All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 5-4 win over the Padres, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Holt wins it again: On Thursday at Fenway, Brock Holt one-hopped The Wall for a game-winning hit and walk-off victory in the resumption of the team's suspended game in Kansas City, but Saturday night, he had an even more dramatic hit. With the game tied at 4-4 in the top of the ninth and the Padres bringing in closer Kirby Yates, Holt got a pitch down-and-in and smashed it into the seats in right to snap the tie and send the Sox to the victory. Since returning from the IL after missing the first two months of the season, Holt came into Saturday night with a .342 average and a .407 on-base percentage. This marked only his third homer of the season and his .450 slugging percentage isn't very impressive, but Holt has made himself into a tough out -- as the Royals and Padres have each found out in the last three days.
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1165474583534800896
Workman walks a tight rope: Brandon Workman notched his eighth save of the season, but it was far from stress-free. After fanning Austin Allen for the first out, he walked pinch-hitter Wil Myers and wild-pitched him to second. After he recorded a second strikeout, Workman essentially gave Manny Machado an intentional walk with a five-pitch pass. For the whole inning, Workman seemed either unable or unwilling to throw a four-seam fastball; instead, of his first 15 pitches, 14 were curveballs. As the inning progressed, he began mixing in occasional cut-fastballs. But it took him until his 22nd pitch to throw a conventional fastball, which he did to Eric Hosmer. He then struck out Hosmer with his third pitch and stranded the potential tying run in scoring position and the potential winning run on first. Workman isn't typical in that whatever trouble he gets himself into is usually because of walks, not hits. For the season, he's limited opposing hitters to a .207 batting average and has given up just one homer -- and that was back in May.
Eovaldi doesn't provide much: The Red Sox have asked a lot of Nathan Eovaldi since he returned from the elbow issue that sidelined him for two months. First, he was used out of the bullpen as he built up arm strength, in the hopes that he could provide the Sox with another late-inning, high-leverage option. That didn't work out well, so he got moved back to the rotation last weekend. In two starts since, he hasn't looked sharp. On Saturday night, pitching on five days' rest, the Sox were hoping to get 85 pitches and five or so innings. Instead, Eovaldi couldn't record an out in the fourth before being lifted having thrown 64 pitches. Early on, Eovaldi seemed to be narrowing down his repertoire, relying almost exclusively on his four-seamer and curveball, to good effect. But as the night progressed, his command was less sharp and he had trouble hitting his spots. The tough thing is that with spot starter Brian Johnson set for Sunday, the Sox didn't want to use their bullpen too much Saturday. Instead, the trotted out five pitchers to contribute six innings, leaving them somewhat strapped for the series finale.
TURNING POINT
In the seventh inning, the Padres used a walk and a hit batsman off Ryan Brasier and a run-scoring single off Josh Taylor to pull to within a run of the Red Sox. With runners at first and second, Eric Hosmer came to the plate with a chance to put the Padres ahead for the first time, but Taylor struck him out on a 95 mph, stranding two baserunners.
ONE UP
Christian Vazquez: The catcher had a huge two-run double in the fourth to push the Red Sox' lead to 3-0 and later added a single in the eighth inning.
ONE DOWN
Rafael Devers: Devers was a non-factor for a change with an 0-for-5 night and two strikeouts.
QUOTE OF NOTE:
"He's a good hitter, he's a good hitter. We've been saying all along, we missed him for the first month and a half. He's an important part of what we're trying to do in terms of matching up and playing second. He's healthy, he's swinging the bat well and he's a good at-bat.'' Alex Cora on Brock Holt.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Red Sox have homered in each of their last 15 games.
- Mookie Betts extended his hitting streak to nine games.
- The Red Sox clinched their first interleague series win of the year after going 0-3-1 in their first four.