It was a long game that took over 3 1/2 hours, every minute of which felt pretty draining. But when it was all said and done, the Sox were able to prevail in what I think was a pretty impressive game by the score of 9 to 5.
Here are my main takeaways…
1.) Chris Sale was not very much like Chris Sale tonight. I know he hadn’t been his best in the last two outings, but I think those games were much more like Sale than tonight. And strangely enough, I’m finding encouragement in that.
Against Kansas City, he let up 10 hits but only 1 ER in 8 IP in Kansas City, as he was able to overcome many tough situations with his nasty stuff. In other words, Chris Sale was able to win by being a “thrower.”
When he faced Detroit over the weekend, he took the loss, but didn’t look awful in my opinion. He was untimely, though. The two pitches he got hurt on were in big situations, as Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch got to him when he needed outs most.
Sale has let up 11 runs since the All-Star Break but is 2-1 in that stretch. Credit: Getty Images
But tonight, Sale had to be a pitcher. He didn’t have his best stuff and velocity was down, but he bounced back from a 3-R HR off the bat of Nelson Cruz in the 1st as the Rangers took a 4-1 lead. From there on out, he adjusted well, which is what I found pretty encouraging. I know I could say that maybe the innings are catching up to Sale or even that he may need of a mental break. However, I’m not going to do so unless there’s hard evidence. He essentially got hurt on one pitch tonight, letting up the 3-run bomb to Cruz on a good piece of hitting. Against that lineup in that ballpark, you’re rarely going to shut a team down. He did a good job bringing out the crafty side of himself, fooling Ranger hitters throughout the better part of his outing.
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2.) The bullpen looked pretty good, in my opinion. Nate Jones was unable to do his job, but besides that, Matt Thornton, Brett Myers, and Addison Reed all did. The Myers acquisition not only helped by giving Robin Ventura someone to go to in the 8th inning, but by taking a ton of pressure off of the other guys.
People in the Sox organization think Nate Jones is the real deal, and the acquisition of Myers helps to take lots of the attention away from him as he goes through his first big league pennant race. We’re seeing immediately how impactful that trade was.
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3.) The offense was pretty opportunistic. It seems like every day a new hitter begins to click in this loaded lineup, which could be a buzz saw for opposing pitchers.
Rookie Yu Darvish struggled tonight & didn’t get help from his defense. Credit: Star-Telegram
Paulie seems to be hitting it well, Dunn continues to have a great approach, and the likes of De Aza, Ramirez, and Rios just keep coming up with timely hits. It was great seeing the two out rally in the top of the 9th inning, giving Addison a 4-run lead for the bottom half of the frame. If the struggles at the plate are indeed behind the team, the team may really be ready to get going.
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Tomorrow it’s Phil Humber taking on Matt Harrison, as the Rangers clearly have the upper-hand going in. Humber needs to bounce back from a very bad start in Detroit, and Harrison looks to continue adding to his impressive 2012 All-Star resume.
The Sox are now 1.5 games ahead of the Tigers, who lost once again. The Indians were also downed 11-0 by Minnesota. The questions of resiliency certainly have been answered since the Sox were swept in Detroit last weekend.
Follow @Grab_Some_Bench on Twitter for more, including updates on Alejandro De Aza’s injury that took him out of the game (word is – minor sprain).