Porcello supplies crisp stuff, basepaths mayhem and another win
During an interleague road game Tuesday, Porcello enjoyed a rare opportunity to pitch, swing the bat and channel his inner Zack Greinke. He put on quite a show.
Fresh off one of his worst starts of the season in Toronto, Porcello dazzled the Phillies with his command and five-pitch repertoire. He allowed two hits over seven innings, and the Red Sox rode solo homers from catcher Sandy Leon and pinch hitter Brock Holt to a 2-1 victory over Philadelphia.new nike nfl jerseys for sale cheap
It's hard to find superlatives to describe the havoc the Red Sox are wreaking these days. Since May 19, they've posted a 56-20 record to turn the American League East into a runaway. They only need to go 20-21 the rest of the way to break the franchise record of 105 wins set in Fenway Park's inaugural season in 1912.
When informed that the Red Sox are in the midst of a 30-6 run since early July, Holt was oblivious to the particulars.
"The guys in here don't pay attention to things like that," he said. "We come to the field expecting to win. We're a confident team and we've been able to do it more times than not. We've got a special group in here and everyone is pulling on the same rope. It's a lot of fun to be a part of."
The Red Sox are 11-1 this month, and the only loss belongs to Porcello, who was tagged for seven runs in his previous outing at Rogers Centre. He recovered fully from that sorry performance in this outing, allowing only two hits and fanning 10 for his fifth career double-digit strikeout performance.cheap wholesale nike nfl jerseys
Porcello exhausted his arsenal while throwing 23 four-seam fastballs, 23 two-seamers, 17 curveballs, 16 sliders and 11 changeups, and he was in sync with Leon from his first pitch through his 90th. Porcello's only mistake came in the fifth inning, when he hung a curveball that Rhys Hoskins deposited into the left-field seats for a solo homer.
As it turns out, Leon called for a slider, and Porcello shook him off and went with the deuce. It might be a while before he makes that mistake again.
"No disrespect to any other catcher I've thrown to, but he's the best catcher I've ever thrown to," Porcello said of Leon. "He's prepared for every pitcher, starting or bullpen. He's kind of the heartbeat of our pitching staff. We rely on him a lot, and he's always on point. He always knows what pitches to throw to give guys different looks. He's as good as it gets as a game-caller and a catcher."
