Ducks refuse to migrate, stay on pond
Thirteen. That’s the word of the day. Defined, it means one less than twelve, the sum of six and seven, or the amount of runners the Red Sox left on base tonight. The margin between winning and losing a baseball game is often minuscule. You only get so many chances and to win games you have to take them. The Braves even gifted the Red Sox base runners with multiple errors throughout the game, but the Red Sox never took advantage. Games like tonight, against a right-handed pitcher remind me that Triston Casas is on the IL. His plate discipline and ability to hit the ball to all fields lengthens the lineup, makes things so much more difficult on the pitcher, and ultimately makes the team better. With a bat like Casas in the lineup, the Red Sox probably win this game. Alas, Casas is on the IL, and hypothetical wins don’t count in the standings. Old friend Chris Sale takes the mound tomorrow, should be a fun one.
Three Studs
Kutter Crawford (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K, 2 BB)
For my money, this is the best Kutter Crawford has looked all season. Against a deep lineup, he battled through six innings, allowing two runs on one swing of the bat. More important to me, however, was his fastball command. He did an excellent job of keeping the ball up in the zone where it plays so well, leading to a 14% swinging strike rate. On the season, that mark would rank amongst the best four-seamers in baseball, landing in roughly the 97th percentile. Crawford could have been better at putting away hitters in two-strike counts, but the Braves lineup doesn’t make it easy on anyone. Keep on kutting it.
Jarren Duran (2-5, 2B, 3B)
Jarren Duran is a lunatic in the best way possible. Whenever he puts the ball in play, I expect him to somehow wind up on at least second if not third base. Tonight, he doubled in his first at-bat, tripled in his third at-bat, and reached second on a ground ball to first in his fourth at-bat. Speed puts pressure on the defense and Duran has plenty of it. Keep him at the top of the lineup and good things will happen.
Ceddane Rafaela (2-4, RBI)
Rafaela tallied two base hits tonight and provided half of the RBIs. For that, he’s the third stud of the night.
Three Duds
Justin Slaten (1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 K, 1 BB)
Slaten wasn’t horrific today, but he didn’t get the job done. Allowing a lead-off walk against a good lineup will come back to bite you nine times out of ten, and tonight was no exception. After the walk, the Braves made contact that found the outfield grass, drove in two runs, and that was all it took to win the game. It’s worth noting a mix-up in the infield prevented a double-play and added a run to Slaten’s final line, maybe unfairly.
Garrett Cooper (0-3, BB)
For the guy pegged to be an offensive upgrade over Bobby Dalbec, he hasn’t provided much offense. He worked a walk against Reynaldo Lopez, but outside of that was entirely ineffective. While he’s not the only one to blame for the offensive struggles tonight, he certainly contributed.
Dominic Smith (0-4, BB)
See above, except this one is left-handed.
Play of the Game
Old friend Adam Duvall made a sliding catch to rob Tyler O’Neil (replacement Adam Duvall) of a double and save two runs. I like to focus on positives though, so here’s Aaron Bummer channeling his inner Jeremy Swayman by making a kick save to prevent a double play, leading to one of two Red Sox runs on the night.
Ceddanne Rafaela ties it up with his second hit of the day.
Leads the team with 20 RBI. Also has a 6-game hitting streak going. pic.twitter.com/oaKLPdZNfQ
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) May 8, 2024