As the American League Championship Series shifts to Fenway Park for the next three nights, the Red Sox are counting on the ballpark's raucous October atmosphere to provide the team with a jolt of energy.
With each successive home playoff game to date -- the wild card game against the Yankees and Games 3 and 4 of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays -- the sellout crowds have seemingly gotten louder with each contest. Alex Cora and the players credited the fans for helping to lift the Sox against the Yankees, then updated their assessment of the support with the two games against the Rays.
That both of those ALDS games were walk-off wins -- including a 13-inning marathon in Game 3 -- no doubt contributed to the at times ear-splitting environment.
As was the case during the regular season, the Red Sox have continued to be an offensive dynamo at home. The team averaged more than a run more per game at home compared to their road output during the season and in three playoff games to date, the Sox have scored a total of 18 runs -- six in each victory. But the big advantage the Sox may realize this week comes in the pitching department.
The Houston Astros, who lost Lance McCullers Jr. to a forearm injury even before rosters were completed, are now scrambling to get their pitching lined up. Originally, the Astros had planned to go with Jose Urquidy in Game 3 and Jake Odorizzi in Game 4. But those plans were dashed when the Astros lost Luis Garcia Saturday to a knee injury just three outs into Game 2.
(Garcia threw a bullpen in Houston Sunday and the Astros said he would, at least for now, remain on the team's ALCS roster, though when he might next be available, if at all, is uncertain).
Not only did that throw the Astros' rotation into the shredder, but it seriously clouds the team's next few games. Instead of having Odorizzi, who logged 82 pitches over four innings in his fill-in role Saturday, the team is currently without an announced starter. The options aren't great, frankly. Among them: Zack Greinke, who pitched his way out of the rotation with a poor September.
Meanwhile, the Sox are far more settled. Although Chris Sale provided just 2.2 innings in Game 1, the team arrives at Game 3 with a relatively rested pitching staff.
Eduardo Rodriguez, the Game 3 starter, wasn't needed out of the bullpen. Nor was ''most likely'' Game 4 starter Nick Pivetta.
Even multi-inning relief mainstays in Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock were used sparingly in the first two games at Minute Maid. Whitlock contributed two scoreless innings in Saturday's Game 2 and Houck was only called upon for an inning in the series opener.
"We're in a good place,'' said Cora. "I think overall, going into 3-4-5, we're healthy, we're rested and we do believe we're in a great spot, pitching-wise.''
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Red Sox reliever Adam Ottavino has been an American Leaguer for the last few years, but before that, he pitched in Colorado, and as such, had plenty of exposure to Kiké Hernandez, then in the same division with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ottavino has seen his new teammate grow tremendously since they last regularly faced off in the NL West -- especially this month.
"I think the Dodgers were so talented, he was kind of an afterthought for us across the way,'' said Ottavino. "But then slowly but surely, I started noticing how good he is and how much better he was getting. That kind of just continued throughout the year this year. Now, getting to see him play the whole year, especially defensively, I didn't realize how special he was. He obviously loves the big moments and now he has a lot of experience coming into this thing. He's been a leader for us.''
In seven postseason games this month, Hernandez is slashing .500/.514/.1.094 with four doubles, five homers and nine RBI.
"You're always surprised when someone is this hot," Ottavino said. "But at the same time, I've been appreciating his game more and more over the years and this year, he's taken it to another level, to be sure.''
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Rodriguez didn't pitch well against the Astros during the season.
On May 31 in Houston, he allowed six runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings. The following weekend at Fenway was no better, having allowed six runs on six hits in 4.2 innings.
But Cora insisted that's not relevant now.
"We all struggled against them during the season,'' said Cora, noting the Sox' 2-5 mark against the Astros in the two series. "It's different. Game-planning, a lot of things that we learned, and at that point, (Rodriguez) wasn't on point. The changeup wasn't good and it was a bad sinker. So I do believe he'll be OK. The pitcher that we have now, compared to who he was when we went there and then he pitched here...it's a lot different.
"The velocity's up, the changeup is what he wants. Obviously we still respect them. They're really good. They've done that to a lot of good pitchers. But he's at a different pitcher now than he was during the season.''
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Ottavino has been impressed by the work of Houck and Whitlock, contributing postseason outs as rookies.
"Whitlock, from Day 1, he's been impressive,'' said Ottavino. "He really hasn't waned at all. He's been awesome the whole year. I just think he's going to be truly special for his whole career. It's been awesome to see him from Day 1. Tanner, too. He's got unbelievable stuff. I think they're going to be starters in the future, but this year, they're kind of our super weapons out of the pen. It's great to kind of be at a point in my career where I can just be so pumped to be a part of it for them and help those guys on their journey as they're starting out.''