World Series back on. Just kidding, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But the Red Sox did pick up another win tonight, besting the Blue Jays for the second night in a row, and doing so in a two-hour rainstorm that had the grounds crew working overtime. This time, the Sox managed to win it in nine innings, scoring early and often to win 7-1.
After about a ten-day stretch when it seemed like no one on this team could do anything right, the Red Sox had a pretty great game, both as a team and individually. After giving up a run in the first, Doug Fister settled in and pitched an impressive, virtually hitless seven innings. In what’s been a rare occurrence lately, the batting lineup came to play as well. Eduardo Nuñez set an immediate tone for the lineup, batting first and hitting a leadoff single. He proceeded to steal base multiple times throughout the night. His numbers might have dropped off since his debut after the All-Star break, but he’s one of the only players on the team currently batting over .300 and actually hitting consistently in the past few games.
Andrew Benintendi picked up his 75th RBI of the season, while JBJ homered and made a series of impressive catches. It can’t be easy catching pop-outs when you have to look directly into the rain. Rafael Devers was back in the lineup after pinch-hitting on Tuesday. Even Mookie Betts, who’s been especially disappointing lately, managed a few hits. It’s fitting that this weird, inconsistent team should flounder in the sunshine and thrive in a rainstorm.
Are the past two weeks of embarrassing losses and shameful cheating scandals erased by two victories against the worst place team in our division? Of course not; I shattered my rose-colored glasses years ago. But I do feel more hopeful seeing our players thrive under less-than-ideal conditions; it’s how we handle adversity that shows who we truly are, not how we handle perfection.
