Red Sox: 3 takeaways from Boston’s sweep of the New York Mets
Red Sox sweep Mets in quick Queens series
In an odd but sometimes seen occurrence in baseball, the Red Sox swept the New York Mets in a two-game series. As we all know, the usual series is either three or four games but we had a fun one in Queens this week. While there is plenty to talk about in these two games and with Boston already in Texas to battle the Rangers for a four-spot, we should look back before we move forward.
If you read the temperature of Red Sox Nation you will get mixed results. Some are totally optimistic and are behind this squad without a second thought. Others are ready to storm Fenway Park at the moment something isn’t going perfect for the team. When it’s all said and done they’re currently 16-9 and have a nice 3.5 game lead in the AL East. While it may be too soon to begin gassing up the duck boats we shouldn’t scoff at what the team has done to this point.
Again, there’s no rest for the wicked and the Sox are getting ready to face off with the Rangers tonight in a series that can give them some series breathing from in the division. Let’s take that quick look back on the team’s short stint in Queens before we head down to Arlington and what may be a fully packed Globe Life Park.
Takeaway #1: Garrett Richards proves Red Sox right
Going into this series with the Mets I made a point of putting my focus on the pitching and stated that it would be the story of the last two days. Well, I was right in my assessment, to a point. I am man enough to admit when I’m wrong and at least in his most recent start, Garrett Richards proved me wrong. I have been hard on Richards since the signing because I couldn’t figure out why Chaim Bloom would sign an oft-injured starter for $10M. What we saw on Tuesday night was the answer to my question.
I’ve been hard on Richards and I think rightfully so. He’s got a hefty salary for a guy with a questionable track record. He also had a rollercoaster spring that bled into the regular season with massive inconsistency. That inconsistency continued on Tuesday night but it went in a direction that the Red Sox should be thrilled about.
Through four starts in 2021 Richards had been all over the place and hadn’t been able to truly settle in. Teams would beat him up but then he’d get comfortable and plug the hole in the dam. But there were also nights where he’d be the definition of awful and despite not wanting to make excuses, he’d have plenty.
I thought Boston would need to score a dozen to balance would what Richards could give up to New York and that just wasn’t the case. He would toss 7 strong innings and gave up just 7 hits while striking out 10 and walking none. Just for a frame of reference, going into Tuesday Richards had a 12-13 K/BB ratio. Now he sits at a much nicer 22-13 and had a start that was more than worthy of $10M.
As a West Coast pitcher for his entire career, it may just need to warm up some more for Richards to fully hit his potential in Boston. After all, once it gets to summer he won’t need to worry about that damn coat anymore.
Takeaway #2: Nick Pivetta is a Red Sox revelation
Nick Pivetta was the other arm that Alex Cora marched out to face the Metropolitans and he did just as he’s done since coming to Boston last year. If you’ve read my writing before it’s no secret to you how I feel about Nicky P. A guy who floundered with the Phillies has been resurrected with the Red Sox and is possibly the team’s second-best pitcher right now.
My guy is 3-0 on the year after tossing 5 innings of one-hit ball while striking out 7 and walking 3. Pivetta leads the AL in walks with 17 but his free passes have rarely come back to hurt him, minus the Seattle start. He’s the definition of a guy that will get himself into trouble, but won’t lose his composure and can get right out of it. The right-hander has been more than reliable for AC in the early goings of 2021 and has what it takes to be a starter for this team for the foreseeable future.
Chaim Bloom seems to be under more pressure than any other GM in the Boston sports landscape as he’s the new kid on the block. It doesn’t help that the first job he was tasked with after getting hired was to trade Mookie Betts, but we all know he didn’t have a say in that matter. What he did have a say in was the return from the Dodgers, which has been phenomenal so far.
That wasn’t the only move he made in 2020 and he hasn’t had a single miss yet. Like Hawkeye shooting an arrow, Bloom never misses. Pivetta was another great deal he worked out and we still haven’t seen the other half of the trade-in Connor Seabold yet. Pivetta quickly went to 3-0 with the Red Sox to finish off his 2020 campaign and picked up right where he left off.
The righty tossed a stellar spring training and more than locked up his spot in the starting rotation without a doubt. While Boston’s starters have all been reliable for the most part in 2021, Pivetta should be at the top of that list. Nicky P has been building confidence with each start and despite his high number of walks, he isn’t letting it get him down. Look no further than the burst of emotion he let out last night after finishing off another inning.
Takeaway #3: The Red Sox bullpen is for real
This is a topic we’ve all been talking about since the season got underway. This bullpen is pretty damn good! Barring a few outliers, the main core of this relief group is lights-out and can get the job done no matter the night of the week. It doesn’t matter who Cora calls upon or what the game situation is, the top echelon of his relievers come in to embarrass the other team, simple as that. For as good as the starters have been so far in 2021 the relievers have been equally as good if not better.
Again, not everyone has been perfect as Josh Taylor and Darwinzon Hernandez look nothing like their former selves. Adam Ottavino has had some rocky outings but has been on the upswing as of late. And I don’t know who keeps inviting Austin Brice to the ballpark but they need to be talked to about that. When I talk about the bullpen I’m talking about the murderer’s row that AC has at this fingertips.
Guys like Hirokazu Sawamura and Phillips Valdez have been great in getting games to the later innings. Matt Andriese is so good he literally lets guys on base just to let it get weird before finishing the inning. But the real story comes down to two relievers: Garrett Whitlock and Matt Barnes.
Whitlock was a Rule-5 Draft pick that has turned into a cold-blooded killer on the mound. The best part? Bloom stole him from the Yankees for free. FROM THE YANKEES! FOR FREE! Through last night Garrett has a 0.00 ERA in 13.1IP while giving up just 6 hits and 2 walks to 18 strikeouts. He’s a guy that’s still rebounding from Tommy John but unless you knew that you’d never be able to tell. His stuff is electric whenever he’s on the mound and he’s proving to be one of Boston’s best weapons.
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Then there’s Matty Backpacks. The Matt Barnes that we’re seeing in 2021 is like a freaking Terminator on the mound. He doesn’t care who’s in the batter’s box he’s here to complete his mission, get the save. It’s a contract year for Barnes and that may be adding some fuel to the fire as he’s expressed wanting an extension from the Sox but no reports of talks have really surfaced. If he stays on his current trajectory it won’t matter who signs him, he’s getting a pay raise.
I was hesitant on Barnes as the closer going into this season and much like Richards, he’s made me eat my words. The closer is currently 1-0 in 2021 having tossed 14 innings with a 25/3 K/BB ratio. Oh yeah, his 6 saves leads the AL, pretty cool. He’s always shown the ability to be a top-tier reliever and potential closer but something always seemed to fall apart at the last moment. Well, that sure doesn’t seem to be a problem through the first month of the regular season and I want to see him dominate and sign a new deal with Boston.
dark. Next. Red Sox can contend in 2021
The series may have only been two games but have plenty to talk about heading into this next series with the Rangers. Boston’s pitching on both sides of the game has been stellar in April and shows no signs of slowing down. Pair that with their high power offense and this team has a solid chance of punching their ticket to October. Now that we’ve talked about some of the positives in this last series let’s hope we have even more coming out of the next.