Boston Red Sox: 3 key takeaways from Game 2 of the ALDS

J.D. Martinez was a stud for the Red Sox

Red Sox fans were hoping that Martinez would step up to the plate in the bottom of the eighth of Game One. The Boston faithful knew his ankle was tender, and he couldn’t run. But if he hit the ball hard enough, he wouldn’t need to.

Martinez wasn’t in the lineup for Game One, and something was missing. There was no power in the Boston bats. Even when contact was made with the ball, runners were left stranded on base. Leadership was missing when the Sox were on the field.

Boston played great in Game Two. I’m not saying that doesn’t happen if Martinez wasn’t in the lineup. Still, I believe he was a big help. He had four hits in five at-bats, including a home run in the fifth inning.

Every time Martinez was at the plate, all eyes in the Boston dugout were on him. He had his teammate’s full attention. The Red Sox needed that in Game Two, and it is something that needs to continue on Sunday. Boston looked like more of a team Friday night. They enjoyed playing the game and were feeding off of one another’s success. Yes, Martinez being in the lineup was a huge part of that.