FOtF Game 101: Chris Sale’s Continued Dominance Leads the Sox to 70 Wins

Saturday's game was brutal to follow. I didn't actually get a chance sit down and watch it, and I think that was a good thing. BJ has been good as a spot starter, mostly thanks to some great run support, and he did his job again on Saturday. Johnson only surrendered 2 runs, and neither of them were earned. He's been a great man to plug into situations that need temporary help. He's a utility pitcher if there ever was such a thing, and he has been putting the Red Sox in a spot to win games when they really aren't supposed to. For as much of a surprise as BJ has been, Thornburg has been even more of a letdown. Another three earned in Saturday's loss and he's know posted a 10.38 ERA in his Red Sox career. For the package we gave up, it could easily be the worst trade deal in the history of trade deals. As for the offense, it wasn't a good night. The top of the order did their job, but the heart of the lineup wasn't able to drive them in. Tough day offensively summed up by an 0-5 with RISP and 10 men LOB. Sox lost Saturday 5-0 and looked to take the series Sunday with Sale on the bump.

Sunday's game was nothing out of the ordinary. Sale was lights out, the offense showed up, and the Sox took home the win. Chris Sale has been nothing but a Cy Young favorite over the last few months, and his current stats are stupid good. He pitched six today, struck out 9 and only allowed two hits. His ERA is almost academically ineligible at 2.13, and he is now only 3 strikeouts away from 200. The craziest thing, he is tied for the most wins for the Red Sox with 11, alongside four other pitchers. His stuff seems to have gotten better, and he looks fresh as a daisy every time he's out on the mound. If he keeps pitching in such low stretch situations, he's going to reverse in age.

The offense rebounded today after what was a tough previous 18 innings. Xander put the Sox in a place to score in the second, moving Steve Pearce to third with his first double of the night. The Sox snagged two runs in the second, breaking their 18 inning scoreless streak stretching three days. JBJ hit a ball in the exact same spot as Saturday night, but this time he wasn't robbed blind at the wall, resulting in a three run HR. Bogaerts roped a pair of doubles and Benny ripped a 2 RBI triple in the seventh. Steve Pearce, the wizard of hitting LHPs, enjoyed a nice two hit night with two runs. The Steve Pearce deal is already paying dividends, and with the market for relievers, he could easily make the most impact out of the deadline acquisitions.

The Red Sox win 9-1 and Sale gets the W (obviously). They are the first to 70 wins, and the boys are back rolling. I was really looking forward to watching DeGrom dominate the Yankees tonight, but that game has been rained out due to a monsoon in NYC. ESPN aired an interview of Giancarlo and A-Rod, and I wanted to throw up. Stanton was saying how he's had past success against DeGrom, and I was ready with a bowl of popcorn to watch him get paddle slapped live on TV. Of course, Mother Nature had other ideas and decided to spare Stanton's feelings. Sox travel to Baltimore tonight to face the powerhouse Orioles for three games before returning home after taking 2 of 3 from the Tigers.