SEATTLE -- All you need to know about the Red Sox' 7-6 win over the Mariners, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Moreland answers the call: Mitch Moreland has proven himself as a successful pinch-hitter, including, most famously, last October in the World Series. So when the Sox needed a big hit in the top of the ninth, trailing by two, Alex Cora knew who to turn to. The Red Sox had two spots to pinch-hit for in the inning, starting with the second spot up that frame. But Cora wisely chose Blake Swihart to hit for Sam Travis, saving Moreland for an opportunity to hit with men on base. Sure enough, Swihart reached when he was hit by a pitch and after Jackie Bradley reached on a fielder's choice, Cora summoned Moreland. "Alex always a good feel for that stuff,'' said Moreland. "(Being in that spot) is definitely not ideal. But when you get to that situation, or think you might be in it, you just try to prepare the best you can and be ready for it when it comes. That's kind of my game plan going in. The more experience you have (pinch-hitting), the more you can prepare.'' Moreland, who said he first started to ready himself by taking swings as far back as the fifth inning, laid off a couple of sliders in from Seattle reliever Hunter Strickland then got a fastball. Moreland smoked the ball into the right-field seats.
Barnes assumes closer's role -- for now: Alex Cora has been loathe to reveal his plans publicly when it comes to the closer's job, but for one night anyway, the assignment went to Matt Barnes. After Moreland's three-run, pinch-hit homer in the ninth, Cora turned to Barnes, who retired the side in order, with the last two by strikeout. "I was just trying to go out there and close the door on the game, honestly,'' said Barnes, downplaying any suggestion of permanence. "Any time you get in a situation like this, when the guys give you the lead late after we'd been down, you don't want to be the guy to give it up. So I was just locked in on trying to do my job and put up a zero.'' Cora, too, stopped short of saying that Barnes would have the job full-time. "We trust these guys -- all of them,'' he said. "We'll stay with the plan. The game dictated for Barnes to be in for the ninth.''
Eovaldi got squared up: Nathan Eovaldi's start wasn't any better than Chris Sale's on Thursday. Like Sale, he was susceptible to the long ball, allowing three homers in the first two innings. Even the balls that didn't leave the ballpark were belted hard. The M's hit seven balls 100 mph or greater when it came to exit velocity and totaled six runs against him over the first four innings. "That was strange,'' said Cora of how hard the Mariners were mashing against Eovaldi. "I just feel like I didn't execute my pitches when I was ahead in the count,'' said Eovaldi. "I left a couple of sliders down the middle, and same with some splitters and fastballs. I've got to do a better job of executing when I'm ahead in the count.'' With Eovaldi's struggles, the Sox became the first American League team in the live ball era to allow six or more runs and three or more homers from their starters in the first two games of the season.
TWO UP
Christian Vazquez: After going hitless in his first two trips to the plate, Vazquez unloaded with a long homer to left in the top of the eighth, bringing the Red Sox to within two runs. If Vazquez is capable of providing some big hits from the ninth spot, the Red Sox lineup will be that much tougher for opposing staffs.
Brian Johnson: The lefty was sharp in the eighth inning, with his fastball reaching 92 mph. Johnson fanned all three hitters he faced, sending the Sox to the ninth with a chance to mount their comeback.
ONE DOWN
Colten Brewer: Brewer got through a scoreless sixth, but he wasn't sharp, walking two of the first four hitters he faced before getting out of the two-on, two-out jam.
TURNING POINT
Cora identified the fifth inning when Eovaldi, who had been hit hard and allowed six runs in the first four innings, was able to give them one more. After Edwin Encarnacion reached on a throwing error by Rafael Devers, Eovaldi set down the next three in a row and saved the bullpen in the process. "I said at the time, if he gives us the next three outs, we're going to win this game,'' said Cora. "For how bad it was (at the start), he gave us the biggest three outs of the game because he gave us a chance to win.''
QUOTE OF NOTE
"We didn't stop playing today. It was a cool game.'' Alex Cora on the team's comeback victory.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Mitch Moreland became the first Red Sox hitter to supply a pinch-hit, go-ahead homer in the ninth inning or later since Mike Carp did so on Sept. 11, 2013.
- With a solo homer in the sixth, his first of the year, J.D. Martinez is now batting .393 with four homers and 10 RBI in his last 15 games against the Mariners.