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Overall Takeaway
Life without Roman Anthony has been as depressing as we thought it would be. I give Alex Cora credit in that he pretty much admitted no one can replace him, so he is just throwing Yoshida out there to see if it sticks.
While the Red Sox had some clutch at-bats in the 9th, the Diamondbacks handed them this game with Lawlar playing terrible defense. Athletics aren’t a cake walk, but we will start off with Crochet right off the bat.
Game 1: Diamondbacks 10-5
Game 2: Diamondbacks 5-1
Game 3: Red Sox 7-4
What I Loved
Ceddanne Rafaela
Rafaela is here almost exclusively because of the catch he made Saturday night. Offensively, he is really struggling and is only batting .167 over his last seven games. Regardless, that catch was sick. (Also, his flyout in the 9th inning would have banged off the top of the Green Monster…. just saying)
Trevor Story
Story continues to be less than average in a lot of hitting categories, but when he does hit, it comes in clutch moments. Beyond that, he is the luckiest under of all time. He is now 27-27 in stolen bases and had no business being safe today when they went to pick him off.
Brayan Bello
I know a lot of people would expect me to put Bello in the “mid” section. He was significantly better than he was in his last start, and did get unlucky this game. Wong played that “wild pitch” poorly, which allowed Carroll to score, and really should have thrown out Corbin at third on the initial stolen base.
Nick Sogard
Who would have thought?
Aroldis Chapman
Like clockwork. 50 batters, no runs.
What I Was 'Mid' About
Lucas Giolito
Giolito didn’t lose the game, but he wasn’t great either. 5 IP, 2ER, 3BB, 2K. It would have been worse, too, if it weren’t for Rafaela’s insane catch.
Alex Bregman
While Bregman was solid on Friday and had a home run robbed from him on Saturday, he is still hitting below .200 over his last seven games. Now, he has only struck out twice over that span, which is a positive sign.
What I Didn't Love
Life Without Roman Anthony
Going from Anthony at the top of the order to Masataka Yoshida might be one of the worst drop-offs in history.
Hitting Into Double Plays
Started Sunday’s game, ending three consecutive innings with double plays.
Payton Tolle
When you have one pitch, the opposing teams are just going to sit there and wait for it.
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