Sox rebound with sweep of Tampa
RED SOX 9 RAYS 2
The sky was falling in Boston after the Red Sox suffered a season-opening sweep to the rebuilding Orioles, but in three days, they flipped the script. The Red Sox offense finally woke up, their pitching was dominant, they showed some grit with an extra-innings win in which they came back from three separate deficits, and with a sweep of the defending American League champions, there’s no need to press the proverbial panic button.
After a late, dramatic victory on Tuesday night, the Red Sox weren’t satisfied with just a series victory. They put an exclamation point on a three-game sweep of the Rays, using a six-run fifth inning to send them out of Fenway Park with a 9-2 drubbing Wednesday afternoon.
Eovaldi was nasty
Nathan Eovaldi carried the starting rotation’s momentum with another strong performance in his second start of the season. The right-hander threw seven dominant innings as he held the Rays to one run on three hits while striking out eight. He now has a 1.46 ERA in two starts, setting the tone for the rotation.
The key for Eovaldi was his pitch use, as he had a healthy mix of his five pitches. He generated 17 swings and misses, including eight with his four-seam fastball.
“I didn’t really have one pitch that wasn’t working,” Eovaldi said. “I was able to use the curveball. The slider, I used that a lot today. The cutter, splitty was good. I was able to locate the fastball. I made some mechanical adjustments the other day. They really helped me out. I felt really good out there.”
It was critical, too, as a number of Red Sox relievers were down after a late, 12-inning game on Tuesday night. Eovaldi only needed 92 pitches to get through an efficient seven innings, which was a perfect recipe for manager Alex Cora, who said his pitcher did an “amazing job.”
“For me to be able to come out today, get a little deeper into the game for us, and then for us to come out on top today, have the sweep, especially against the Rays is a big one for us, big series win,” Eovaldi said.
With the exception of Garrett Richards’ start in Sunday’s loss to the Orioles, the Red Sox rotation has been outstanding. They held the Rays to a team batting average of .194 for the series, and as a unit, the Red Sox have yet to allow a home run this year.
Vazquez sparks offense
The Red Sox offense had a slow start, but one of their hottest hitters helped turn the tide. Christian Vazquez, a night after catching 12 innings, stepped in as the designated hitter and launched his second homer in as many games, a two-run blast that cleared the Monster seats to put the Red Sox up 3-1 in the fourth, a lead they ultimately didn’t relinquish.
Vazquez, like last season, is enjoying another hot start offensively. Through six games, he’s 8-for-19 (.421) with a double, two homers and four RBI.
“I’m feeling good, I’m feeling sexy at the plate,” Vazquez said. “This feels good to be helping the team win. It feels good to sweep the Rays, it feels good to win.”
Vazquez’s homer ignited the Red Sox against Rays starter Ryan Yarbrough, who was lit up in the fifth inning. J.D. Martinez hit a two-run double off the Monster, and a throwing error later scored two more runs for the Red Sox. The Rays looked completely helpless as the Sox used that six-run inning to cruise to victory.
It all started with Vazquez, who’s continuing to produce as one of the best all-around catchers in baseball.
“When I see how people rank catchers, outside of our world, he’s the closest thing to a complete package,” Cora said. “He’s swinging the bat the last two years. Defensively we know what he can do, but nobody gives him the recognition. It’s not that he needs it, but I do believe that he’s one of the top catchers in the league. I’m very proud of him because he puts in the work. …
“He just wants to be one of the best. It’s not about recognition. It’s about putting in work. I’m very happy that he’s off to a great start.”
A big response
After the opening weekend disaster against the O’s, the Red Sox made a strong statement with the sweep of the Rays, who have dominated them over the last two seasons. It was the Red Sox’ first sweep of the Rays since April 19-21, 2019.
Since spring training, Cora has been preaching the importance of winning games both at home and against the division. They started poorly in both areas in their first series, but the last three days were a big step in the right direction. Now it’s about maintaining it as they head out for their first road trip of the season, which starts with a chance at some redemption against the O’s today.
“We’re 3-3 against the division, 3-3 at Fenway, we need to do better, but this is a good start,” Cora said. “On Sunday, going home, it was a tough one. But now, hopping on this plane, it’s going to be a different feeling, but nothing changes. We do believe we have a good team, but we have to keep working to get better.”