Finally, clean defense and home victory
Give Fenway fans something to cheer for
In 112 years, Fenway Park had never seen its team lose its first five home games of a season.
It still hasn’t. On Saturday, the Red Sox snapped a four-game losing streak and prevented the creation of an unfortunate new franchise record with a 7-2 victory over the Angels.
Though they fielded a starting nine full of minor-league call-ups again, the Sox got a bit of a break. Facing Griffin Canning, whom they’d tagged for four earned runs on five hits the previous weekend in Anaheim, the Boston bats were finally able to make some noise. By the end of the first inning, they’d matched their west coast total, taking a 4-0 lead on five knocks, including a towering 429foot blast by Triston Casas.
“The bats got it going early, and got some runs up on the board early,” said an appreciative Cooper Criswell, who made his Red Sox debut as the starting pitcher. “It gives you that much more confidence to get out there and attack the hitters.”
Batting second and third, respectively, Wilyer Abreu (2-for-4, 2 runs, RBI, steal) and Masataka Yoshida (2-for-4, run, 2 RBI) got things started with a double and RBI single. Yoshida extended his hitting streak to four games and though there’s been little extra-base power thus far, has quietly reached base safely in 14 of 15 games.
After collecting just two hits in his first eight games, Abreu has four hits over his previous two.
“I think it was a matter of time that I was gonna get my rhythm back,” Abreu said via translator Daveson Perez. “I made some adjustments, and brought them to the plate and I’m starting to see some results now.”
“He’s a good hitter, and he’s a good defender, too,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He changed the game today, offensively, did a good job running the bases, and defensively, he was outstanding.”
Abreu and David Hamilton each stole a base, putting the team’s improved speed on display again.
“We will run, we have to,” Cora said adamantly. “We cannot rely on the home run.”
Criswell gave the home team a solid four innings in his Sox debut. The righthander was unblemished save for a two-run homer. He gave up five hits, one walk, and struck out four.
That he was facing the organization with whom he’d began his professional career only heightened the experience.
“It was nice,” Criswell said. “Drafted by them and DFA’ed, it was nice to get a start against them.”
“The changeup was good, sinker was great, the sweeper kept them off-balance,” Cora said. “He gave us enough.”
Greg Weissert and Josh Winckowski followed, contributing a pair of scoreless innings apiece, and Joely Rodriguez cemented the victory with a ninth-inning appearance.
All told, the Boston bats collected 11 hits and the defense didn’t make a single error. For the first time this season, “Sweet Caroline” blasted through the Fenway sound system with the home team in the lead.
The game was not without yet another injury. Enmanuel Valdez led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk, then tripped and fell trying to steal second and Angels first baseman Miguel Sanó, listed at 6-4 and 272 pounds, fell on him. Valdez initially took the field for the top of the seventh, but he quickly returned to the dugout and was replaced at second by Pablo Reyes. The club later announced that Valdez had exited with a left-thumb contusion.
All in all, it was exactly the kind of bounce-back game the Red Sox needed after an error-filled, 7-0 shutout the night before. But as to whether it’s the true reset they need, it’s unlikely. Perhaps there’s still a little golden magic left in those City Connect uniforms after all — the Sox are 28-8 all-time in them — but there’s no quick fix for an injured, depleted, defensively inadequate middle infield.
They’ll worry about that tomorrow, though.