The Boston Red Sox got their first series win since mid-May over a team with a winning record on Sunday afternoon, as they topped the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 at Fenway Park in the rubber match of a three game set. Boston has gone 25-11 in their last 36 games after a rough 11-20 start.
It turned out to be a good pitchers duel for most of the game, as Nick Pivetta started for Boston against Andre Pallante for St. Louis. Pivetta struggled with some control issues early on, walking four batters over the first 3.0 innings but was able to keep the guests off the board. The Red Sox never trailed and Trevor Story hit a two-out solo homer to the opposite field in right in the second for a 1-0 lead. Harrison Bader finally got to Pivetta and tied it for the Cardinals in the fourth, driving in Tyler O’Neill with one out after O’Neill had singled to lead off and stole second base. Alex Verdugo started the home half of the fifth inning with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch by Ballante, and scored on a two-out RBI single by Jackie Bradley Jr. to regain the lead 2-1. The Sox added on in the seventh against the Cardinals bullpen, as Rob Refsynder slapped a two-out RBI single to center scoring Christian Vazquez who had started the inning with a double. After Verdugo singled again and Story walked with one out in the eighth, Vazquez took one into the monster seats in left for a three-run homerun to extend the advantage to 6-1. Boston seemed to be in control and would sit down closer Tanner Houck for the ninth, after he had been warming in the bullpen. St. Louis had other plans though against reliever Tyler Danish. O’Neill would lead off and would nail a double, and with one out Nolan Gorman drew a walk. Danish retired Bader on a flyout, before Yuan Yepez came up as a pinch hitter and quickly made it a two run game with a three-run homer down the left field line. Houck then would need to come in for the save situation, and after allowing a single to Tommy Edman he struck out Brendan Donovan swinging to end it. The Sox have now won five straight series (Athletics twice, Angels, Mariners, Cardinals).
Pivetta (7-5) went 7.0 innings and earned the win allowing one run on four hits with four walks and 10 strikeouts. John Schreiber got his 10th hold of the season, and Houck his fourth save. Boston pitching struckout seven straight St. Louis batters in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Pivetta struckout the last hitter of the sixth, the side in order in the seventh, and Schreiber struckout the side in the eighth. Verdugo and Vazquez had two hits each, as the Sox improve to 36-31 and are 4-2 so far on the nine game homestand. It is their first series win over a team with a winning record since they won two of three over Houston at Fenway May 16-18. O’Neill had three hits for the Cardinals (38-30), and Pallante (2-2) took the loss allowing two runs on four hits in 5.2 innings. Boston welcomes in the Detroit Tigers for the start of a three game series on Monday night at 7:10 p.m. Right hander Josh Winckowski (1-1, 4.50 ERA) gets the ball on the mound for the Sox in the opener, to be opposed by righty Alex Faedo (1-3, 4.28) for the Tigers.
