Sports: Red Sox complete three-game sweep of Rays with 9-2 win
After being swept by O’s, Sox turn around and sweep the Rays
Boston — If you subscribe to the theory that Xander Bogaerts is the unofficial captain of the Red Sox, the man who should be nominated to serve as his top assistant stepped forward over the past two days at Fenway Park.
Christian Vazquez tied the game late Tuesday night against the Rays. He provided the eventual winning run batted in against Tampa Bay the following afternoon, as Boston polished off a three-game sweep of the defending American League champions in impressive fashion.
Vazquez smashed a two-run homer onto Lansdowne Street to begin the downfall of Rays starter Ryan Yarbrough. The Red Sox followed a three-run bottom of the fourth inning with a six-run bottom of the fifth, serious damage that resulted in a 9-2 triumph at Fenway Park.
Vazquez led off the bottom of the ninth barely 14 hours before Wednesday's first pitch with a solo shot in the same direction against Diego Castillo. Boston battled its way to a 6-5, 12-inning victory after trailing on three different occasions. The Red Sox entered the week having dropped eight consecutive home games against Tampa Bay, a streak that is now well
and truly over.
“Fun 24 hours,” Vazquez said. “We got both wins. It feels good to win.”
Boston began the series with an 11-2 spanking, erasing some of the bitterness present after an opening weekend sweep at the hands of the Orioles. The Red Sox find themselves right back at the .500 mark while gearing for their first road trip of 2021. Boston is in a far different place mentally heading for Camden Yards than on Sunday afternoon.
“They showed up the last few days and played complete games,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Yesterday was an emotional one — today was a lot better.
“They know they're good. They know it.”
It's not just about how Vazquez has performed since claiming an everyday role behind the plate during the 2018 postseason. It's the swagger and the confidence he seems to bring to the field now as a 30-year-old veteran. His pair of bat flips following his two home runs in each of the final two games here were nearly as emphatic as the swings themselves.
“I'm feeling sexy at the plate,” Vazquez said. “It's good to be helping the team win. It feels good to fight the Rays.”
We'll leave the romantic evaluations of the Red Sox catcher to his wife, Gabriela. But Vazquez is certainly more svelte than he was in 2020, shedding upward of 15 pounds in the offseason. He had a batting cage constructed at his Florida home and purchased a Rapsodo to study his swing and throwing mechanics through a technological lens.
“He wants to lead these guys to something big,” Cora said. “It was a frustrating year last year behind the plate for him. Now we feel we're a lot better than last year, and he's in a great place.”
Vazquez is working with a pitching staff that has yet to allow a home run through the first six games — no Boston team had done that since 1992. The Red Sox posted a franchise-worst 5.58 ERA in 2020 and have allowed three earned runs or fewer in all but one of their six starts this season. Nathan Eovaldi was excellent on Wednesday, surrendering three hits while fanning seven through seven strong innings.
“I feel like other teams are sleeping on us right now, which is fine,” Eovaldi said. “We'll be able to go out there and compete.”
This is a diminished version of the Rays team that captured the franchise's second American League pennant last fall. Pitchers Colin Poche, Oliver Drake, Jalen Beeks, Nick Anderson and Yonny Chirinos are all currently on the 60-day injured list. There is apparently a heavy price to be paid for advancing deep into October, shortened regular season or otherwise.
But this three-game series was just as much about what Boston had in its arsenal. J.D. Martinez drove his sixth double in as many games, Bogaerts added three more hits and Bobby Dalbec got on the board with his first two singles of the season. The Red Sox were strong throughout the lineup, sturdy out of the bullpen and elite behind the plate.
“I like to win,” Vazquez said. “I like championships. I like my ring. I need another ring on my fingers.”