Red Sox 9, Mariners 8 (10)

 

The bounce-back game that amerika needed.

Trevor Story, in his second game back in the lineup after a three-and-a-half month stint on the IL, singled to deep left center in the bottom of the 10th for a walk-off RBI. Story had also hit a two-RBI double in the bottom of the eighth to bring Boston back from an 8-5 deficit to within one run. Roman Anthony, also back from a long (almost four month) IL stint, went 2-for-4 with a double in the fifth and a triple in the ninth. Rafaela hit a sac fly later that ninth inning to bring Anthony home and tie the game at 8 each.

More highlights: Mickey Gasper homered in the first inning, his 6th of the season, and Jarren Duran hit a two-run homer, his 19th, in the second. Many fans are upset with Duran, focusing on his low batting average (.207) and team-leading 148 strikeouts, but ignore the fact that he leads the team in stolen bases, is second in triples, third in home rums, and fourth in RBIs. You know who doesn't disrespect him? The Seattle Mariners. They intentionally walked Duran in the 10th to load the bases with one out rather than let him hit. Last night's game ended with Duran on third when Story crossed the plate to get the go-ahead run, but if the game hadn't already ended, Duran would have have scored in that play.

Payton Tolle went 5⅔ innings with six K's and four runs on six hits, unfortunately including one homer. The bullpen went from poor to superb as the game progressed, starting with Guerrero giving up three runs on three hits and one walk in only 13 pitches, and ending with Chapman closing the game in the 10th 1-2-3 with two K's.

And guess what? The Yankees, those cheating, low-life, sons of bitches, lost last night, 10-1, to the last-place L.A. Angels. Cheaters never prosper. The Sox (75-63) are back to three games behind New York in the Wild Card standings, with the entire month of September still to go.

Sonny Gray's turn in the rotation comes up today, but the Sox announced they're resting him up before the final stretch and the post-season, and that he won't start again until Saturday. No word yet as to who will take the mound for the Sox. The team has called pitcher Jedixson Paez (spellcheck HATES that name!) up from the minors with the September roster expansion, along with infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and it appears likely that Paez will start tonight. 

The Mariners will start Bryan Woo (9-9, 4.36). Woo is 2-0 against the Sox in two career starts and has an ERA of 1.38 in games against Boston. Last year, he had a no-hitter going through four innings against the Sox in a game in Seattle on June 17, and finished with only one hit, no runs, and six Ks over seven complete innings. So Paez (or whoever) will have his hands full tonight.