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Seeking to stay in the race for one of two spots in the American League Wild Card, the Red Sox took advantage of their extra innings opportunities in the 10th inning of the series final on Wednesday against the Mariners.
Alex Verdugo shot a single to advance Jack López – who was the automatic runner at second base to start 10th inning – to third. Moments later, López came in to give the green light on a passed ball, triggering a six-run inning for the Red Sox as they won, 9-4, over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
The victory raised the Red Sox’s record to 83-65 and kept them tied with the Blue Jays and Yankees atop the AL Wild Card standings after Toronto beat Tampa Bay and New York beat Baltimore.
“This is playoff baseball,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “That’s how it feels. And it’s fun, to be honest with you. When you’re giving your all and late in the game you’re exhausted for the right reasons.… You have to give. [this club] credit. They went on this road trip knowing it was going to be difficult. “
Boston was limited to just three walks and a single between the third and ninth inning after taking a 3-0 lead in the third inning. But after Mariners catcher Tom Murphy defensive foul that allowed López to score in the 10th, the Red Sox received hits from JD Martinez, Kyle Schwarber and Christian Vázquez.
“It started with Dugie the other way around,” Cora said. “… Kyle was patient, JD put the ball into play. There were a lot of good things. “
Although the Red Sox’s sticks were kept quiet until the last frame of Wednesday’s series finale, their pitching staff have held the Mariners to one point over the past seven innings. They limited Seattle to three hits, one intentional walk and one hit per pitch over that period.
The only score came when JP Crawford was taken out of the field, allowing Jarred Kelenic to score from third after Kelenic started the bottom of the 10th inning as an automatic runner on second base.
“I’ve been applauding our field all year,” said Red Sox starter Tanner Houck, who allowed three runs and struck out seven on catches in 4 1/3 innings. “They intensified. They played an incredible role. They’re an important part of this team and they’ve risen up to every occasion we’ve called upon them, and every time I’ve passed the ball to them I’ve got it all. [the] confidence in them.
The victory ended a 3-3 road trip for the Red Sox that included a 2-1 record against the Mariners and 1-2 against the White Sox. During the road trip, Boston has scored 1-3 in one-run games, and its reliever box has allowed just two earned runs in its last 26 2/3 innings during that span.
“This road trip, I have the impression [we’ve been] putting heavy innings out of the box and just trying to do our job and keep the games tight, give us a chance, ”said Adam Ottavino, who pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, winning victory Wednesday. “The Seattle show was about how they had the bullpen advantage in that series, and I think at least I did, I took it personally. [I’m] glad we were able to tell the difference the last two nights. ”
With 14 games to go into the season, the Red Sox return to Boston on Friday to open an eight-game homestand that begins with three games against Baltimore.
Entering Wednesday, the Red Sox had the easiest remaining schedule of any Majors team based on their opponents’ winning percentage (.424).
Cora said the .500 road trip and the Seattle series win put Boston in a good position to secure a playoff berth, which he said few people predicted until the final weeks of the season. season.
“So good flight, we’ll reset tomorrow and like I said before, not many people thought the last homestand of the season was going to mean anything,” Cora said. “Now that means a lot. Hope it’s fun on Friday and the rest of the week and we can take care of business. “
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