Sticking with Moreland paid off for Red Sox

BOSTON --- Sometimes your best moves as a baseball manager are the ones you don’t make.

Consider the bottom of the seventh inning on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park. Mitch Moreland was due to lead off against Ryan Borucki in a left-left matchup. Michael Chavis is 5-for-16 with two home runs against southpaws this season, and he was loose on the Red Sox bench.

Moreland struck out looking against Borucki on a tough slider inside. But the first baseman had his revenge [...]

BOSTON --- Sometimes your best moves as a baseball manager are the ones you don’t make.

Consider the bottom of the seventh inning on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park. Mitch Moreland was due to lead off against Ryan Borucki in a left-left matchup. Michael Chavis is 5-for-16 with two home runs against southpaws this season, and he was loose on the Red Sox bench.

Moreland struck out looking against Borucki on a tough slider inside. But the first baseman had his revenge on the Blue Jays and handed Ron Roenicke some validation with one swing in his next at-bat. Moreland sent a towering drive to deep left-center, a walkoff homer to the Monster Seats in this satisfying 5-3 victory.

Boston has been searching for offense by any means necessary early in this shortened 2020 season. Several of its big guns have been misfiring as of late. But Moreland isn’t one of them, and removing him from this game prior to its completion would have been a mistake.

"I knew Borucki was the only guy they had in the (bullpen) and he wasn’t going to roll around to the next time I hit," Moreland said. "I was thinking along those same lines and hoping they were too – happy they were."

Walkoff celebrations in empty stadiums aren't quite the same. But these are pandemic times. Mitch Moreland and the #RedSox will take it. pic.twitter.com/f8kRACN4i6

— Bill Koch (@BillKoch25) August 9, 2020

Roenicke, bench coach Jerry Narron and hitting coach Tim Hyers were locked in conversation during a 3-3 game in the bottom of the sixth. The Red Sox were batting against Toronto starter Matt Shoemaker and the visiting bullpen was busy. Roenicke was attempting to anticipate just how the final three innings might play out.

"We were talking about the different matchups that were going to happen," Roenicke said. "What was better – to pinch hit and put Chavis in there? We knew they were going to come in with a right-hander if we do that.

"How do we do it? Those are the decisions you have to make – not just what’s going to happen that inning, but what can happen later in the game.

"It worked out today. A lot of times it doesn’t work out that way, obviously, but today it worked out."

Borucki worked his lone frame and gave way to right-hander Thomas Hatch, who buzzed through the eighth on three strikeouts. He found it a little rougher going in the ninth when Xander Bogaerts grinded out a walk. Up stepped Moreland carrying home runs in five of his previous 32 plate appearances this year, and Toronto’s other left-handed reliever – former Connecticut star Anthony Kay – was unavailable after going 3 1/3 innings on Saturday.

It was Moreland’s time to shine. And he had a little extra incentive to do so.

"I got a good pep talk from (Roenicke) right before I went up there," Moreland said. "He said if I made the last out that I had to be the base runner the next inning at second. I knew I needed to make something happen."

Extra innings are now designed with a swift resolution in mind. Moreland, at a powerful 6-foot-3, 245 pounds, isn’t exactly built for speed. He’s battled various leg and back issues through his previous three years with Boston, going from 149 games played in 2017 to just 91 last year.

"I’ve always had to fight some nagging stuff here and there," Moreland said. "Would I like it differently? Yes. I would love to feel great every day. But at times my legs are a little heavy and I’ve got to grind it out.

"(Roenicke has) done a great job communicating with me. We’re a good team. We’re solid all the way through. Different guys can get in there and do a good job and pick up the team too."

Nathan Eovaldi and Rafael Devers each took a turn on Sunday. Josh Osich, Austin Brice and Matt Barnes gave the Red Sox three scoreless frames out of the bullpen. Their contributions all helped set up a critical moment, and one particular previous choice by Roenicke allowed it to happen.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

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On Twitter: @BillKoch25