Boston Red Sox: 3 factors in Game 67 extra-innings win in Baltimore
All the right moves
In what turned out to be a good ole fashion chest match, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora made all the right moves to give his team a chance to win.
With the team going neck to neck with the New York Yankees, there is no much margin for error for either team. After losing two of three to the Chicago White Sox, Cora’s team has to take advantage of teams in the bottom of the barrel.
The Baltimore Orioles is one of those teams. Although it took extra innings to beat the O’s, Cora understands there will be stretches where the offense struggles.
"“I know there are going to be stretches where you don’t score runs,” Cora said, via the Boston Herald. “Sometimes you score runs against staffs that have been dominating the league, and then you don’t score runs against other teams. …it happens.”"
In those cases, it takes a good manager to manufacture some runs. In Monday’s win, Alex Cora made a couple of moves that enabled his team to ultimately win the game.
To keep the game in a scoreless tie, Cora pulled Steven Wright with two outs and bases loaded in the seventh and put in Joe Kelly. The move worked as Kelly struck out Adam Jones. It was the contrast in pitching that made that move work as the Boston Red Sox manager put in a pitcher with a lively fastball after Wright’s knuckleball kept the Orioles batters off balance all game long.
Cora’s decision to take Mookie Betts out of the game in the 11th also paid dividends and led to the win. Betts’ replacement, Brock Holt, ended up driving in what became the winning run in the top of the 12th with a sacrifice fly.
Sometimes it does take a little luck to make the right moves, but is Alex Cora’s confidence in his entire team that allows him to make the moves he makes and gives his players confidence to deliver when they are called upon.