Sean of a new day
O’Sullivan start lets Sox bounce back
The amazing power of throwing strikes was all the Red Sox needed out of Sean O’Sullivan.
On just 76 pitches, including 44 strikes, O’Sullivan challenged bottom-of-the-AL-West Los Angeles, which was held scoreless through five innings until the best offense in baseball had its best inning of the season.
O’Sullivan submitted perhaps the most important performance of his career and guided the Red Sox to a 10-5 victory, which might have given manager John Farrell’s club confidence after an embarrassing loss the previous night to the Angels.
“He went out and threw the ball over the plate,” Farrell said.
“Definitely needed a performance like that from him,” said Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. “He gave us a chance to win.”
As Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts noted during the week: If the team’s starting pitcher begins the game with a scoreless inning or two, it takes pressure off the offense and “that’s the most important thing.”
When the Red Sox score first, they’re 29-13. Otherwise, they’re 15-24. And the odds were certainly against O’Sullivan entering a matchup with sizzling Angels starter Matt Shoemaker.
O’Sullivan allowed 10 runs in his two starts with the Sox in May. He was designated for assignment but 29 teams chose not to claim him off waivers. He rejoined the Red Sox at Triple-A Pawtucket and became an International League All-Star.
Yesterday, throwing strikes was all O’Sullivan needed to do to through five-plus innings. He was pulled after allowing the first two Angels to reach base in the sixth. Both scored as Matt Barnes struggled in relief.
O’Sullivan’s work was good enough to pick up a win and make him just the second Red Sox starter in 12 games to allow two runs or fewer.
“I’ve enjoyed my time here more than anywhere else at this point,” said O’Sullivan, who has pitched for six teams in the majors and made 194 career minor league starts. “The team is great, the staff is great, the environment, the fans are awesome. If I could make this place home, that would be fantastic.”
The Angels, who are 181⁄ games behind division-leading Texas, did their part to help O’Sullivan in the first inning. Yunel Escobar whacked the second pitch of the game into left-center for a single, but unwisely kept running toward second, where he was easily thrown out by Bradley.
With two away, Angels superstar Mike Trout walked to bring up Los Angeles slugger Albert Pujols. Trout stole second but tried taking third as a later pitch skipped away from Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon. Trout, too, was out by a sizeable margin.
With an average mix of 90-mph heaters, a slider and a curveball, O’Sullivan worked in and out of jams for five innings, until the Red Sox assembled a seven-run effort in the home half of the fifth.
It all happened with two outs. Dustin Pedroia and Bogaerts reached base for David Ortiz, who connected on a 415-foot double to the triangle in center, scoring a run. Hanley Ramirez drove in two with a double down the rightfield line and Bradley singled in another.
After Brock Holt walked, Leon crushed a double to the tippy-top of the Green Monster to plate two runs. Marco Hernandez drove in Leon with a single, making it 7-0.
That was plenty of scoring, even with shaky relief by Barnes and Junichi Tazawa.
It was the first series win by the Sox in four tries as they managed to bail a few buckets of water out of their flooding ship entering today’s holiday clash with the Rangers, who are in town for three games.
Was yesterday’s result a momentum-changing win?
“Honestly, we look at today,” Farrell said. “To think what tomorrow is going to bring . . . We know what the schedule says, but we needed every energy to focus on today after what has taken place up to this point.”
It’s possible O’Sullivan could get another start, perhaps in the place of Clay Buchholz later this week, though no decision had been made as of last night.
Of O’Sullivan, the manager said, “he certainly hasn’t hurt his chances.”
The Sox are 33-12 when their starter allows three runs or fewer.
For this club, a little starting pitching has gone a long way.