Game 81: The Bottom of the Lineup Shows Out & the Red Sox Take First Place
Wow, this one was a roller coaster. I'd like to shoutout JD Martinez for being the greatest hitter in baseball right now. 25 HRs before the month of July, I mean, WOW. Dude is amazing to watch for so many reasons, but his plate discipline and ability to sort through the pitches thrown at him with a fine tooth comb to find the one he wants to hit shows that his game is truly on another level. His three-run DONG put the Sox up big, but didn't prevent the pitching staff from nearly throwing this game. I've got a few thoughts:
The first - the bottom of the lineup is FINE, apart from Eddy Nuñez. Vasquez and Sandy will be enough for the Red Sox for the rest of the season, even if they keep up their current production level. Collectively, their defense, knowledge of the pitching staff AND their sufficient plate presence make this duo good enough, even for a World Series caliber team. JBJ, as I outlined in FOF Game 80, is going to remain a productive 9 hitter. He clearly put in the hours to adjust his swing, and is now using the full field as a hitter, as he is finally enjoying the fruits of his labor. But Nuñez, oh Eddy. One HR and a two game hit streak is not enough to convince me he belongs on this team. We need Pedroia back, or we need Phillips to provide some sort of production.
The second - JD and Mookie will finish first and second in the MVP race, with JD winning it. .330, 25 HR and 68 RBIs AND it's only June 27th, are you kidding me?! The only reason Mookie won't win is because of those 13 games he missed. He just can't catch up to JD, no one can. I will say, watching these two guys play together is unreal. I feel like I'm watching Messi and Ronaldo play together on the same team. And if I've learned anything from this series so far, it's that Mike Trout will start to flounder as the Angels crawl into the second half of the season. I believe that he is the greatest player of my generation, but once his back gives out from carrying this team through another feeble run at a playoff spot, his production will drop off. Mookie and JD will compete for the MVP, and JD might just fuck around and win the Triple Crown.
The third - The Sox bullpen used their June mulligan tonight, and good for them. Joe Kelly is allotted one bad outing per month, and he took full advantage of it. That throw to second that sailed past Bogaerts made me cringe, but he survived. Kimbrel and Barnes also squeezed by, and the Red Sox bullpen had a friendly reminder that allowing baserunners in close situations is a dangerous game. Thank God for Rafi Devers, that kid is going to be something special and if DD trades him away I will never watch another Red Sox game again.
And finally, the fourth- I feel so bad for Jake Jewell. Kid gets called up from AAA, comes into a pressure situation at Fenway park for his debut, sells out to try and stop another run on a wild pitch, and bends his leg 270º backwards. Poor kid. I don't care if that's the Yankees, the Angels or a high school baseball game, you feel for anyone in a spot like that.
Overall, the sox blow the shit out of a 6-0 lead but hang on 6-9 ;) to secure the series win from the Angels. I can't wait for this weekend against the Yankees
Oh, and, THE RED SOX TAKE FIRST PLACE.