Boston Red Sox power past low-flying Blue Jays: 3 clutch moments

The Boston Red Sox used a late display of power Tuesday night to rally past the Toronto Blues with a 10-7 victory in 10 innings.

There is something amazing going on with this 2018 Boston Red Sox team.  If you are a critic, go ahead and continue to doubt.  If you are a fan, however, just enjoy what is going on.

On a hot mid-summer night in Toronto, the Red Sox showed they weren’t ready to cool down after a four-game sweep of the New York Yankees.  Showing the same fight they did in Sunday night’s dramatic comeback victory, Boston rallied down three runs to eventually overtake the low-flying Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

It didn’t start off that great.  Starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz proved once again that he has a long way to go if he is to become the pitcher he was in 2017.  He only yielded two runs, but his five walks took him off the mound after just 4 2/3 innings.

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Luckily, Alex Cora’s team was able to battle back with a late power surge to eventually ahead in the game on a clutch 3-run home run off the bat of J.D. Martinez.    However, the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead which is another cause for concern.

Matt Barnes gave up an RBI double to Luke Maile to pull the Blue Jays back within one run in the bottom of the eighth.  Then Craig Kimbrel allowed Toronto to tie the game by giving up a solo shot to Justin Smoak.  Kimbrel went on to eventually get the win as the Red Sox bats put up five runs in the 10^th, but the closer’s recent struggles is something to watch.

"“I think it’s been command of everything.  You can throw strikes but it depends on where you’re throwing them,” Kimbrel said following the game, via MLB.com.  “You can have command in the zone or out of the zone.  You kind of float through those as the year goes on.  The last couple of weeks I’ve been struggling with some things and working through them.  Fastball was a little better tonight and breaking ball was sharp at times.  It’s frustrating, but happy we won the game today.”"

As disappointing of a night as it was for Drew Pomeranz, Matt Barnes and Craig Kimbrel, it is good to see the offense able to pick up the slack when the pitching is down.  That is what makes this 2018 team unique.  When the offense struggles, the pitching comes through and vice versa.  That is a reason why this team has 80 wins and are on pace to 114.

Sum it all up to clutch moments and clutch performances from different players each night.

Here are three powerful clutch moments Boston Red Sox 10-7 extra inning victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

J.D. Martinez is wicked awesome

The Toronto Blue Jays held the Boston Red Sox bats silent for most of the game, but you can’t keep a good offensive player down for too long.

Down 3-1 in the eighth inning, the Red Sox found life when Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman had to leave the game due to a blister.  With reliever Ryan Tepera on the mound, Boston was able to load the bases on a single by Andrew Benintendi.

Mitch Moreland pulled the team within one run on a fielder’s-choice grounder to set the stage for J.D. Martinez.  Confident and ready for the spotlight, the MVP candidate crushed a 2-0 pitch from Tepera for his 34^th homerun of the season and 3 RBI that gave the suddenly alive Red Sox a 5-3 lead.

https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1027008301416898560

"“I felt confident the whole at-bat,” Martinez said of his latest heroics.  “I was just trying to be short, try and put a good swing on him.  Not trying to do too much.”"

Well, the blast was just what the Boston Red Sox ordered and fueled the team into scoring nine runs over the final three innings.

Like he has proved all season long, J.D. Martinez is the real deal and the Red Sox uniform is fitting him quite well as this team continues to surge and find ways to win game after game.

He is quickly reminding fans of another clutch performer who now has a street named after him.

Mitch continues to give us more

Hanley Ramirez who?

The Boston Red Sox decision to re-sign Mitch Moreland and eventually release Ramirez is paying off big time.

In a season in which he made his first All-Star game, Moreland continues to come through for the Red Sox when games are on the line.  On Tuesday night, the veteran first baseman made Craig Kimbrel’s blown save a distant memory by delivering a three-run shot in the 10^th to put the team back up 8-5.

The one-out blast off Blue Jays reliever Ken Giles ended up being the difference maker as Toronto was able to get two runs back in the bottom of the 10^th inning.

Following the game, Moreland said he was sitting on a fastball and got it from Giles, who gave up a triple to Mookie Betts and walked Andrew Benintendi prior to Moreland stepping to the plate.

"“I figured he was trying to get ahead,” Moreland said.  “I got a fastball that kind of split the plate in half and that was it.”"

Overall, Mitch Moreland drove in four runs on the night.  He continues to be a timely hitter for the Red Sox and a nice veteran leader for the younger players on the team.

Even Jackie Bradly Jr found the power

When a team catches fire the way the Boston Red Sox have, power can come from unlikely sources.

Struggling all season offensively, center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. has been doing his part by delivering clutch defensive plays.  Tuesday night, he did it at the plate.

Following Mitch Moreland’s three-run blast to make the game 8-5, Bradley Jr. added what ended up being two insurance runs with a two-run blast of his own.  Obviously not as clutch as J.D. Martinez’s 3-run shot or Moreland’s blast, Bradley Jr’s power moment ended up sealing the deal in the 10-7 victory.

Overall, the win kept the Boston Red Sox with a sizable lead of the New York Yankees in the AL East and might just be the catalyst to keep the team’s current streak alive and rolling into the middle part of August.

"“It’s huge for us, we always feel like we’re one swing away from getting back into game,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.  “We put up good at-bats, Mookie, he walked and he hit a triple in the gap.   Benny, that was a good at bat as far as not expanding the zone with Kenny.  And then Mitch got a pitch over the part of the plate – that was good to see.”"

Yes, these Boston Red Sox have that aura about them.  No matter the score, no matter what part of the game, this team has a chance of winning.  Clutch moments and clutch players are great ingredients for October baseball.