Boston Red Sox: 3 players who rocked in impressive victory over Astros

‘More’land power 

Mitch Moreland continues to have a positive impact on the Boston Red Sox.

He continued to swing a clutch bat Sunday night with a two-run blast off Charlie Morton to give the Red Sox a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning.

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The homer, which came off a hanging curveball off Morton, set the tone for the night.  He also singled in the sixth inning and was part of the team chasing the Astros righty out of the game with a 6-1 lead.

In delivering his 10^th homer of the season, Moreland continue to prove he is a reliable bat in the lineup.  He is also a reason the team was comfortable with releasing Hanley Ramirez.  The veteran leadership, along with this patience are reasons he will be a value for the Red Sox leading down the stretch.

Despite swinging a hot bat, he never complained to Alex Cora about his playing time.  He just did whatever the team asked.

"“I think it’s just understanding this game a little bit over time,” Moreland told MassLive.com last week.  “Early in my career I felt like I might have got into that mindset a little bit of maybe getting down if I wasn’t playing as much as I wanted to, that kind of thing.  But I felt like that had a negative impact on me as a player, my family, probably my team.  And that’s not what I wanted to do.  That doesn’t take you in a positive direction.”"

That outlook and approach has eventually paid off with the Boston Red Sox.  While many fans scratched their heads when the team re-signed him for two years, $13 million, they are now enjoying what he is delivering in the everyday Sox lineup.