The weekend set with the Cardinals wasn't just a run-of-the-mill, early-summer series for the Red Sox.
As Nick Pivetta explained after Sunday's win at Fenway Park, Boston viewed its three-gamer against St. Louis as a special opportunity.
"Yeah, it was a really big series for us personally," Pivetta told reporters, per MLB.com. "They're a tremendous baseball club. And to bounce back from that (11-2 loss Saturday) night, as well, that got away from us, I think it just kind of sets in stone what type of baseball team we are, how much hard work we're putting in, as well, and how good our guys are kind of running right now."
Sunday's win signaled the Red Sox's fifth consecutive series victory. However, three of those series triumphs came against the two worst teams in the American League West. Another was at the expense of the Los Angeles Angels, who were amid a slump so bad their manager was fired.
As such, it's easy to understand why Boston looked at its series against the NL Central co-leaders as somewhat of a measuring-stick matchup. Not to mention, both of the Red Sox's wins over the Cardinals were by two runs or less, which likely was a welcomed sight for a ballclub that greatly struggled in close games early in the season.
The Red Sox won't be able to prove a whole lot in their series against the lowly Tigers, which kicks off Monday night at Fenway Park. But the three-game set against Detroit should be viewed as a great opportunity for Boston to climb up the AL wild-card standings.
