Are the Boston Red Sox gaining steam? It sure seems that way.
The Red Sox, fresh off taking two of three from the Oakland Athletics, squeaked out a 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners in Thursday’s series opener at Safeco Field.
There were some negatives, like Boston continuing to struggle with runners in scoring position. But there also were plenty of positives, including Joe Kelly’s performance and the energy the Red Sox showed en route to pulling out a hard-fought victory.
GAME IN A WORD
Grounded.
Kelly induced 14 ground ball outs over 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander kept things under control for the most part and kept his pitch count down as a result.
Credit the Red Sox’s infield, too, for rising to the occasion amid the heavy workload.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Mookie Betts lifted a fly ball to left field with runners at the corners and one out in the ninth inning.
The fly ball almost certainly would have scored Brock Holt from third base, anyway, but Rickie Weeks ensured the go-ahead run crossed the plate by completely botching the play.
ON THE BUMP
— Kelly looked like an entirely different pitcher after allowing at least five runs in each of his last four starts. Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of his outing was that he avoided the big inning.
Kelly sat at around 95-96 mph with his fastball, but he looked much more in control from a mechanical standpoint. He struck out two and walked three while keeping a good pace for 91 pitches (58 strikes).
There are times when Kelly looks destined for the bullpen, in large part because his electric stuff could thrive in such a role. But the guy who took the mound Thursday in Seattle looked capable of becoming a key component in a Red Sox rotation still trying to gain traction.
— Tommy Layne needed three pitches to finish the seventh inning.
Justin Ruggiano lifted a fly ball to deep right field after Kelly walked Chris Taylor with one out. Shane Victorino tracked it down just before the warning track, banged into the wall and fired back to first base, where Mike Napoli made a great pick to complete a double play.
— Matt Barnes escaped trouble in the eighth inning with some help from his defense.
Kyle Seager hit a ground ball to short with runners on first and second and one out. Xander Bogaerts fielded it and flipped to Dustin Pedroia, who delivered a strong relay throw to first base while cutting across the second base bag to complete a nifty double play.
Barnes earned the win.
— Koji Uehara tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his eighth save of the season.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Victorino hit his first homer of the season in the fourth inning. He also singled, walked and made a fantastic catch in the seventh inning to start a double play and help preserve a 1-1 tie.
Victorino’s success shouldn’t come as a surprise. He entered the game with the best all-time average (.459), on-base percentage (.500) and slugging percentage (.919) against the Mariners (minimum 40 plate appearances).
— Hanley Ramirez collected four hits, including his first double of the season. (No, seriously, it was his first double of the year in Game 35, if you can believe that.)
Ramirez also ran into a couple of outs on the bases, though. He was thrown out at second base in the second inning on a ball that briefly got away from catcher Mike Zunino. He then was caught trying to steal second base in the eighth.
— Napoli went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, continuing his season-long offensive woes. Napoli’s average is down to .165.
— Blake Swihart dropped down a successful sacrifice bunt in the seventh inning.
Nothing came of it, as Betts struck out swinging and David Ortiz flied out to center field following a Pedroia walk. But it was notable because Swihart had only one sac bunt in 1,331 career minor league plate appearances.
— Holt led off the ninth inning with a double. He advanced to third base when Bogaerts dropped down a sacrifice bunt and scored when Betts lifted a fly ball to left field that Weeks inexplicably dropped.
Weeks entered the game in the eighth inning as a pinch-hitter. It was a struggle for him in left field from there, as Holt alertly took second base while Weeks uncorked a wild throw back toward the infield.
— Pablo Sandoval pinch-hit for Swihart in the ninth inning. He was plunked in the gut by Mariners closer Fernando Rodney but stayed in the game.
— The Red Sox went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base. Clearly, that’s still an issue that needs to be resolved.
TWEET OF THE GAME
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UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Mariners will continue their four-game series Friday with another late-night tilt. Clay Buchholz will face J.A. Happ in a contest scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports Images
