Red Sox Notes: Kyle Schwarber, Pinch Hitting Pays Off In Win Vs. Mariners

Alex Cora made a judgement call in the top of the eighth inning.

With runners in scoring position and two outs, the Boston Red Sox manager opted to have Travis Shaw pinch hit for red-hot Bobby Dalbec, and after that, have a slumping Kyle Schwarber up to bat for Kevin Plawecki.

Both decisions paid off. Shaw first benefitted from a walk to load the bases and then Schwarber cleared them with a go-ahead double that scored all three runners.

Alex Verdugo followed that up with a two-run homer for some insurance, as did an RBI single from J.D. Martinez in the ninth, as the Red Sox took a 8-4 win.

“They know the moment, they know the situation,” manager Alex Cora said of Shaw and Shwarber.

“It wasn’t tough at all. We have a full bench and we’re going to use everybody. We felt those two guys were the right ones in that situation.”

Red Sox Wrap: Eighth-Inning Rally Lifts Boston To Win Over Mariners

Sep 15, 2021

Here are some more notes from Red Sox-Mariners:

— Bobby Dalbec got to hit a home run in his hometown Tuesday.

Things were feeling dire for Boston until his solo home run in the top of the sixth inning, tying the game at 2-2. It was Dalbec’s 22nd home run of the season and extended his hot streak.

— Nathan Eovaldi remains one of the most trusted members of the rotation. Eovaldi allowed one earned run on five hits and one walk in his five innings of work. He struck out nine.

In his last seven stats, Eovaldi has given up just nine earned runs and seven walks over 42.2 innings pitched with 56 strikeouts.

— Hunter Renfroe has been standing out in the outfield for his cannon of an arm all season, leading MLB in outfield assists. But Wednesday, he took his 11th error as he dropped a fourth-inning fly ball. His 11 errors also lead the league among outfielders.

— Boston will benefit from a few players returning from the COVID-19 related injury list through the rest of the week. Cora offered updates offered on Matt Barnes, Christian Arroyo, Jarren Duran and Chris Sale ahead of the game.

— The Red Sox have one more against the Mariners, with first pitch between Seattle and Boston scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET.