Red Sox soar while Carlos Febles hits the floor
Hallelujah! After four very long and painful games, the Red Sox finally put another tally into the win column and the train is back on the tracks. Going into these final six games it was pretty clear that they didn’t need to win them all but coming away with as many as possible is definitely the target. Now the series with Baltimore is one-all with the final game coming tonight, a must-win.
While the Red Sox picked up the victory it wasn’t the prettiest way to go about doing it. The hero of the night was without a doubt Boston’s big slugger J.D. Martinez. Alex Verdugo and Hunter Renfroe also put in some work but it was Julio Daniel that did the heavy lifting for the boys on Wednesday night.
One thing that also came out of Wednesday’s big win was the tumble that Red Sox third base coach Carlos Febles took. Well, J.D. has a theory for Febles’ fall and it’s hard to deny that his thought process is off in any way.
"“I told him I was going so fast that the wind knocked him over,” Martinez joked."
The DH was rushing around third base and Febles got so into waving the slugger home that he fell right over. We’ve all been there, so excited that we wind up on the floor. Usually, alcohol is involved, but it happens! I don’t blame either for the excitement or urgency, especially with the way Boston has been playing, they needed every possible run they could get.
Last night wasn’t just needed to keep the Red Sox’s Postseason hopes alive but it was the type of night at the plate that J.D. desperately needed. Over the last few games, he’s been struggling, and having a complete game in the batter’s box should do wonders for his confidence as October is on the horizon.
Per Fangraphs, Julio is slugging .294/.350/.588 over the last five games, which doesn’t sound bad but you have to look at why the numbers are that good. Last night alone he totaled .750/.750/1.750 line and also had a .500/.750/1.000 night against the Yankees last weekend. He also had a couple of goose eggs mixed in with those big games so the consistency definitely hasn’t been there.
"“I’ve been feeling off and on, off and on, off and on,” Martinez said. “I’m hoping that I can kind of just carry what I was feeling today and ride it for as long as I can.”"
It’s good to see one of Boston’s best hitters find his groove, especially against a pitching staff that he should absolutely crush in every at-bat. The Red Sox are going to need all of their big weapons firing on every cylinder in these final four games to lock in the Wild Card spot. With the Mariners creeping up in the shadows while Toronto and New York trading knockout blows, the door is wide open.
As for Febles, Julio joked that his fall would be all over the team’s bulletin board today and he could look forward to plenty of razzing over the tumble. Something as small as that can mean a world of difference as the pressure mounts and boiling points are hit in the final days of the regular season. Just having that small moment of levity can allow a team to put the stress aside and take a much-needed breath.
"“That will be all over the board tomorrow, for sure,” Martinez said about Febles’ fall."
Four games stand between this squad and the Wild Card Game, win that and you’re back in the Postseason. There weren’t many expectations for this Boston club before the season started and at times it looked like they could run away with the division, but it all comes down to the next four games. If the Red Sox can do on a run here, it very well may be thanks to Carlos landing on his backside.