Craig Breslow, Sam Kennedy press conference
SEATTLE - Alex Cora was one of the few in and around the Red Sox who understood this feeling: Diving into the uncertainty that comes after trading away a star player during a run at the postseason.
Cora the player experienced in 2008, when Theo Epstein traded away Manny Ramirez on the final day of July in a three-way deal that netted Jason Bay for the Red Sox. The immediate response were three straight wins.
"It’s how this game goes," said Cora before his team's series opener agianst the Mariners at T-Mobile Park, reflecting back on the memorable move almost 17 years before. "One thing that we have to do, and I know it sounds harsh, we have to turn the page and be ready for Seattle."
Fortunately for the Red Sox manager, the lesson was learned and the feeling returned.
This time his team had to weather the potential uncertainty that came with living life without Rafael Devers, who had been traded to San Francisco the day before. Cora hoped that the response by the Red Sox would mirror what his club did in 2008 - particularly considering it was entering this nine-game West Coast trip having won five in a row.
It turned out, the feeling was a familiar one.
The Red Sox made it a point of not letting the Devers saga derail their recent run of good times, claiming a 2-0 win over the Mariners for a six-game win streak. The win landed the Sox as one of the current three teams who would be eligible for a Wild Card spot, sitting 1/2-game up on the Twins and Mariners.
Cora and Co. didn't know how they would respond. Now they know.
"It is important," said the manager regarding the Red Sox' ability Monday to pick up where they left off back in Boston. "I think everything starts on the mound. I have been saying all along, if we pitch we’re going to be OK. We got the lead. The homer (by Roman Anthony) kind of gave us energy right away and then Gio with the shut-down inning and it just continued. There was a lot of energy today. For the group, it’s a tough day, man. Raffy, he’s Raffy. He’s not with us anymore. We’ve got a job, too. We have to continue. Today was a good day for us."
The energy was one thing. The key performances were another.
Devers or no Devers, it has been clear that the Red Sox' fate will be largely defined by their pitching. And, lately, their pitching has been really, really good.
This time the headliner was Lucas Giolito, who threw six scoreless innings while striking out 10. It stretched the Sox' streak of seventh straight games where the starter has notched a quality start.
The pitcher performed ... and also observed.
“Yeah, I think that that was hugely important for us to continue the positive vibes," he said. "Continue to have high energy. Everyone was, I could tell today, I had a feeling we were going to be in a good position to win, just because, despite everything that happened, we were able to come together and maintain a very positive attitude. Everyone seemed loose and having fun before the game, so when it came time to compete, we competed."
Giolito added, "I just said this on radio. Winning solves everything, no matter what's going on in the outside, no matter what people feel or what's going on, if we win baseball games, we put ourselves in a good position to continue to win more and more, that will take care of it."
And to top off the vibes was Anthony, the rookie who was plopped into the lineup's No. 3 spot for the first time and responded with his first homer as a big leaguer. (The only other Red Sox to hit their first career home run at T-Mobile Park? That would be Rafael Devers.)
"Like I said before game, this is who we are. We are going to use the kids," Cora said. "They are going to play. We’re going to have different lineups. We love the at-bat. We do. He put a good swing on it. For the game, he did a good job. He’s not getting hits, but the at-bat is real. So we’ll keep going."
It's just one win without Devers, but it was a big one. Cora knows ... from experience.
"We have a bunch of veterans here who have been there, done that and they’ve been through stuff like that before. Obviously not stopping the plane and getting people off the plane," Cora said, referencing Devers' exit from the team Sunday night. "They talk. They showed up. You saw them early stretching out there. We have a bunch of kids, too. I think that helps. As a group we had goals before the season and there were going to be injuries and moves and stuff, but we have a routine. And this is a good stretch for us and we have to keep playing good baseball."