The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Red Sox move closer to AL East title
CINCINNATI — The Red Sox took another step toward a division title, putting up another shutout that ended with a feel-good moment for their manager.
Mitch Moreland ended his long slump with a three-run homer, Eduardo Rodriguez pitched three-hit ball into the eighth inning, and Boston beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-0 on Saturday.
Boston has won 13 of 16, holding a four-game lead over the Yankees with eight to play. The Red Sox are trying to win back-to-back AL East titles for the first time since divisional realignment in 1969. They’ve got their best record of the season at 90-64, reaching 90 wins for the second year in a row.
It ended with a ninth inning that was unlike anything manager John Farrell has experienced. His son, Luke, relieved for the Reds, giving them a special moment in a competitive situation. “It was somewhat surreal,” he said. “Very proud. You’re standing there looking through a netting in the dugout and you think you’re maybe watching him throw back in Little League, in high school. To see it happen on a major-league mound — a special day, a special inning.”
The reliever walked two in a scoreless inning and glanced back at the Boston dugout, momentarily removing his cap, as he headed for the Reds dugout.
“There was a little added pressure for me,” said Luke Farrell, who like his father wears No. 52. “That’s the first time we’ve been on the same field together. You want to do well for your team.”
The last time a manager faced his son as an opposing player was 2004, when the Giants’ Felipe Alou went against his son Moises of the Cubs.
“There’s a major conflict going on inside,” John Far-
rell said. “You’re always pulling for your guys, but that’s a unique arrangement there.”
The Red Sox got what they wanted, closing in on a title with an offense that’s an anomaly in the homer-heavy major leagues. Moreland’s shot off Robert Stephenson (5-6) was the 160th by a member of the Red Sox, fewest in the AL.
“That gives us a little breathing room,” said Moreland, who broke an 0-for-19 slump with only his second homer in September. “That was nice.”
Rodriguez (6-6) has given up two or fewer earned runs
in each of his last four starts, the best stretch of his career. The left-hander gave up three singles and two walks in 72⁄3 innings, his longest outing since May 21, making sure he’ll be in the conversation for a prominent postseason role.
He would love a chance to start a playoff game.
“That’s going to be the best feeling in the world,” he said. “That’s what people who have started in the playoffs tell me.”
The Red Sox have shutout victories in three of their last four games, including two at Baltimore. They are 7-1 on a trip that ends Sunday. Boston wraps up the regular season at Fenway Park with three games against Toronto and four against Houston.