Sox hoping for boost from late-inning comeback

Not all wins are created equally. They may count the same in the standings, but some have more lasting value.

If the Red Sox’ spirited 12-10 comeback win over the Cleveland Indians Tuesday night doesn’t qualify as the latter, what, exactly, would?

Three times, the Indians took leads Tuesday. They led by five in the second, by two in the fifth, and critically, one in the ninth.  Each time, the Red Sox counter-punched, finishing it off with Christian Vazquez’s three-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth.

It was hugely entertaining, with more plot twists than a paperback thriller. And it may have a more long-lasting impact.

“It’s huge,’’ enthused Xander Bogaerts of the victory.  “Tomorrow, we’re going out there again. (Cleveland) is a good team. They’re first place in their division, so to be winning against these guys is a confidence boost. There’s energy. That’s a real good team out there.’’

If nothing else, the Red Sox have proven to be more competitive against the Indians over the last two nights, which is something that couldn’t be said last October with the Tribe made quick work of the Sox in a three-game ALDS sweep. Last fall, you got the distinct impression that the two clubs could play a dozen series, and the outcome wouldn’t have changed.

But this week has been different. The Red Sox have won the first two meetings between the clubs, thus assuring themselves of their first series win in more than a month.  And remember: the Indians came to town having won nine of their previous 10.

This isn’t strictly about the quality of the opponent, however. Put aside whom they beat Tuesday, and focus on how they beat them:  in spite of their two best pitchers, not because of them. And just when it seemed that two comebacks were all that could be asked of the Red Sox, they had one more left.

“Right now is the time to roll,’’ said Craig Kimbrel, who couldn’t protect a one-run lead in the ninth, but ended up as the winning pitcher when Vazquez rescued him in the bottom of the inning. “You get through August and you get to September and you see light at the end of the tunnel, so hopefully we’re catching fire here in August and play some good ball.’’

It seems like everything can be quantified in today’s game, with an ever-expanding data base of metrics providing answers to every question imaginable. But no one is quite sure how to measure if one win can produce others.

That’s an intangible, which the metrics community is often quick to dismiss. But over the course of a long season, there would appear to be long-lasting benefits to achieving wins like the one they had Tuesday night.

“We haven’t had a game like this in a long time,’’ noted manager John Farrell. “There was energy throughout.’’

Undoubtedly, some of that energy has come from the arrival of 20-year-old rookie Rafael Devers and 32-year-old journeyman Eduardo Nunez, each of whom have made huge contributions in their first week with the team. Nunez had three hits and four RBI and is hitting .500 since joining the Sox, while Devers continues to belie his young age as he adapt to the big leagues.

It's easy to imagine the team gaining confidence from Tuesday night, just as the calendar turned and the Dog Days of the season officially began.

Whether they gained any momentum, we’re about to find out.