Given the chance to lose a series against the Oakland A’s, the Red Sox moved heaven and earth early to make sure it didn’t happen.
Boston jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the first inning and tacked on a pair of solo shots in the third and fourth to pave the way to a 7-0 victory, securing the rubber match to avoid disaster and keep this thing rolling in the right direction…
Series W.
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 12, 2024
FINAL: #RedSox 7, Athletics 0#DirtyWater pic.twitter.com/VT1z5kxzhK
At the center of it all was Masataka Yoshida, Connor Wong, Wilyer Abreu and Tanner Houck.
Pardon me, that’s ALL-STAR Tanner Houck…
Houck carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before allowing a one-out single by Kyle McCann. He immediately got back on track by coaxing an inning-ending double play on the way to tossing six scoreless innings with just two hits allowed, three walks and six strikeouts.
“Well, what wasn’t (working for him)?” flustered A’s skipper and former Red Sox Mark Kotsay told me after Houck mowed down his young team’s lineup. “He’s a solid starter, he’s turned into a front-line guy that’s probably going to start the All-Star Game, or have a chance to. The sweeper is real. The split is exceptional, and he throws enough fastballs to keep you off those pitches.”
Houck concluded the first half of the season at 8-6 with a 2.54 ERA and 112 strikeouts.
Tanner Houck, Filthy 83mph Slider. 😷
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 12, 2024
6th K pic.twitter.com/j7Gi5qJK0O
“I’m super stoked with the consistency I’ve had in the first half. It’s not done, though,” Houck said. “I can look back and easily be satisfied with it, but I want more. I want to continue to go deeper into games, I want to continue to go out there with my best stuff every night and just ultimately put the team in the best position to win.”
Yoshida continued his strong month of July, roping a two-run single to right with two outs in the opening frame to put the Sox on the board. Then in the sixth, he unleashed a two-run shot into the Boston night (and bullpen) to further hammer the nail in the A’s coffin.
Masataka Yoshida makes it a 7-0 @RedSox lead! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/DwVa69xL4H
— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2024
With his 3 for 4 day, Yoshida is now hitting .333 with a couple of homers and 11 RBIs in eight games this month.
“Just the hitter that we envisioned,” Alex Cora said of Yoshida. “Not trying to hit the ball in the air, just trying to hit it hard. And when you do that, good things happen. This guy, he’s done it before in Japan, last year. Obviously, when healthy, he was one of the best hitters that we had.”
It’s a positive outcome any way you look at it. Either he’s finding his rhythm while helping the Sox win games, or he’s increasing his trade value and making it easier than some anticipated to move him at the trade deadline.
Wong and Abreu each knocked solo blasts — a no-doubter Green Monster shot by Wong in the third, followed by a ball Abreu got just enough of in the fourth to deposit in the first row of the center-field seats near the front of the triangle. Abreu finished with a pair of RBIs after also knocking in Boston’s third run in the first with a double.
Next up, the Sox will get a crack at the improved Kansas City Royals in a three-game set that will take them into the All-Star break. The Royals will be rested following an off day and riding high after taking three straight, including two of a scheduled three-game set in St. Louis (the opener was postponed).
These two teams have near identical records, and they both have their eye on the same prize. Boston leads Kansas City by one game for the final playoff spot in the AL. When was the last time a Red Sox-Royals series was interesting this late into the season… or, for that matter, ever?
Should make for an interesting weekend…
Pivetta’s (and Bello’s) regression
Let’s face it, Nick Pivetta has regressed during this season.
His latest was a not-too-bad, but not-too-good outing against the A’s in which he allowed four runs in a 6 2/3-inning defeat on Wednesday. Yet in typical Pivetta fashion, there were flashes of dominance as he struck out 10 — including eight in a row to match the franchise record for the second time this season.
Inconsistent might as well be his middle name…
Pivetta has had the strikeout pitch working this month, as he also fanned 10 over seven inning of one-run ball last week at Miami. But on the whole, Pivetta hasn’t pitched very well of late — his prior seven outings saw him go 2-3 with a 5.66 ERA and an opposing batting average of .277.
That being said? You’d probably be better served to hang on to Pivetta than not, unless someone is going to come in and blow you away. If Andrew Bailey can help him recapture a stretch of brilliance, he could certainly be of use to the Sox down the stretch in a playoff push…
“Feel like I’m getting much healthier, much stronger from here out,” Pivetta said after Wednesday’s start. “Hopefully things kind of stay in the same zone, but I think there’s more to improve on. I think there’s a better half for me coming in the second half.”
And then, there’s Brayan Bello…
Bello’s first start since an important bounce-back effort in Miami was a mixed bag. On the one hand, he showed how dominant he can be by striking out a career-high 11 batters in Tuesday’s 12-9 win over the A’s.
But on the other, he allowed five runs on a season-high-tying nine hits and walked two…
“I think all in all, it was a good day for me,” Bello said after the game through a team interpreter. “Yeah, the runs is one thing, but I think I gave our team a really good chance to win. It was good to get those strikeouts. So I think today was a positive.”
We’ll get a better picture on whether or not Bello really has turned a corner as he is in line to start Sunday’s first-half finale against Kansas City. If Bello resembled more of the “controlled chaos” from his start in Miami a week ago, when he walked only one, then I think it’s safe to feel better about him moving forward.
Bello won’t be your No. 1, 2 or even No. 3 starter down the stretch this year, but he could certainly help the cause if he’s able to settle down enough to not put the team behind the eight ball each time he steps onto the mound…
Right call on Devers
Much as we all would’ve loved to see Raffy Devers running roughshod in the Wild, Wild West (a.k.a. next week’s All-Star Game in Arlington), you have to acknowledge that the Sox brass made the right move in keeping him home.
Boston’s decision to have Devers skip the Midsummer Classic is rooted in both the best interest of the player mixed with self-preservation.
As well you know, Devers’ year got off to a troubling start as he dealt with shoulder and knee ailments in the early stages of the 2024 campaign. While those issues appear to be behind him, trotting him out to play any more baseball than absolutely necessary just doesn’t seem wise.
Then there’s the fact that… if Devers were to go down, the Sox would be in big, big trouble. Boston’s roster was built with high expectations for Devers, and he’s certainly delivered. His steady presence at the plate has helped overcome the losses of Trevor Story and Triston Casas.
While the Sox figure to get Casas back sooner than later, taking Devers out of the lineup would have rippling effects, none of which are good (I mean, duh…). In addition to simply losing your best hitter, it makes the hitters around him in the lineup weaker with no one to “protect” them.
It is a shame, because as Devers himself said, he was “super happy” to be named an All-Star for the third time in his career. That being said, it seems a safe bet to say there will be more — probably many, many more — in his career…
Gethin Coolbaugh is a columnist for Boston Sports Journal. Follow him @GethinCoolbaugh on X/Twitter.