The Colorado Rockies outfielders had been putting on a clinic since coming to town earlier this week. On Monday, right fielder Nolan Jones made one of the best catches we’ve seen in recent memory to rob Rafael Devers of a home run against the bullpen wall, and early on Wednesday center fielder Brenton Doyle made a crazy diving catch to rob Pablo Reyes of a likely double.
It was starting to seem like Boston couldn’t buy a break, but with the game tied in the seventh things finally flipped right when the Red Sox needed it most.
With two men in scoring position Rob Refsnyder ripped a line drive to Jones, who couldn’t make the play after seeming to lose the ball in the lights. The ball got past him and rolled to the wall, allowing both runners to score and giving Refsnyder the go-ahead two-run triple.
The Red Sox scored five runs in the inning and won the game 6-3, staving off a sweep and building back some momentum before the New York Yankees come to town this weekend.
“(Jones) made that play at the wall, he’s been playing really good defense and swinging the bat well, so thankful that dropped,” Refsynder said. “A triple is a lot better than a sacrifice fly.”
Following a two-hour rain delay prompted by a series of severe thunderstorms passing through the area, the Red Sox took the field shortly after 9 p.m. and initially got things off on the right foot. Alex Verdugo gunned down Ezequiel Tovar at the plate to keep the Rockies off the board in the first and put the Red Sox ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first with an RBI single.
But while starting pitcher Garrett Whitlock tormented the Rockies with an electric mix of sinkers, sweepers and changeups, the offense seemingly couldn’t do anything more to support him.
Despite the fact that Rockies starter Austin Gomber came to Boston with a 7.57 ERA, the worst by any starter in baseball who had thrown more than 60 innings, the Red Sox made him look like Sandy Koufax for much of the evening. Gomber retired eight straight Red Sox hitters after Verdugo’s RBI single and allowed only three more baserunners total through the end of the sixth inning.
Meanwhile, the Rockies eventually tagged Whitlock for two runs in the sixth, the first on a Tovar sacrifice fly and the second on an RBI double by Ryan McMahon.
Whitlock came back with a scoreless seventh and finished the night with two runs allowed on six hits and a walk plus seven strikeouts. He threw 72 of his 92 pitches for strikes and drew 15 whiffs, and his ERA is now down to 4.38 on the season and 3.13 in four starts since coming off the injured list.
“Shoot, (Connor) Wong’s been guiding me through the lineups, his pitch calling has been fantastic and the defense tonight really stepped up for me,” said Whitlock (4-2) of his recent success. “They made some unreal plays and a lot of ground balls that they made plays on, so that’s really been a big thing.”
The Red Sox lineup finally woke up in the seventh, sending 10 batters to the plate and cashing in on a bases loaded, no out situation. Kiké Hernández and Triston Casas singled to chase Gomber from the game, and once top lefty Brent Suter came on Wong drew a walk and Reyes tied the game at 2-2 with a sacrifice fly to center.
That set the stage for Refsnyder’s bases-clearing triple, but the Red Sox weren’t finished once they had the lead. Justin Turner tacked on an RBI single and Verdugo finished off the rally with an RBI double to make it 6-2. Josh Winckowski took care of business from there, throwing a clean eighth and trading a run from third for a double play ball in the ninth to help close out the win.
Verdugo finished the day 3 for 4 with two RBI and two doubles, and Refsynder reached safely three times, going 2 for 3 with two RBI, a walk and a stolen base.
The Red Sox are now 34-35 and will have Thursday off before opening their big weekend series Friday against the Yankees. Tanner Houck (3-6, 5.23 ERA) will take the mound against Domingo German (4-3, 3.49) for the series opener, and first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. on Friday.