the door.

It was, without a doubt, among the most satisfying wins of the season, and also a big statement directed towards the team's doubters. The Red Sox aren't dead yet.

Email: mcerullo@northofboston.com. Twitter: @MacCerullo.

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