Red Sox 2, Royals 0: Getting The Job Done

The Red Sox played . . . a normal game tonight? Yeah, we can call it that. After the endlessly depressing pantsing at the hands of the Blue Jays, the thrilling Pablo Reyes Game, the once again depressing blowout the next night, and a baseball going through the damn Monster after that, the Red Sox finally played a normal game. There was no opener or bulk reliever; no late inning heroics; no mind-numbingly stupid base running errors.

Instead, James Paxton put in a solid starter’s night of work, pitching into the sixth while not quite dominating but keeping the Royals at bay. No one committed an error. There was a sacrifice fly — it doesn’t get much more normal than a sacrifice fly!

It was a normal game, and it was both weird and refreshing as a result. The last few weeks of Red Sox baseball haven’t quite been a roller coaster, but only because you know what you’re getting with a roller coaster. Instead, it’s been more like a train driven by a toddler — sometimes way too fast, sometimes way too slow, and with a lot of confused crying.

So needless to say, we needed this. The Red Sox took three out of four from a bad team, which is exactly what they need to do during this forgiving stretch of the schedule.

Three Studs

Adam Duvall: 2-4, 2B, RBI. On the day I write an article suggesting that Ceddanne Rafaela take Duvall’s roster spot, the dude collects two hits, including one blast that damn near knocked the Monster down. I see you, Adam.

James Paxton: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 6 K, 0 BB, 0 HR

Alex Verdugo: 0-3, RBI sac fly. He knocked in one of two Red Sox runs, but I’m giving him stud status based on the sliding catch he made in the second inning, which turned into a double play. Let’s go ahead right now and call this the play of the game. If he doesn’t make this play, the entire trajectory of the game changes.

Three Duds

Luis Urías: 0-3, K

Jarren Duran: 0-3

Reese McGuire: 1-3. He was also called out for interference for failing to stay in the running lane after hitting a dribbler in front of the plate. It may have cost the Red Sox a run, as Pablo Reyes and and Adam Duvall followed with doubles shortly thereafter, but you can’t say it definitely cost them a run, as some people have. The universe doesn’t work like that!