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COMMENTARY
The Red Sox seemed to be headed for another sweep at Fenway Park with everything in order.
Wilyer Abreu led the offense, Garrett Crochet got back to his best, and the defense played a clean game.
The Boston bullpen then gave up three runs in the ninth on two backbreaking home runs after giving up one in the eighth. The outcome was a disconcerting 5-3 defeat to a weak Marlins squad that had lost eight of their previous ten games.
“Grant pitched really well today, so it’s really disappointing,” said Steven Matz, who gave up the second home run. The trip was essentially a waste. It’s quite disheartening. It would have been quite pleasant to sweep that area.
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There’s no need to panic. The Red Sox (68-57) are 16-3 in their last 19 home games, and it was only one game. They continue to be in a great position, are mostly playing good baseball, and seem to be completely capable of scoring a run.
However, as the final stretch draws near and they look to secure their first postseason berth since 2021, Sunday’s unexpected loss did raise some possible concerns.
As September draws closer and the action picks up speed, here are three reasons to be hopeful and three reasons to be concerned:
Optimism No. 1 Starting pitching
Red Sox star When Garrett Crochet entered the mound against the Marlins, he was thinking about his final outing.
Crochet remarked, “I don’t forget that easily.” While having a short memory is advantageous in this game, I also believe it helps me to recall what went wrong and attempt to go in the opposite direction as much as possible.
Use 7pic.twitter.com/rvNeN22ki8 to crochet
Eric Wagaman hit a solo home run in the third, which was crochet’s only flaw. Other than that, Crochet was effective and mostly in control, even though the Marlins did have some traffic in the final innings.
He struck out eight batters and walked one in his seven innings of work, giving up one run on three hits. Crochet recorded his eighth appearance of seven or more innings pitched with zero or one run allowed this season, throwing 60 of his 94 pitches for strikes.
Crochet ranks fourth in ERA (2.43), and he leads the Majors in strikeouts (196). Since the beginning of June, he has a 2.77 ERA with a 9-1 record. That will suffice. It can change a franchise, and the Red Sox are lucky to have Crochet as their actual ace.
Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito have also improved, providing the Red Sox a strong 1-2-3 lineup that is ready for October.
Concern No. 1 Bullpen woes
The Red Sox needed closer Aroldis Chapman to seal a 7-5 victory that was much tighter than it should have been after taking a dominating 7-0 lead against the Marlins on Saturday.
Following his victory on Friday night, Chapman was unable to compete in Sunday’s final due to the back-to-back matches.
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Although Garrett Whitlock has had a great season thus far, the Red Sox are now 3-2 after he gave up a run on Sunday the eighth. Jakob Marsee hit a two-run homer off Matz to give Miami a 5-3 lead after Greg Weissert gave up a shot to Dane Myers to begin the ninth.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Red Sox put runners on first and second, but they were unable to equal the score. This was the second consecutive game that was too close, and Boston was stung by the poor late-game play this time.
Weissert stated that it is awful to be the one accountable for it.
Chapman has been excellent, but he is not able to do it by himself. It will take time to determine if this is an anomaly or the beginning of a pattern, but it is definitely something to keep an eye on.
Yes, the globe is still spinning, but the Red Sox are still up at 57-2 after eight innings. The Red Sox haven’t allowed drecks like this to happen in the past, but this one got away.
Picking each other up is what we’ve been doing all season, Weissert stated. Unfortunately, I just didn’t finish it tonight.
Optimism No. 2 Wilyer Abreu s bat
In the fourth inning, Abreu crushed one toward the fence, taking advantage of a lucky bounce in right field. Boston took a 2-1 lead when the ball struck Myers’ glove, spun around a little, and then fell into the bullpen.
Through a translator, Abreu stated, “It’s difficult to say whether or not that ball will go out, but obviously it was a good help.”
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With 22 home runs and 69 RBIs, Abreu leads the Red Sox in all categories. He has been hitting.300 in his previous 16 games.
In the seventh inning, he also singled and scored a crucial run, giving Boston a 3-1 lead that appeared to be sufficient.
Concern No. 2 Abreu s calf
Abreu experienced stiffness in his right calf after scoring on Abraham Toro’s sacrifice fly.
The Red Sox had to move their fielders around more than manager Alex Cora probably would have wanted to because he left the game.
Abreu stated that he will wait to hear from the medical staff before deciding on a course of action, and he does not anticipate the necessity for an MRI or being placed on the injured list.
“I had a cramp,” Abreu remarked. I’m living day to day right now to see how things develop and how I wake up tomorrow. I’ll hopefully be prepared for New York in two or three days, at the latest.
When Wilyer Abreu left the game early, he said, “A little tight, I felt a cramp – hopefully [I’ll] be ready for New York.” He doesn’t believe he will be placed on the injured list.image.twitter.com/d8bzs7lrVT
Abreu is a mainstay in the lineup and one of Boston’s most versatile players. Even while it doesn’t seem serious, it’s something to watch over the next few days and weeks.
Optimism No. 3 Jarren Duran is on fire
To cap off a fantastic all-around day, Jarren Duran walked, stole second, and scored in the fourth before double in the sixth.
Duran is at bat.Since July 21, he has reached safely in 36 of his last 39 games and has amassed 293 runs with four home runs, 14 extra-base hits, 16 RBIs, and 18 runs.
Jarren Duran is the only Red Sox player ever to record at least 12 triples, 12 HR, and 20 stolen bases in a season. And he has now done it twice.2024 21 HR, 14 3B, 34 SB2025 12 HR, 12 3B, 20 SB
Entering Sunday, he ranked fourth in Major League Baseball in extra-base hits since the start of 2024 behind only Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Bobby Witt. Jr.
Moving him to the No. 3 spot has been a game-changer, and his knack for putting pressure on the defense goes a long way for this lineup.
Concern No. 3 Production from the bottom of the lineup
The top of the lineup has been consistent of late, but the bottom hasn t been terrific. While it s fair to expect a bit of a drop-off, the decline has been noticeable.
Carlos Narv ez entered the day hitting .212 since the start of June. Ceddanne Rafaela started the day batting .208 in 26 games since the All-Star break. Toro entered hitting .195 in his last 47 games. Connor Wong is batting .169 and has five RBIs.
The lineup is still strong as a whole, but six through nine isn t producing like it was early in the year at the moment. While Toro and Narv ez did record hits Sunday, they struggled in key spots and couldn t will Boston to a win.
It was a weird game, Cora said. I think offensively we didn t do much.
In addition to writing and editing articles about Boston’s professional teams, Trevor Hass works as a sports producer for Boston.com.
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