So starting this weekend, the Rays will take a couple of air filters on the road with them to limit germs.
“Pretty darn close”, Eckersley, who spent the past year of his Hall of Fame career back with the Red Sox in 1998, said via text message Saturday night. When David Price returns and joins the mix, the Boston Red Sox will hold a very strong pitching situation amongst the rest of the league. The announced attendance was around 23,000 when the game started but by the time it ended you could hear individual conversations in the stands, many I’m sure of people on their cell phones explaining to loved ones who didn’t attend why they weren’t home yet. He’s given up just three runs in 212/3 innings.
Ramirez reached on a walk and ran hard to second, taking the turn before he came up limping.
Astros 10, A’s 6: George Springer hit a two-run homer in the eighth after Nori Aoki put Houston ahead with one of his two RBIs in a rally from a five-run hole. He went six innings, allowing one run in his debut on Tuesday.
In case you haven’t heard, the Red Sox are quite popular in Boston, especially on gameday in the neighborhood that surrounds historic Fenway Park. He notched his 23rd straight save, the longest current streak in baseball. He also had a wild pitch.
Cobb battled to get the Rays through five innings, allowing four runs on 11 hits – though several the victim of what former manager Joe Maddon used to refer to as “bad geometry” in beating the shift – and not striking out any. The move paid off as Peterson hit a 2-run homer in his first plate appearance to give the Rays a 2-0 lead. He was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the second round of 2008. Sandoval has driven in nine runs so far this season.
Logan Morrison’s Grand Slam was the first for a Ray since May 11th of last season. He walked Souza, then allowed another free pass to Corey Dickerson on four pitches.
Porcello retired six straight before facing Miller with one out in the fifth.
The Red Sox’ first run in the second was fairly routine, arising from a pair of clean doubles leading to no chance for defensive prowess – if the triple is said to be the most exciting play in baseball, doubles can be among the least interesting ways to score a run. He started off the inning with a walk to Kevin Kiermaier, which is already shocking to see from Sale.
Following a 10-5 shellacking on Friday, Chris Sale made quick work of the Rays’ offense on Saturday as Boston went on to win 2-1. The Nashville Predators shocked the Blackhawks in Chicago, winning 1-0 on a goal by Viktor Arvidsson and 29 saves by Pekka Rinne.
When the Red Sox signed Moreland this winter in the same 24-hour span that netted ace Chris Sale and reliever Tyler Thornburg, the defending Gold Glover looked like the lowest impact of the acquisitions.