The Red Sox continue to roll against their division, opening up a five-game lead against the Orioles behind a strong start from Eduardo Rodriguez.
Top Play (WPA)
The top play in this game came from the king of Top Plays. David Ortiz walked to the plate with a one-run lead and two men on base in the top of the seventh. As he is wont to do, he blasted a pitch into the seats in right-center field (+.204) giving the Red Sox a much more commanding four-run lead. To make things even better, he had a bit of a back-and-forth with a fan in his last at bat when he just missed crushing another home run. When he connected in the seventh, he made sure the fan noticed what had happened.
Bottom Play (WPA)
The Red Sox are being greedy these days, as they felt the need to take the worst play of the game in this one, too. This one came all the way back in the second inning, before any runs were scored. Sandy Leon came up with Chris Young on third and just one out. The Orioles played aggressively, sending their infield in despite how early in the game it was, and Leon lined a ball directly at Jonathan Schoop (-.061). Baltimore would eventually escape the inning without allowing a run.
For the Orioles, their worst play came in the sixth inning with a 2-1 deficit. Mark Trumbo came up with a runner on second and a chance to at least tie the game. It was a terrifying matchup, as Rodriguez had looked a little shaky and Trumbo has as much power as just about anyone in the league. Instead, the Sox starter came through with a massive strikeout, getting Trumbo with a nasty changeup (-.060) that dropped right out of the zone.
Rodriguez Making The Case For Number Three
Right now, the top two in Boston’s playoff rotation is abundantly clear in Rick Porcello and David Price, although the order there is up for debate. Behind them, Rodriguez, Drew Pomeranz and Clay Buchholz are battling for the last two spots. Rodriguez came through with a highly impressive outing against a great lineup on Tuesday, and could’ve solidified a spot in the rotation. He’s obviously been inconsistent at times this year, but when he’s going like he was on Tuesday with an ability to use all three pitches, he’s clearly one of the four best starters on the roster. With the way Pomeranz is going, Rodriguez suddenly has the lead for a potential Game Three.
David Ortiz Continues The Best Final Season Ever
David Ortiz is amazing. He crushed another home run last night, as mentioned above, giving him a whopping 36 on the season. It is entirely fair to call this the best final season in baseball history, and it’s not even over yet. Just give him the MVP imo.
Coming Next
The Red Sox look to continue the process of wrapping up the division on Wednesday night with the third of four games in this series in Baltimore. For the Red Sox, Clay Buchholz will take his turn to make his case for a playoff rotation spot. On the other side, Ubaldo Jimenez takes the hill for the O’s. Jimenez has been awful this year, though he has looked better with a 3.28 ERA in his last five starts since re-joining the rotation. First pitch comes at 7:00 PM ET.
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