The Red Sox are living an imperfect existence. We have known that for a while.
They have had to fend off a month-long tidal wave of COVID cases. Their defense is not good. And, when the Sox woke up Wednesday morning, they sat in a virtual tie with two other teams for the two Wild Card spots.
But thanks in part to the team's 8-4 win over the Mariners Tuesday night, it's officially glass-half-full time heading into the final 15 regular-season games.
The COVID situation? Martin Perez re-entered the equation Tuesday, with Matt Barnes and Chris Sale also on the way. (Sale will start either Friday or Saturday). The standings? Who doesn't like a good pennant race?
The uneasiness has been easy to come by. That's why games like this can offer an important reminder that there are still pieces that can still complete this puzzle.
Start with Kyle Schwarber.
The defensive goat from Monday night's win showed he is far more part of the solution than the problem, breaking open a 2-2 game in the eighth inning with a pinch-hit, three-run double.
The eighth inning also should have reminded Red Sox followers of the kind of button-pushing Cora has been prone to this time of year.
Before the game, the manager noted how things were about to look a little bit different, with starters finding their way into relief roles with four days off. As far as Cora was concerned, even in mid-September, this was postseason baseball time.
Against the Mariners, however, the desperation alterations were about tweaking the offense at just the right time. In this case it started with the decision to pinch-hit Travis Shaw for the red-hot Bobby Dalbec, who had continued an impressive 1 1/2-month run with his 22nd home run. The result was a Shaw walk, setting the stage for Schwarber to pinch-hit for Kevin Plawecki.
"They know the moment, they know the situation," Cora said. "Travis has been amazing for us since he got here, not expanding the zone, attacking the pitches he wants to attack, and understanding the situation. Second and third, one out, knowing he had Kyle behind him, he’s looking for certain pitches in certain spots, he didn’t get them and kept the line moving and we were able to score right after that."
There were other reminders as to why the Red Sox might actually be able to weather this regular-season storm.
J.D. Martinez's back worked well enough to hit his 26th homer.
Nathan Eovaldi continued to deal, allowing one earned run in five innings. (The Red Sox have won six of the pitcher's last seven starts.)
Darwinzon Hernandez offered another solid appearance since returning from an oblique injury, holding Seattle hitless over 1 2/3 innings in relief of Eovaldi.
And Alex Verdugo has suddenly gotten Dalbec-level hot, sealing the deal with his a two-run homer in the eighth. For September, the outfielder is now hitting .341 with a .908 OPS.
There is a path this team can take. It showed that Tuesday night.
"It was a great win, one that we needed," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "We know where we’re at, where they’re at, everybody else. It was a good win overall."