Red Sox Notes: ‘Aggressive’ Play Style Real Asset For Boston

It can go overlooked throughout the course of a 162-game MLB season.

But for the Boston Red Sox, their adept and dynamic baserunning was at the center of another win over the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday at Progressive Field.

“We like to play aggressive and cause pressure,” Duran told reporters, per NESN. “I think that’s something that’s kind of showing.”

That’s certainly not the description of your father’s Red Sox, but it’s a style that fits the athletic team the Red Sox field on a daily basis.

Boston sure put it only display in the 13-3 drubbing against the Guardians in the series finale. After Jarren Duran stole home in Saturday’s contest, Romy González swiped home — this time off of a double steal — as part of a five-run fifth inning that put the game away.

The Red Sox also showed their attentiveness on the basepaths with Duran and Kristian Campbell each taking an extra bag due to sloppy defense from the Guardians. Duran moved up from second to third base on a fly out in the first inning when Angel Martinez’s throw back to the infield got away from shortstop Brayan Rocchio.

A similar situation in the top of the second allowed Campbell to score. Martinez’s throw to the cut off man in Carlos Santana was just high enough where Santana couldn’t catch it cleanly. Campbell jumped at the chance to score and raced home, beating Santana’s throw and the tag with a head-first slide.

“I think we’re a really good base-running team,” Duran said. “Like (Campbell) taking advantage of a ball that spilled away. I advanced on a ball that spilled away. Little things like that, that other teams maybe aren’t doing because they’re checked out — celebrating their hit or stuff like that — and we’re on top of it. Honestly that extra 90 (feet) is always important in a game.”

Boston’s attack mindset when on base will certainly help them out offensively and cause havoc for opponents. And there might not be a bigger fan out what the Red Sox are doing on the basepaths than manager Alex Cora.

“It’s a combination of everything. We prepare them. They see it. They execute it,” Cora told reporters, per NESN. “I think out of all the aspects of the game, the baserunning part of it in 30 games has been outstanding.”

Here are more notes from Sunday’s Red Sox-Guardians game:

— Brayan Bello looked sharper in his second start of the season. The 25-year-old right-hander tossed six innings, allowing three runs on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Bello got through the first five frames without letting up a run before surrendering a three-run home run to Nolan Jones in the sixth.

“He did a good job,” Cora said. “Threw strikes, changed speeds. Gave us more than enough. He’s getting better. That’s the most important thing. The more reps he gets, the better he’s going to get.”

Bello also wore cleats that honored those who died, including former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel and singer Rubby Pérez, in the roof collapse of a Dominican Republic nightclub earlier this month.

“It was a big tragedy for the country and for us,” Bello told reporters through translator Carlos Villoria-Benítez, per NESN. “It’s obviously a tough time for all the people that lost their loved ones. So for me to be able to honor them, at least with the cleats, it was something that was very important to me and it meant a lot to me because there was a lot of people who lost their lives and the country was grieving.”

— Jarren Duran, who had a four-hit game, had to be restrained by Red Sox coaches and Ceddanne Rafaela as he got into it with a fan when he came out of the dugout to head out to the field for the bottom of the seventh. According to NESN’s Will Middlebrooks, the fan yelled something reprehensible to Duran, who has been open about his mental health struggles including revealing a past suicide attempt.

“The fan just said something inappropriate,” Duran said. “I’m just happy that the security handled it and the umpires were aware of it and they took care of it for me.”

— Campbell continues to not look like a 22-year-old rookie. He reached base five times in the win as he collected two hits and three walks. He also drove in two runs. Campbell’s .412 on-base percentage is the third-highest in franchise history — he only trails Ted Williams — in the first 30 games of a season by a player yet to turn 23, according to Red Sox senior manager of media relations and baseball information J.P. Long.

“He once chased. That’s a good thing. He was on time and he did a great job,” Cora said. “Put pressure running the bases, played good defense. All-around, probably one of the best if the not best game of the season.”

— Sean Newcomb basically auditioned to stay on the active roster in a bullpen rule Sunday with Lucas Giolito set to return this week. The veteran left-hander showed well in his first appearance in relief this season, pitching a scoreless eighth inning in which he struck out the side and allowed one hit. Newcomb threw 13 of his 16 pitches for strikes.

— Things go well for the Red Sox when they play from within the front. Boston is now 11-2 when they score first.

— The Red Sox have an off day Monday before beginning a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays from the Rogers Centre. Garrett Crochet is expected to be mound the mound Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET, and you can catch complete coverage on NESN.