HOUSTON -- As the old cliche goes, good pitching beats good hitting, and vice versa. Wednesday night the Boston Red Sox used their offense to push the Houston Astros to the brink of elimination with a wild 8-6 win in Game 4 of the ALCS at Minute Maid Park. The Red Sox lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and will go for the American League pennant in Game 5 on Thursday.
"It was back and forth all day," Andrew Benintendi said following his game-saving catch in Game 4. "(It felt like) every time we scored, they scored the next inning. It was a good day. It was a fun game to be a part of. Definitely one of the favorite games to be a part of."
As was the case in Games 2 and 3, the BoSox won Game 4 by wearing down what was an overwhelmingly dominant Astros pitching staff during the regular season. Houston allowed only 3.31 runs per game during the regular season, easily the lowest rate in baseball. The Red Sox, meanwhile, averaged 5.41 runs scored per game, the best in baseball.
The best hitting team in baseball pushed across eight runs against the best pitching team in baseball in Game 4 with a diverse offensive attack. They scored on singles, they scored on home runs, they scored on bases loaded walks. The big blow was, of course, Jackie Bradley Jr.'s go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth inning.
Bradley has driven in nine runs in the four ALCS games thus far. He had a go-ahead bases-clearing double in Game 2, an insurance grand slam in Game 3, and the go-ahead two-run home run in Game 4. Bradley is now 3 for 12 with a double, two homers, and three walks in the ALCS. When he gets hot, he can be as good as any player in baseball, and he's hot right now.
"There's no one more determined than Jackie," Benintendi added. "He's had his ups and downs. He's stayed even-keeled. He's always been like that. It's awesome."
It's not just Bradley that is leading the way offensively though. Benintendi had two doubles in Game 4. Xander Bogaerts had two hits including a game-tying single. Rafael Devers, who I can't imagine will sit in deference to Eduardo Nunez again anytime soon, had a two-run single to break the ice in the first inning. Every Red Sox starter reached base at least once. The Red Sox sent 46 batters to the plate and 20 reached base, or 43.5 percent.
"We play in an era that you hit .210, you hit 35 home runs and drive in 70, and it's acceptable. Our guys, they put the ball in play. They take pride of that," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "And when you put the ball in play good things happen. I now understand that sometimes a strikeout is just an out and there's certain situations that you burn off trying to put the ball in play and see what happens. And we've been doing that throughout the year. We've been pretty good with men in scoring position, but I think it's because they do put the ball in play."
The Red Sox batted in nine innings in Game 4 and were held scoreless only three times, and it would've been only twice had Josh Reddick not made a great diving catch to end the ninth inning with the bases loaded. Boston's most impressive inning may've been the seventh, when they worked Astros ace setup man Ryan Pressly and starter-turned-reliever Lance McCullers Jr. for 32 pitches and an insurance run. The inning recap:
- Andrew Benintendi: First pitch fly out to center.
- J.D. Martinez: Single to center in a 2-2 count.
- Xander Bogaerts: Six-pitch walk. He took four nasty breaking balls just below the zone for balls.
- Rafael Devers: Grounder to short in a 2-2 count. It was a tailor made 6-3 double play, but Carlos Correa didn't step on second base. His foot missed the bag by an inch or two.
- Steve Pearce: Six-pitch walk to load the bases.
- Brock Holt: Five-pitch walk to force in a run.
- Mitch Moreland: Inning-ending grounder to first in a 2-1 count.
The Correa misplay was a gift for the Red Sox. It was a perfect 6-3 inning-ending double play ball and Correa turned it, he just missed the bag with his foot. The Red Sox were given an extra out and they followed with two walks to create a run. The seventh inning was only the seventh time all season the Astros walked as many as three batters in one inning.
"They're a relentless lineup," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said after Game 4. "Their offense is relentless. It's been relentless since March, since we first saw them in spring training. Getting through them, getting through the at-bats, you watch them hang in there. They draw walks when you shy away from the zone. They get two-out hits. They're a full offense to deal with on a nightly basis. That's what's going on."
In Games 2-4 of the ALCS, the Red Sox scored seven, eight, and eight runs, respectively. Never once during the regular season did the Astros allowed seven-plus runs in three consecutive games. Only three times did they allow at least seven runs in two consecutive games. That is mind-boggling. The Red Sox have now done it to them in three straight ALCS games.
You don't score 876 runs during the regular season without a deep offensive attack. Don't get me wrong, having two MVP-caliber producers in Mookie Betts and Martinez helps, but two men don't make a lineup. And besides, Betts and Martinez have yet to have that dominant MVP-caliber game in the ALCS. It's the Bogaertses and Bradleys and Deverses having an impact.
"I think our lineup, and especially me and Mookie, I think we take pride in hitting the ball and considering ourselves hitters first and sluggers second," Martinez said. "What's more (enjoyable) -- home runs or singles? What do people want to see type deal? But that's a different topic. As far as for us I know we take a lot of pride in preparing, game planning and going out there and being hitters."
In recent days the Red Sox have beat up on Cy Young candidate Gerrit Cole, former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel, and former All-Star closer Roberto Osuna. They are beating good pitching -- they are beating great pitching -- and they'll have to do it again because Justin Verlander and Cole are lined up to start Games 5 and 6. So far in the ALCS, Boston has shown their lineup is good enough and diverse enough to punish even the best pitching staff in the game.
"We know we're up 3-1. But they're a good team. They came back last year against the Yankees. They lost Game 6 of the World Series in Dodger Stadium and they won Game 7," Cora said. "It's not over. We know that. But to have a chance to finish tomorrow, that's always good. We just going to show up tomorrow, get the information, play hard and see what happens."
