Red Sox 9, Phillies 8: No Quit

We didn’t get swept! We didn’t get swept!

This game looked like a loss. The score was 0-5 Phillies going into the fifth inning. Four Phillies homers and no hits on Boston’s end will do that. Luzardo was cruising and it looked like another complete game could happen, or worse, a complete game shutout. But then the Sox remembered they have fight. In the top of the fifth, they got hits and had good approaches at the plate, and thanks to Luzardo losing his command and a foul ball that should’ve been caught but wasn’t, Boston suddenly had a 6-5 lead due to 2 RBI walks and a Romy Gonzalez grand slam. But the Phillies remained hot and tied the game back up on a J.T. Realmuto home run in the bottom of the eighth. The Sox had not won in extra innings on the road this season. Today they finally did, and they avoided what would have been a demoralizing sweep. The Sox now have a (slightly) better record in the second two series post All-Star break this season than they did last season, going 2-4 rather than 1-5.

Three Studs:

Romy Gonzalez: Broke an offensive slump to put the Red Sox on top with a beautiful grand slam. He did what he was supposed to do against lefty pitching, and finally gave the Sox more than 2 runs in the past few games.

Carlos Narváez: Tonight was his night of redemption for the Captain, hitting the go-ahead home run in the top of the eleventh to put the Red Sox up for good. After the past two days he had with his catchers interferences, and his general offensive coldness, this home run could not have come at a better time. He also caught Weston Wilson trying to steal second in the bottom of the 10th, which got the Sox the third out and prevented the Phillies from plating the winning run.

The Bullpen: 2 ER between 7 relievers over 6 innings against the one of hottest teams in baseball is pretty damn good. Huge credit to Justin Wilson, Jordan Hicks, Garrett Whitlock, and Brennan Bernardino for getting the job done. And props to Chapman, Jorge Alcala, and Greg Weissert too, even though they gave up runs, because they all still gave the Sox a chance to win or to come back and fight.

Honorable Mention: Trevor Story: Got the Sox a run in the top of the 10th. It felt like the first time the Sox had scored in extras on the road all season. That’s probably false, but that’s how long it had been.

Three Duds:

Lucas Giolito: Gave up all those home runs and ended his night with a bummer of a line: 4 IP, 6 hits, 5 Runs (all earned), 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts. He has yet to fully lock in again after the All-Star break, but also, the Phillies lineup is a beast.

Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu: Both went 0-5, with 4 strikeouts for Duran and 3 for Abreu. Duran was able to bring in 2 runs today though, in part thanks getting on base as one of the four walks in the top of the fifth.

Marcelo Mayer’s Wrist: Made Mayer leave the game due to wrist soreness. I hope he’s okay. People online were melting down thinking Mayer got traded mid-game.

Play of the Game: Romy’s Grand Slam

Narváez’s two-run homer was also great, but this swing was what began to turn the game’s tide in the Sox’s favor.