BOSTON – Four games back with 16 to go.
The Boston Red Sox have Tyler O’Neill to thank for their latest comeback win that helped them cling to hope in the American League wild-card race.
O’Neill crushed a three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th as the Red Sox won in a walk-off over the Baltimore Orioles, 5-3.
WAY BACK.
WAY GONE.
WALKED OFF. pic.twitter.com/3gPIZKvo1d— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 12, 2024
“It’s still there. It’s getting harder and harder, but it’s realistic,” manager Alex Cora said of their postseason hopes. “We just won a series against one of the best teams in the big leagues. But obviously, in our situation, it’s not enough. We’ve got to continue. We won two series here at home. For some people it doesn’t feel great. But for us, it does.”
A late-season surge might not be enough, but all the Red Sox can do at this point is keep winning games.
Both Detroit and Minnesota won on Wednesday night while Kansas City lost to the Yankees. Seattle played a late game on the west coast that was still being played when the Red Sox won. The scoreboard watching continues and the Red Sox are hoping to carry some momentum into a four-game series in New York beginning Thursday.
“I mean it’s day-by-day, right?” O’Neill said. “You can’t look at the big picture too much, got a ball game to win every day. We got to make up ground by winning games and other teams losing games, but we can’t focus on other teams right now. We got to focus on ourselves.”
While the Red Sox head to New York, Detroit faces Baltimore, Minnesota takes on Cincinnati, Kansas City plays Pittsburgh and Seattle hosts Texas.
A few takeaways from a key series win over Baltimore:
O’Neill powering the Red Sox
Rafael Devers continues to find his rhythm while battling injuries. He’s hit just .216 since Aug. 1. Triston Casas has struggled since coming off the injured list going 5-for-39. Jarren Duran has two hits in his last 21 at-bats.
But O’Neill has been on a tear of late. Despite his own struggles in August after a hospitalization for a leg infection, the outfielder has helped keep the team afloat. His walk-off homer on Wednesday marked his 30th homer of the season in just 100 games played, including five homers in the last five games.
“He was in the hospital, doing nothing, and just to try to catch up with big-league pitching, it was hard,” Cora said. “But little by little, he’s been feeling great… It feels like every pitch, every at-bat, he’s going to do damage with it. And we needed that one. That was huge.”
Pitching highs and lows
Since Aug. 15, a span of nearly a month, the Red Sox rotation has posted a 3.43 ERA, eighth best in baseball. Conversely, in that same span, the Red Sox bullpen has a 5.77 ERA, 29th in baseball.
On Wednesday, after Nick Pivetta threw six innings allowing one run while striking out nine in a strong start, Justin Slaten gave up a solo homer that tied the game, 2-2, in the eighth. Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth. Then Greg Weissert allowed the go-ahead run in the 10th before being saved by O’Neill’s monster homer.
The bullpen meltdowns have been a troubling trend and one reason — alongside a sluggish offense — that the Red Sox haven’t been able to take advantage of a wild-card race that’s up for grabs. Red Sox relievers have 19 blown saves since the All-Star break, the most in baseball.
Meanwhile, lefty Brennan Bernardino landed on the IL Wednesday with left elbow inflammation. Lefty Cam Booser, who’d been out since Aug. 14 with left elbow inflammation, was reinstated to take his spot. Cora did not sound overly concerned about Bernardino’s injury but given there are just over two weeks left in the season, a return seems unlikely.
On the same front, Liam Hendriks’ 20-day rehab clock ends Monday and Cora admitted they’re running out of time to get him into games. After facing a setback with some elbow soreness last week, Hendriks has been in a holding pattern, throwing on flat ground but not in rehab games. Hendriks had suggested he might throw a few simulated games, rather than rehab games, to control the atmosphere more, but has yet to do so.
Tanner Houck, who was skipped last time through the rotation, threw a bullpen Wednesday and said he’s “good to go” for his Friday start at Yankee Stadium. Houck said the few extra days rest help him bounce back and feel fresher than after his last start.
“(Personal record) in innings every time I’m out there now,” he said, referencing his career-high 169 2/3 innings pitched.
Paxton announces plans to retire
Left-hander James Paxton, who’s been sidelined since Aug. 12 with a right calf strain, told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford that he plans to retire after the 2024 season.
According to Bradford, the 35-year-old already informed his agent Scott Boras of his decision to spend more time with his young family.
“I think after this season I’m going to be retiring and moving on to the next chapter,” Paxton told Bradford. “It’s tough, obviously, I think I can still do it. I think I can still compete and help a team win. But I just think where my family is at and what they need right now, they need me home.”
The Red Sox acquired the veteran left-hander at the trade deadline from the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he’d signed over the winter as a free agent. Paxton made just three starts for the Red Sox before tearing a calf muscle. He had made every scheduled start for the Dodgers before the injury. Last season, Paxton made 19 starts for the Red Sox, posting a 4.50 ERA.
Over 11 seasons, including seven years in Seattle and two with the New York Yankees, Paxton posted a 3.77 ERA in 177 career starts.
(Photo of O’Neill celebrating with his teammates: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
