How did the Red Sox upset the favored Rays to win the ALDS? Here's 4 takeaways from Game 4
Bill KochBOSTON — Only in October can you pack that much baseball tension into three hours and 26 minutes.
What might feel like a lengthy slog through a midweek game in July takes on a different sort of gravity in the postseason. So it was on Monday night when the Red Sox and Rays matched up in Game 4 of the American League Division Series.
Boston seemed intent on starting the celebrations early but Tampa Bay struck back in typical style. Kiké Hernandez and his mates were forced to dig deep yet again before securing the 6-5 victory that carried them into an A.L. Championship Series berth against the winner of the Astros-White Sox series.
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The Red Sox flooded out of the home dugout after Hernandez lifted a routine fly to left field with one out in the bottom of the ninth. Danny Santana, pinch-running for Christian Vazquez at third base, scored with ease. Boston scratched out the lone run it required on a single to left, a sacrifice bunt, an infield single to third and softly-hit ball that landed in the glove of Austin Meadows.
“We always said we had a good baseball team that had some holes, and we still have some holes,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “But at the end, for how bad it looked sometimes, we’re still here.”
How did the Red Sox book themselves a date in Friday night’s ALCS Game 1? Let’s review.
Red Sox put the bat on the ball
Boston struck out only three times on Monday night, its best effort in a series in which it fanned in 15.9% of its at-bats. That was down considerably from the 22.6% of the time Red Sox hitters were retired in the regular season and well below the 24.6% of batters Rays pitching set down on strikes.
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Translation? It was Boston applying constant pressure to Tampa Bay, be it through runners on base or simply balls put in play. The Red Sox scored 24 of the final 34 runs in this series, including a 14-6 tanking in Game 2 that turned the tide for good.
“I think they had a pretty relentless approach at the plate,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We just could not create that swing and miss that we’ve done so well throughout the regular season.”
The Rays wound up burning through their pitching staff as a result, sending eight men to the mound one night after using nine. J.P. Feyereisen ultimately couldn’t deliver a second consecutive scoreless appearance and was tagged with the defeat.
E-Rod rebounded from weak outing
Eduardo Rodriguez was strong. He lasted just 1 2/3 innings in the series opener and tripled that output in this one, recording 15 outs instead of five.
The left-hander wasn’t involved in the decision, but the Boston bullpen needed this sort of length from its starter. Nick Pivetta was unavailable, Tanner Houck lacked the usual finish on his pitches and Ryan Brasier was ineffective. Attempting to bridge more than four innings to close this one out might have been too much to ask.
“I feel like today was really special for me,” Rodriguez said. “It was just amazing to go up there and have the opportunity to do what I did today.”
Rodriguez has been part of such an effort before — Game 4 of the 2018 World Series. Yasiel Puig drove him from Dodger Stadium thanks to a three-run homer, but it was Rodriguez being fitted for a championship ring two nights later after the Red Sox claimed their fourth title this century.
J.D. Martinez was on his game
J.D. Martinez proved his worth yet again. It was his single off the Green Monster in the bottom of the third that capped a five-run rally, and Boston would have been trailing entering its final at-bat without it.
Martinez played the final three games on a balky left ankle and still managed to drive in four runs. His three-run blast to dead center field in Game 2 at Tropicana Field put the Red Sox ahead to stay. His presence hitting sixth makes a strong lineup even more difficult to navigate.
“It’s not like it’s a scrappy roster or anything,” Hernandez said. “It’s a good roster.”
Martinez wound up hitting a team-high .467 in the series and went 2-for-4 in the clincher. Getting him some rest and further improving his physical condition will be a prime goal for Boston’s medical staff over the next 72 hours.
Tampa Bay gambled and lost
The Rays, analytical as they’re inclined to be, took a bit of a gamble going to Shane McClanahan in the bottom of the third.
His pitching line from Game 1 would tell you the Red Sox had little chance against him. The left-hander scattered five hits, walked none and struck out three in a 5-0 shutout. McClanahan threw 55 of his 82 pitches for strikes before turning things over to his bullpen.
A deeper look told a bit of a different story. Boston put 10 balls in play at 97.1 mph or harder per Baseball Savant. That consistent, loud contact suggested McClanahan might have been a touch fortunate in keeping the Red Sox off the board. The bill came due for Tampa Bay in this one, as all five hits Boston recorded against McClanahan were struck at 95.7 mph or harder.
Vazquez smoked a single to center, Rafael Devers lifted a three-run homer to the bleachers in center and Alex Verdugo banged the wall in left with an RBI double. Martinez finished McClanahan off with his rocket to left, and the Rays were left running uphill over the final six innings.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25