State of the Sox
A weekly summary of how the Red Sox performed and where they are heading
Photo Credits: Boston.com
Opponents: Astros (A), Dodgers
Week Record: 3-4
Overall Record: 69-62
Current spot in standings: 4th place in AL East
Although this week did in fact end in a losing record, finishing 3-4 almost seems like a win considering who this team had to play.
First off was a four game set on the road against the Houston Astros, where they dropped the series opener by a score of 9-4.
The game started off good when Adam Duvall put the Sox up 3-0 in the first with a three-run shot, but things went south from there.
James Paxton struggled in this one and the offense left too many men on base, and as a result the defending champs were able to take advantage and get the win.
The next day was not much better as the team lost once again, this time 7-3.
Tanner Houck made his return and gave up four runs in five innings and the defense was poor as it has for much of the season, as the team committed three errors in this one.
On the bright side of this game, Wilyer Abreu got the first two hits of his professional career in his second game against the team that traded him.
The next game had a playoff feel to it, as the team went down 3-0 early but were able to fight back.
Trevor Story had a big game which included two hits and an RBI.
With the game tied at four in the 10th inning, Adam Duvall hit a go-ahead three-run home run, his third home run of the series, to give the Sox a 7-4 lead.
Houston tacked one on in the bottom of the inning, but the Sox held on to win 7-5.
The series finale was a beauty in all aspects for the Sox, as they took it 17-1.
Brayan Bello was fantastic for seven innings, Alex Verdugo stayed hot, and Abreu got a four-hit game which included four RBI’s.
The weekend series saw the Sox host the Los Angeles Dodgers and old friend Mookie Betts.
After leading off the first game for the Dodgers, Betts got a loud standing ovation from the Fenway faithful.
After that it was game time. The Sox took a 3-0 lead on a leadoff solo shot by Verdugo in the first, and a Trevor Story two-run homer in the second.
The Dodgers eventually fought back and scored six straight runs to take a 6-3 lead.
The two teams shared a run each after that and the Dodgers ultimately took this one 7-4.
In game two of the series, the offense was going good, as Verdugo hit a leadoff home run for the third consecutive game and Justin Turner hit a solo shot, and the teams were tied at two after four innings. With the Dodgers leading 4-2 in the sixth, Duvall stepped up and hit a go-ahead three-run home run to give the Sox a 5-4 lead.
The team was able to add some insurance and took an 8-5 lead into the ninth.
This is where all the drama started, as with the Sox up three, and with two outs and the bases loaded, Betts stepped up to the plate with a chance to play hero at Fenway Park, something he has done on several occasions.
John Schreiber got him to fly out to center and the storybook ending favored the Sox this time as they took it 8-5.
The series finale was all Dodgers as they won 7-4.
They jumped on the Sox in the fourth and never looked back. Betts finally got the team with a two-run homer as he ended his homecoming with a bang.
Tristan Casas hitting a two-run homer of his own was the only bright spot in this one for Boston.
Ultimately it was a solid week given the competition, but still a losing week none the less.
Red Sox nation saw flashes of high positives, but also saw a lot of the negatives that have plagued the team this season rear their ugly head a lot this week.
The Sox will continue this stretch of strong competition when they take on the Houston Astros once again tonight, this time from Fenway Park.
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