Boston Red Sox, Mitch Moreland orchestrate another comeback win

This year’s Boston Red Sox team have quickly earned the name of cardiac kids following another jubilant comeback victory at Fenway Park.

Suddenly, the Boston Red Sox are finding ways to orchestrate victories from the hands of defeat. And suddenly, the rivalry with the New York Yankees has found a symphony of revival.

Perhaps Red Sox Nation would be singing a different tune Saturday morning after watching the bullpen squander another lead.

Instead, fans witnessed another comeback victory from a team marching loudly towards the American League East crown.

Moreland steps to the plate

On Friday night, the hero was Mitch Moreland.

With the team trailing 6-3 following a Yankees four-run sixth inning, the Red Sox bounced back with two runs in the seventh to cut the lead to 6-5. Then, with runners in scoring position, Moreland stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter.

The veteran first baseman knocked a two-run singles into center field against Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle to put the team up 7-6. From there, they never looked back. And for Moreland, it was a matter of being ready and staying focused when his name was called.

"“Three changeups, obviously,” Moreland said following the game, via MLB.com. “First two, kind of pulled off them a little bit. Couple good pitches. Probably the first one was the best one I had to hit the whole at-bat. But on the third one, I just tried to tell myself to stay back and see it a little deeper and put a good swing on it, and I was able to do that and got it up the middle for a knock there.”"

The Boston Red Sox went on to score two insurance runs the next inning to cap off the 9-6 victory. In a game that saw starter Drew Pomeranz leave the game due to back spasms, it was great to see this team find a way to pull it out, especially after the bullpen squandered the lead and nearly gave away the game.

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With the victory, the Red Sox extended their lead over the Yankees to five games in the AL East.

Offensive surge

With the offense surging the way it has throughout the month of August, Friday night’s comeback win was not surprising. In fact, it is becoming somewhat expected.

Andrew Benintendi, who has been tearing it up at the plate, delivered an RBI single in the seventh to set up Mitch Moreland’s go-ahead single. His two-out hit that brought the team within a run was evident of the type of bat he has been swinging. It has also shown how clutch the rookie has been during a stretch in which he is hitting .392 with five homers and 14 RBIs.

Speaking of clutch, Rafael Devers continues to haunt the Yankees in his brief major league career. He put the team up 2-0 with a two-run home run in the second inning. The streak both rookies have been on is becoming contagious for a lineup that struggled the early part of the season.

"“We have a lot of faith in one another,” Jackie Bradley Jr. said of the team’s hot streak. “We feel like if one person doesn’t get the job done, we feel like the next person will. And when you have that faith in each other, you put together some great things.”"

Next: Boston Red Sox: Andrew Benintendi’s blistering August nights

If this team finds a way to extend their surge into September and October, those great things could turn into another World Series victory.

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