The Boston Red Sox are playing some of their best baseball of the year, and it has resulted in their longest winning streak of the season.
The Sox have won five consecutive games thanks to a 3-0 win Friday night over the Seattle Mariners. Boston had lost three in a row to the Athletics before the recent successful stretch, but it left Oakland with a win in the series finale and has won four straight at Fenway Park.
And the Sox haven’t been relying on just one aspect of their game to win, which manager John Farrell is pleased about.
“There’s been different ways we’ve done it,” Farrell said, as seen on NESN’s Red Sox postgame coverage. “It hasn’t been just outscoring by big margins. It’s been quality pitching, it’s been consistent pitching, it’s been timely hitting as well. So, you put a streak together, there’s going to be different ways that we do seal a win. But it’s been really good to see.”
Friday night it was all about the pitching, as left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez and the bullpen shut out the Mariners on a rainy night at Fenway. Rodriguez now is 4-1 with a 2.77 ERA, and he’s pitched seven consecutive quality starts.
“It’s just a matter of his abilities coming together,” Farrell said. “This has been an extremely talented young guy, and we’ve talked about his maturity, we’ve talked about his progression. It’s been on display here for a good number of starts consecutively. He’s in a very good place. So, it’s good to see him put it together.”
Oh, and then there’s this:
Pretty impressive.
Let’s take a look at a few more notes from Red Sox vs. Mariners.
— Boston announced infielder Marco Hernandez underwent successful surgery on his left shoulder. The exact surgery was called a “left shoulder open stabilization (Latarjet) procedure,” according to the team’s press release. He’s not expected back until 2018.
— Pablo Sandoval took the next step forward in his rehab stint. The third baseman played all nine innings for Triple-A Pawtucket on Friday, and he’s expected to do the same Saturday.
“We’ll reevaluate him and where we are on Sunday. See where we go from there,” Farrell told reporters before Friday’s Red Sox game, via MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith. “… We’ll get a better read after the next couple of days, and I think in more fairness to Pablo, we have to sit down and talk with him. So there’s no decision imminent or an announcement at this point. The fact is the other night he swung the bat good. He’s moving around well. Those are all encouraging signs.”
— Batting before Sandoval was another familiar face. Blake Swihart returned to the PawSox lineup after a finger injury had kept the catcher sidelined.
— The Red Sox are honoring John F. Kennedy this weekend, as Monday would have been his 100th birthday.
So, in honor of the 35th president of the United States, the Red Sox welcomed Tim Shriver, JFK’s nephew and chairman of the Special Olympics, to Fenway Park on Friday.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
