I mean, they just beat the Dodgers, 8-4, to complete a three-game sweep. The same Dodgers who are ruining baseball because they’re so much better than everyone else, or whatever. It started in the very first inning, when a flurry of walks and singles gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. There was a blip in the bottom of the second, when the Dodgers scored three runs after several singles. Fortunately, there’s something in the Red Sox’s clubhouse water these days. Whenever they get punched, there’s a counterpunch. This time, it came when Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Masataka Yoshida hit three solo home runs on seven pitches to regain the lead. From there, it was fairly smooth sailing. Jake Bennett retired ten in a row after the second inning barrage, going 5.2 innings and limiting the Dodgers to just three runs. Jarren Duran tacked on another run via the long ball in th…
Go get these fellas some well-deserved help, Craig. I’ll admit, I was skeptical of how Bennett would perform against an offense like the Dodgers’. I thought his strike-throwing might get punished by a real long lineup. It wasn’t the most dominant outing — a 9% swinging strike rate is well below average — but he got the job done. He continues to miss barrels, particularly against lefties, and his changeup gives him a pitch to help neutralize righties. He leaned into his cutter and sweeper more today; neither was great, but improvements to either pitch would help his ceiling rise. Innings is an area to watch, but Bennett has been a stablizing force in the Red Sox rotation. Sogard made at least two, maybe three diving plays in the infield. He reached base twice as well, although he didn’t score.