It’s flown under the radar at times, but Xander Bogaerts has been hitting well lately.
In Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Houston Astros, it was a bit easier to notice his offensive contributions.
The Boston Red Sox shortstop went 2-for-4 in the win, knocking in a pair of runs. The first run he drove in came with some help, as Astros second baseman Yuli Gurriel lost the ball in the sun and wind, missing it just to the left of his glove. That allowed Mookie Betts to score from second, tying the game at 3-3.
“I haven’t had much of that (luck) this year, so I’ll definitely take one right there,” Bogaerts told Jahmai Webster on the field after the game, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “(Wade) Miley threw a great game. He was a great teammate when he was here, a great competitor, he threw a great game.
“I think (Michael) Chavis and obviously Mookie having a great game today too, that obviously helps,” Bogaerts added, noting the contributions of his teammates that got the rally started.
With the game still tied in the seventh, Bogaerts smacked a double off the wall in center field, plating Betts from first base.
“I kind of wanted to go to right field, for a base hit,” Bogaerts told Webster. “I got a 1-0 count, thought that second pitch was kind of hard to me, sp I thought “you know what just stay to the middle, I don’t think I want to go to right field, I’ll probably be too late on it’ So just tried to stay to the middle and put a good swing on it.”
Over his last 10 games, Bogaerts is hitting .342 with five extra-base hits, six RBIs and nine runs scored.
Here are some other notes from Sunday’s Red Sox-Astros game:
— After the Red Sox grabbed a 4-3 lead in the seventh, Matt Barnes took over on the mound in the eighth. He pitched a scoreless frame, but tossed 20 pitches, a little higher than what Alex Cora likely would have wanted, so the Sox manager elected to send Brandon Workman out to handle the ninth.
Workman earned his first career save, striking out two and walking one in a scoreless inning.
It was the continuation of what mostly has been a good season for Workman, and it shows Cora trusts the righty in high-leverage situations. With Ryan Brasier struggling a bit, it must be a relief for Cora to have another guy he can trust in those big spots.
— Marcus Walden continues to be a gem in the Red Sox bullpen.
The reliever took over in the sixth inning with the bases loaded and one out, but got Jake Marisnick to ground into an inning-ending 6-3 double play. Walden returned for the seventh and pitched a hitless, scoreless stanza, walking one.
Walden ultimately got the win, extending his record to 6-0 for the season. Over his last 11 games (18 1/3 innings), the 30-year-old is 4-0 with a 0.49 ERA, 19 strikeouts and two walks.
— It’s tough to assess the outing of Chris Sale, who had both good and not-so-good moments.
The Red Sox ace struck out 10 over 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits. He loaded the bases with one out before getting lifted in the sixth, but the double play Walden induced ended the frame without issue.
On one hand, Sale struck out 10-plus for the fourth straight start and fifth out of the last six. However, he also issued an uncharacteristic five walks, the most free passes he’s handed out in a single game as a member of the Red Sox.
But all things considered, he did enough to put his team in a position to win. It was clunky at times, sure, but given how he started the season, it isn’t necessarily an outing that would be classified as concerning.
— The Red Sox’s victory snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Astros. The Red Sox now will head to Toronto for a four-game set with the Blue Jays beginning Monday, then they will meet the Astros again next weekend. That’ll be another three-game series, but in Houston.
