There have been walk-offs. There have been comebacks. There have been blowouts. There have been all kind of wins during this run of 10 Red Sox' victories in the last 11 games.
But Saturday might just have been the most defining win of them all.
At first blush, the 7-4 victory over the White Sox would seem to be a good-but-not-great type of deal. This was a Chicago club that came into Fenway Park not exactly setting the world on fire, and this day's all-important Red Sox starting pitcher, Nick Pivetta, only lasted 3 2/3 innings.
The reason why this one should have stood out was because of which players actually sent (most of) the 4,668 Fenway fans home happy. Four guys, to be exact -- Matt Andriese, Adam Ottavino, Marwin Gonzalez and Kiké Hernandez.
None of them are considered foundational pieces of the big-picture puzzle, with each one of them besides Hernandez potentially eligible for free agency after this season. But, nonetheless, they represented how and why this thing can actually work for the Red Sox this season.
You need these type of guys. You need these type of performances.
Andriese: The 31-year-old has quietly been one of the most valuable players during these first couple of weeks, stepping up to make these sort of wins possible. This time it was Andriese who came on to hold down the White Sox after Pivetta's rough outing, going three innings without giving up an earned run. Using a live 93 mph fastball to complement one of the game's most unique changeups, he has represented one of Chaim Bloom's most valued offseason acquisitions.
Ottovino: Before the game Saturday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora talked about not running away from the reliever despite his rough start. Cora flat-out said that the righty would remain one of the two pitchers (along with Darwinzon Hernandez) to set-up Matt Barnes. As has been the case for the most part this season, Cora's instincts were on-point, with Ottovino earning the win after striking out the side in the eighth.
Gonzalez: The utilityman has been one of those players who can get two hours of vitriol from social media and then bask in a tidal wave of Twitter praise thanks to a key play, sometimes small, other times large. It happened again Saturday. After struggling through his first three at-bats -- leaving six men on base while striking out two times -- Gonzalez provided the pivotal swing, breaking a 3-3 tie with his solo homer into the Red Sox' bullpen.
Hernandez: Coming into the game, one of Cora's plans that hadn't worked as the Red Sox had hoped was defining Hernandez as the team's leadoff hitter, with the Red Sox carrying the eighth-worst on-base percentage at the lineup's top spot. Then came Saturday. The player who has become the Sox' primary centerfielder finished with four hits, including a clutch sixth-inning RBI single that broke a 2-2 tie. This was the kind of catalyst the Red Sox were banking on when inking him to a two-year deal.
They are the first-place Red Sox, the team that now resides five games up on the favorites to win the American League East, the Yankees. These are the type of days that keep that sort of separation.
