Payton Tolle reacts to be moved to the bullpen
"A lot of guys grew up today. It’s not like we have a bunch of veterans who know what happens in September."
That was Alex Cora after his team's 5-4 walk-off win Wednesday night over the A's at Fenway Park.
It was a point well taken. What happens in September, especially late September, is a different beast from any other point in the regular season. As the manager pointed out, that was a reality surfaced during Game No. 152.
There was no time for starter Lucas Giolito to figure things out, so he day was done after just 4 2/3 innings. Relievers who may be running on fumes were called on to shut down the A's for the final five innings. And a hitter (Ceddanne Rafaela) who had supplied more than a few late-inning heroics over the course of the season was pinch-hit for to prioritize another hitter (Nick Sogard) who had a better chance of simply putting the ball in play.
It all culminated in a simple ground ball that allowed Nate Eaton to race home with a game-winning run in the 10th inning for the Red Sox's 11th walk-off victory.
Later, Cora would remind us all that "September is suffering." Right again. Unorthodox decisions. Uneasy physical ailments. And, of course, scoreboard watching.
This one had it all.
But even with the win, the agony isn't going anywhere.
There are now 10 games to play in the regular season, and the Red Sox are currently tied with the Mariners for the second/third spot in the wild card, sitting two games in back of the Yankees. Seattle is also 1/2-game in back of Houston for the West Division lead, while the Sox and M's sit 2 1/2 games ahead of surging Cleveland.
The Red Sox own the tiebreaker with the Yankees, Astros, and Guardians, winning the season series with each. It has yet to be determined who would get the upper-hand in regards regarding the Sox and Mariners, with the teams needing to go to the second tiebreaker, intradivision record. The M's are 31-18 in their respective division, while the Sox - who still play three against the Rays and three vs. Toronto - are 28-18.
If the Red Sox were to overtake the Yankees, they would host a best-of-three wild-card series at Fenway Park. If they finish in the wild card's second spot, the games would be at Yankee Stadium. A third-place finish in the wild card would likely send Cora's club to Seattle, Houston, or even Detroit, which sits 1 1/2 games in front of the Astros.
But, while scoreboard-watching and scenario-deciphering are always a good time, the Red Sox's most pressing task at hand is finding a way to put their best foot forward in these last 10 games.
A significant positive development on Wednesday night came in the form of the second straight standout performance by reliever Zack Kelly. The Red Sox need righty relief pitchers to step up, with Justin Slaten, Greg Weissert and Garrett Whitlock serving as the other three options. Fortunately for the Red Sox, Kelly has suddenly offered the appearance of a high-leverage option.
It turns out some difficult discourse regarding uncovering the best in Kelly led to some next-level results.
"We’ve had that conversation quite a few times," Kelly said of "spirited" talks he has had with the Sox's staff. "We’ve had it quite a few times. And I feel confident in myself, I feel confident in my stuff. It’s just the consistency part but I feel like I’ve really made like a mental adjustment. Just the last couple nights, like deliberately trying to be calm and be intentional with what I’m trying to do out there. The results have been great."
So, what now?
The Red Sox took a big step in how they are planning to allocate their wave of young pitchers. They are moving Payton Tolle to a full-time bullpen role. Kyle Harrison will start on Sunday, with Connelly Early getting his third start Sunday.
And Wilyer Abreu will be sprinting in the coming days, still hoping for a return from his calf injury sometime in the final week of the regular season. In the meantime, it has been a positive development that Masa Yoshida now has back-to-back two-hit games.
Nobody said it was going to be easy, and, at least for the Red Sox, it certainly hasn't been. Then again, Septembers are rarely seamless, a lesson this bunch waking up to on a consistent basis these days.