Leading 7-4 in the first game of a three-game set in Tampa Bay in the middle of a heated wild-card race, Papelbon was called upon for a six-out save after the rest of the Red Sox’ bullpen faltered. The closer entered the game in the eighth innning with the bases loaded and no outs. He escaped the jam unscathed to maintain the three-run advantage.
In the ninth, Papelbon retired the side in order to complete a perfect two-inning save and increase the Red Sox’ lead in the wild-card standings.
On Thursday, in the rubber game of the series, Papelbon relieved Daniel Bard to start the ninth and once again retired the side in order to preserve a 6-3 lead. Papelbon finished the series with three perfect innings, striking out five of the nine hitters he faced. He now has 34 saves on the season.
By keeping his workload to a minimum and changing his delivery earlier in the year, Papelbon has been able to remain healthy. He will now be asked to put the pedal to the metal with the postseason on the line, and that will bode well for the Red Sox down the stretch.