The Red Sox took 2 of 3 in their series over the weekend, continuing their outstanding play at home. Let's take a look at some notes from each game.
Game 1: Red Sox 2, Indians 4
-The Sox continued to score runs early in ballgames, putting up a run in each of the first two innings
-Jackie Bradley extended his hitting streak in his first at bat, launching his 8th HR of the season in the 2nd. The kid is on fire, theres simply no other way to put it. If the season ended today he could easily be the American League MVP, and he hits in the bottom half of the Sox lineup.
-Unfortunately, Corey Kluber really settled down after a rough start, and shut down Boston through the next 5 innings
-Clay Buccholz continued to struggle with the curse of the One Bad Inning. In this case, it was the 3rd, when he gave up all 4 of Cleveland's runs. While Clay wasn't terrible in this one, you simply can't blow and early lead against he opposing team's ace and expect to win.
-Jackie Baseball showed his all around game on Friday. In addition to his homer, he wowed the crowd with this perfect throw to home plate in the air from center field. Sadly, Francisco Lindor made an incredible slide which will probably wipe this play from JBJ's season highlight reel
-Speaking of Lindor, the kid is electric. I spotlighted him as the player to watch in my series preview, and he did not disappoint. He was 2-3 in this game in addition to 2 walks, and made a great diving play at shortstop to steal a hit
Game 2: Red Sox 9, Indians 1
-This game was Red Sox domination basically from start to finish. Boston sent 9 men to the plate in the 3rd, scoring 3 runs, and never looked back
-As predicted, Joe Kelly made his return from the DL in this one. I did not, however, predict that he would have a no-hitter going with two outs in the 6th. He would finish with 7 Ks, 3 walks, 1 hit and no runs allowed.
-As unexpected as the no-no would have been, I blame announcer Dave O'Brien it being broken up. Any baseball player will tell you that you NEVER mention a no-hitter/perfect game while it is in progress, and O'Brien couldn't stop talking about it. Can't have the home town announcer jinxing our boys like that
-In addition to excellent numbers, Kelly simply looked dominant. He was living in the upper 90s with his fastball, and was painting with all his pitches. If Kelly can continue like that, the Sox might have the makings of a real pitching staff with Price, Wright, Kelly and Porcello offsetting the dupster fire that is Clay Buccholz, plus Eduardo Rodriguez waiting in the wings.
-Moookie Betts had a HUGE game, leading the offense with 2 HR, a double, 3 runs scored and 5 RBI. As outstanding as the Sox offense has been, Mookie really hasn't had a great start to the year. If he keeps heating up, this team could really give AL pitchers nightmares
-Terry Francona and the Indians did their best to pitch around JBJ, walking him 3 times in this game. However, Bradley was not to be denied, and got a hit to extend his streak. At this point, it seems like the only way to get him out is up and in with hard fastballs. But, if you don't get it elevated enough, he will kill you
Game 3: Red Sox 5, Indians 2
-Once again, Boston got off to a hot start, scoring 2 in the first and another in the 2nd to take control of the game
-JBJ didn't have his best game, but 1 for 3 will keep his hitting streak going to 27
-Rick Porcello had a nice rebound start, allowing just 2 runs over 5.2 innings with 5 Ks. Take notes Clay, that's how you protect an early lead even if you don't have your best stuff
-Boston missed a lot of chances to really put this game away, as they left 12 men on base
-Speaking of missed opportunities, David Ortiz was about one inch away from completing his first career batting cycle (hitting a single, double, triple and home run in the same game). Big Papi was a triple short when he came up for his final at-bat in the 8th inning, and Jerry Remy astutely pointed out that the only way for him to get it was to hit one into the triangle in center field. Ortiz did just that, roping the next pitch to the 420 marker. The ball took one hop and hit the top of the padding, caroming into the seats for a ground rule double. Ortiz knew how close he was as well, as he was joking with teammates from second base. Gotta love how much fun the Large Father is having in his final season
So the Sox win the series at home, against a solid team. They pitched well, holding down the 3rd best scoring offense in the American League and beating the top of their rotation. Boston now is tied atop the AL East with Baltimore, looking ahead to a three game set with the Colorado Rockies at Fenway.
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