Boston Red Sox: Amongst flurry of trades, guys ‘showed up’ vs Astros
Trades, trades, and there will be more trades. With the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline hovering over the team, the Boston Red Sox came to play in the opening game of a three-game series against the Houston Astros Monday night at Minute Maid Park.
As Chaim Bloom was wheeling and dealing sending catcher Christian Vazquez to the Astros and obtaining veteran outfield Tommy Pham from the Cincinnati Reds, the Red Sox got down to business on the field.
Led by Nathan Eovaldi on the mound and Jarren Duran at the plate, the Red Sox beat the Astros 3-2 to get back to the .500 mark.
Eovaldi, who has been rumored in trade talks, allowed just two unearned runs over 6 1/3 innings looking like the All-Star version of himself. If the Red Sox are going to make a June-like run to get back in this thing, the veteran hurler is one of the players they need to shine. Whether Bloom trades Nasty Nate or not will tell which direction he feels the team will go.
Boston Red Sox still believing they can be a factor in Wild Card race
Just 3 ½ games out of a playoff spot entering the game, the furry of moves Monday night makes it tough to tell whether the Boston Red Sox are buyers or sellers. With Vazquez being shipped, the rest of the players on the team, including Eovaldi, didn’t let distraction get in the way. All props to Red Sox manager Alex Cora for keeping his team focused.
"“The guys showed up, and they played, and they did an outstanding job,” Cora said following the game, via MLB.com. “[John] Schreiber came in and did his job and Tanner was outstanding. Jarren [Duran] had a great game, put together some good swings. He’s working hard on staying on pitches and making contract and overall, this is what we’re here for. Keep winning ballgames.”"
Solid pitching, good defense and timely hitting are keys to that winning. It was encouraging to see Eovaldi step up on the mound and a young player like Duran belt a two-run homer to get a game against one of the best teams in the American League. It was also good to see that the team is still trying.
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As seeing one of their core players in Vazquez get traded prior to the game, emotions could’ve led the team to throw it in, instead it looked like the emotions woke up the team. But obviously time will tell. Cora is confidence the guys in the clubhouse have enough to make some noise.
"“We have a lot of talent in this clubhouse,” Cora said. “We have to play better. We showed it today. We have the talent here to go on a run and play good baseball. Our goal is 162-plus, regardless of what people think. It doesn’t look that way for some people, but here in these walls, we’re going to keep grinding. We’re going to keep going.”"
With Rafael Devers set to return to the lineup on Tuesday, the Red Sox will look to build off the momentum they gained in the first game of the series against the Astros. If Eovaldi and or J.D. Martinez become casualties at the MLB Trade Deadline, it may show the confidence or lack thereof the front office has in the team as far as the rest of the 2022 MLB season.
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Depending on what they get back, it could the type of motivation the Boston Red Sox need to put something together and make a run. That is if they really have the talent to get it done like Cora believe they do.