SOX GLOVE TO WIN
Superior defense keeps team on a roll in Philly
PHILADELPHIA — After three straight games of at least four hours — what is believed to be a franchise first — yawning should have been expected when the Red Sox arrived at Citizens Bank Ballpark yesterday.
Instead, the Red Sox played defense like they had nine Ozzie Smith replicas on the diamond, converting leaping grabs, jump throws, diving catches, long stretches and the hardest of one-hoppers.
Not even an injury to starting pitcher Brian Johnson, who was pulled after 2 2⁄3 innings with shoulder discomfort, was enough to hurt the cause as the Sox secured a 7-3 win over the Phillies last night.
“We’ve played very good defense,” Sox manager John Farrell said. “We made a number of plays tonight. It was great to see (Pablo Sandoval) with a backhand play down the line, a diving play to his glove side. (Dustin Pedroia) finds a way to stay on the base at a pivotal time in the eighth inning to record an out. Mookie (Betts) with a defensive play with a diving catch.”
With three straight wins over the MLB-worst Phillies and five wins in six games, the Sox are on a 16-7 roll since starting the year 21-21.
Outstanding consistency from a bullpen that was considered questionable heading into the season has played a big role in the turnaround. Rarely has great defense been the reason.
It was just the 13th time this season that a team won the game despite getting fewer than three innings from its starting pitcher. The team getting the short starts has lost 67 times.
Hector Velazquez deserved every high-five he got in the dugout after relieving Johnson and being forced to warm up on the field. Called up from Triple-A Pawtucket earlier in the day, he put his awful major league debut behind him (five innings, six runs against the Oakland A’s in May) and held the Phillies scoreless on one hit and one walk over 31⁄ innings.
“I was more relaxed today,” Velazquez said through a translator.
The way the Red Sox were playing defense, all he had to do induce contact.
The amazing web gems included a diving stop and strong throw by Sandoval at third base, two fulllength stretches by Hanley Ramirez in his second start at first base this year, a diving catch by Betts in right field, a violent short-hop played perfectly by Pedroia at second base, a leaping grab over the side-wall in left field by Andrew Benintendi, an over-the-shoulder catch at the track by center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. and another smoothly executed jump throw from shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
The Red Sox rank 11th in the majors with plus-4 defensive runs saved, via FanGraphs, but it’s hard to remember such a perfectly played defensive game.
“Panda made a couple plays, that’s huge right there,” Ramirez said. “The main name, Pedey. That’s good. It makes it easy for the pitchers.”
Betts was right in the thick of a two-run first inning and a three-run second as the Sox piled it on former Rays righty Jeremy Hellickson.
“When Mookie gets the leadoff base hit, then we’re looking to generate a little energy because the early arrival, 4 a.m. arrival, trying to get some energy created amongst us,” Farrell said. “We were able to bunch some hits together. Mookie with some big swings early in the ballgame. Couple of home runs as the night turns out, but it was nice to see us bunch some hits together, build a five-run lead, and then be able to use the bullpen as we did.”
Johnson gave back three of the runs in the third inning before the trainer made a visit to the mound and the left-hander was quickly taken out of the game with shoulder discomfort.
Johnson will go back to Boston to be examined and the Sox expect to add another reliever before today’s game, Farrell said.
“Warming up in the bullpen I felt a little tightness,” Johnson said. “And the more and more I threw it got a little bit more uncomfortable.”
Velazquez, who had a 1.29 ERA in Pawtucket, earned his first major league win.
“You’re not expecting to get called like that in that inning and I guess what I did was keep it simple, go out there and not really trying to think too much,” he said.
Betts added two home runs, a laser beam to center in the fourth inning and his 11th of the season in the ninth.
“I don’t worry about Mookie,” Ramirez said. “He can hit. And he’s going to get hot.”