Red Sox 6, Tigers 3: Keep Chugging Along

What may have started a little shaky turned into a very good way to close out a 10-game home stand for the Boston Red Sox.

Did Kutter Crawford give up two runs and not get terribly deep into the game? Yes, but it’s not like he decimated the Sox’s chances in this one. Honestly, we got to see some bats come alive that we’ve really needed.

A Justin Turner homer and an Adam Duvall homer inspire some confidence that there’s still some boom in the lineup, especially with how those numbers have waned since July 29th. Trevor Story went on a tear both in the box and on the field today, which is absolutely key to the Red Sox success down the stretch. Garrett Whitlock, Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen all were extremely effective. Good Whitlock is a sight for sore eyes, as he’ll be needed as a multi-inning, high-leverage reliever for the rest of the season.

These are series you need to win, no question about it. Against teams who have no shot of making the playoffs, you can’t play down to your opponent. Maybe today was a good sign the Sox can break out of that trend, and soon.

FanGraphs

Three Studs

Adam Duvall

What a monstrous homer to pad the Red Sox’s lead, in addition to another RBI single in the third inning. It’s OK to see a guy like Jarren Duran hit a snag as long as there’s someone like Duvall hitting well enough to pick up the pieces.

Trevor Story

4-for-4 with three doubles, and an impressive flip to Luis Urias to cut down Riley Greene at third. That is exactly what we need to see from Trevor Story. He’s sitting back, taking pitches, and attacking at the right opportunities. Let’s keep this momentum up!

Garrett Whitlock

How nice is it to see him back? While he won’t be a part of the rotation, when Whit is effective, he’s lights out. Three K’s in two innings is a nice outing!

Three Duds

Pablo Reyes

Two errors, really, and no hits. Rougher day for Reyes here. He’ll probably see more bench time as Devers, Story, Urias and Casas form the everyday infield.

Masataka Yoshida

Only one hit, despite scoring a run today. The OBP machine is slowing down a little bit.

Rob Refsnyder

There was nothing offensive about his play today, giving Jarren Duran a needed break, but two K’s and one hit isn’t a phenomenal outing.

Play of the Game

It’s third in WPA, but give me Adam Duvall’s three-run shot in the bottom of the fifth inning. When you need to start getting big hits with RISP, a rocket over the Monster to score them all sure helps!