SEATTLE -- Amid what has been a topsy-turvy few days for the Red Sox due to the trade of star slugger Rafael Devers to the Giants, it was even more comforting than usual for the visitors to have Garrett Crochet on the mound on getaway day in Seattle.
The ace lefty -- the gift that keeps on giving for his new team -- fired six strong innings en route to a 3-1 victory on Wednesday over the Mariners that gave the Red Sox their fourth consecutive series win and fifth in their last six. Boston is 9-2 since June 7.
Trevor Story swung the game with a big swing, belting a two-run homer to left-center in the fourth inning to snap a 1-1 tie.
“It’s big,” said Story. “Kind of a pivotal point in our season. It could go one way or the other, and still a lot of baseball to be played. We felt like we responded well after something so big and kind of shocking. So to be able to win the series and keep the momentum rolling is huge.”
Though Crochet wasn’t quite as dominant as he was in his 8 1/3 innings against the Yankees five days ago, he was still in fine form, scattering six hits and one run while walking none and striking out eight on 96 pitches.
“He kind of grinded the first few innings and then he found his groove,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora.
Most pitchers would love the pitching line Crochet had on a “grind” day.
“That’s why he got paid the big bucks,” Cora said. “He's an ace. He understands what comes with the territory, not only on the field, but off the field. He’s one of the leaders in the clubhouse and every five days is a special day for us.”
Once Story went deep for his 10th homer of the season, Crochet and the bullpen did the rest.
As for the grind, aces are able to weather that better than the rest, which is what makes them special.
“Just the nature of the job, really,” Crochet. “They always talk about the 10 days that you have your best stuff, 10 days you have average stuff and 10 days you have your worst. So 20 starts out of the year you just have to find a way, and today was one of those days.”
The Sox have won Crochet’s last four starts after low run support led to losses in his three before that.
Thanks to an early adjustment by catcher Connor Wong, Crochet went cutter-heavy over his final few innings. In fact, 36 of his 96 pitches (38 percent) were cutters.
“I was grinding through the first couple innings,” said Crochet. “Didn't really have the four seam. So just ultimately pivoted and rode the cutter pretty hard, and [I] was able to get some weak contact with it.”
While the subtraction of Devers was certainly jarring, Cora has been steadfast in his belief that his team will stay right in the thick of the postseason race if they pitch.
Though there has been volatility in the second through fifth spots in the rotation, Crochet has pitched well all season. He leads MLB in starts (16), innings (102 1/3) and strikeouts (125).
Crochet joined some select company on Wednesday, becoming the fourth Boston pitcher to record 120-plus strikeouts in the first 16 starts of a season.
The others?
Pedro Martinez did it four times, and Roger Clemens and Chris Sale both did it in three seasons with the club.
“It speaks for itself,” said Red Sox infielder Marcelo Mayer, who supported Crochet with a solo homer in the second inning. “He’s one of the best pitchers in the league. I’m really happy he’s on our team and I don’t have to face him. Any time a pitcher of that caliber takes the bump, it’s a really good opportunity for the team to win and we know that. He had another great performance today.”
Crochet set the Red Sox up for a happy getaway day flight to San Francisco, where they will reunite with Devers on Friday for three games this weekend. This flight figured to be more settled than the one from Boston to Seattle on Sunday night, which started with Devers departing the airplane before takeoff.
“You talk to the players,” said Cora. “You talked to the players three days ago. They turned the page and we’ve got a job to do -- it’s win the series. Now we go to San Fran.”