Red Sox 3, Giants 2: Get Hot, Stay Hot

What’s up night owls? It’s 12:30 AM here on the east coast, and the editors are way too old to be awake right now, so I can write whatever I want about this one. Because there are no old people to admonish me for trying to relate to parenthood, I can talk about my favorite player to talk about: Kutter Crawford. I planted my flag in the Kutter Crawford camp last summer, simply saying “Kutter Crawford is good” to anyone who would listen. Now, every time he takes the mound I feel like a nervous parent, hanging on every pitch, hoping for the best with each outing. Tonight, I was thrilled, watching as Crawford diced up the hapless Giants for five straight innings before getting into some trouble in the fifth. I’m sure actual parents have a totally different experience than I do, as they’re not awake at 1 AM, watching the game on a laptop, but again, the parents aren’t awake, so I can make whatever comparisons I want. These Red Sox somehow keep winning with a three-man rotation, and for that reason, I’m proud of my adopted son Kutter.

Three Studs

Triston Casas (2-4, HR, 2B 2 RBI)

He’s a stud every game at this point. It doesn’t matter who’s pitching. Strider? Webb? Randy Johnson? Casas stands in the box, screams at the pitches outside of the zone, and hits bombs. Fingernails painted and all.

Rob Refsnyder (1-1, RBI)

Alex Cora brought Refsnyder in to get a hit off a lefty, and that’s exactly what he did. He’s basically a cheat code. Even when he doesn’t come in the game, opposing managers need to be aware that Refsnyder is in the shadows, waiting to hit the shit out of the ball if he even thinks about putting a southpaw in the game.

Alex Cora

Every string Alex Cora pulled tonight seemed to work. He pulled Crawford at the right time. He got through the late innings with the right relievers. He put Refsynder in at the right time. He’s caught a lot of shots on Twitter this season, but lately, he’s been managing his tail off. Give him a few more arms and an all-hands-on-deck attitude in the playoffs and who knows what might happen.

Three Duds

Rafael Devers (0-4)

I think I put Devers in the duds just about every time I write one of these. I’ve got Friday night recaps, feel free to use that info for your Friday parlays.

Masataka Yoshida (0-4)

He said the hardest part of adjusting to the majors was all the travel and time changes, so I won’t hold the first game on the West Coast against him.

Giants Fans

At one point, the broadcast cut to a shot of the crowd between innings with Don’t Stop Believing playing, and not a single person was singing along. I know you’re losing, but how do you not sing along? It’s the most singable song in the world. Be better, San Francisco.

Play of the Game

How about Justin Turner flashing the leather and showing the range at second base to keep an inning in hand? The old man can do it all.