Doug Fister has been wildly inconsistent as a fill-in starter this year, but on Tuesday night, the Red Sox got him at his very best.
Fister yielded a solo homer on the third pitch he threw, then didn't allow another hit the rest of the way with his first complete-game one-hitter in a lopsided rout of the Cleveland Indians, 9-1.
After the solo homer by Francisco Lindor, Fister faced 28 more hitters and retired all but three (two walks, one hit batsman). He retired the final 14 hitters he faced and posted the fourth complete game for the Red Sox this season. After the Lindor homer, the Indians didn't get another baserunner to second base the rest of the way.
He got all the support he needed in the first two innings with a run-scoring single from Hanley Ramirez and a sacrifice fly from Sandy Leon. For good measures, Jackie Bradley Jr. smacked a solo homer in the fourth. Eduardo Nunez snapped out of an 0-for-13 funk with a two-run double and a three-run homer.
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
- It was inevitable that both Eduardo Nunez and Rafael Devers were going to cool off. And so they have. They couldn't maintain that sort of offensive pace for months at a time. Baseball doesn't work that way. But now that the two have come back down to earth, it looks like Jackie Bradley Jr. is heating up. There may be no streakier player in the game than Bradley. He looks to be getting on one of those runs now. He homered in the fifth to extend the Red Sox' lead and now has nine RBI in the last seven games. On Sunday, he had a triple and single and three RBI in the 5-1 win over New York.
- The Sox have to be happy with the start turned in by Doug Fister. He's given them seven strong innings, allowing just one run. He was tagged for a solo homer on his third pitch of the game, but since then, he hasn't allowed a hit. And when he's put men on base with walks (two) or hit batsman (one), he's twice gotten out of trouble with double plays. Through five innings, 11 of his 21 outs have come on the ground.
- While Andrew Benintendi has been rightly cited for some reckless decisions on the basepaths - leading the team in outs made -- he's been a super base-stealer this season. In the first inning, Benintendi swiped second (and later scored), making him 15-for-18 in steals this season. The Sox believe that Benintendi is no worse than the second-fastest player on the team.
- Mitch Moreland, sidelined for a day with some mild whiplash after a collision Sunday, is back in the lineup Tuesday. "He went through a light workout,'' said John Farrell, "and did some agility and treadmill work. He was cleared by the doctors.''
- Hector Velazquez, who is replacing Matt Barnes (lower back strain) on the roster, will provide the Sox with some length, having been stretched out as a starter in Pawtucket. It appears as though Velazquez's stay will relatively brief. He's here as insurance for Tuesday and Wednesday, in the event the Sox don't have Doug Fister or Drew Pomeranz deep into the game.
- A possibility to rejoin the Sox later this week is Blaine Boyer (neck), who began was is expected to be a brief rehab assignment in Pawtucket Monday.
- Both Dustin Pedroia and David Price enjoyed a second straight work days back in Boston. Price threw from 90 feet Tuesday and will try to get out to 120 Wednesday. Pedroia, meanwhile, continued agility work and did some sprinting on the treadmill. "He's chomping at the bit,'' said Farrell of Pedroia. "There's been no additional swelling or irritation of any kind.''