BATTER OF THE GAME: Jackie Bradley Jr.
It's common to see Jackie Bradley Jr. effortlessly glide over to a deep fly ball, or make a great diving play out there. But the one thing Bradley Jr. hasn't been able to figure out yet in his career is major league pitching. Well, it looks like he's beginning to. Bradley led the hit barrage for Boston on Saturday, finishing 5-for-6 with two home runs, three doubles, five runs, and seven RBI. Yes, one of his home runs came off a position player, but he was tearing the cover off the ball before that, including a blast off Felix Hernandez. Bradley Jr. has gotten consistent playing time with Hanley Ramirez out and is finally taking advantage of the opportunity.
STARTERS REPORT: Wade Miley will once again be the side note much like Joe Kelly was on Friday night, but Miley put in a strong start on the mound after allowing five runs in his previous start. Miley lasted seven innings and gave up two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out eight.
Felix Hernandez will not want to ever think about this start again. The Sox got to one of the best pitchers in the game on Saturday, chasing him in the third inning and putting 10 runs next to his name. Ouch. Strangely enough, the Sox have faired well against some of the best pitchers in the league this season, which makes their disappointing season all the more frustrating. Hernandez also allowed 12 hits.
BIG PLAY: Much like Friday night, it's almost impossible to take one play out of this game. Instead, let's go with the "big inning." The Sox scored five runs in the third inning, but it came after the Mariners had scored two of their own to make it a respectable 5-2 game. The Sox didn't let up, and instead of giving Hernandez and the Mariners life, they kept attacking and ended up chasing Hernandez from the game. That gave Boston a 10-2 lead, and although the Mariners came back to score eight runs off relief pitching in the eighth and ninth, the Sox had already padded that lead by 12 more runs.
WHAT I LIKED: Production from the young guys. Whether it was Bradley Jr., Blake Swihart, Xander Bogaerts or take your pick, the Sox are getting lots of production from the kids. If 2015 is a lost season, the one thing fans can keep an eye on is how these players develop over the final six weeks. There's going to be some tough decisions for Ben Cherington to see where these guys can fit next season.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Relief pitching. I've said it a million times by now. This is the worst group of relievers around. I can't imagine a worse group has ever been assembled. Not one single reliever you can count on. The Sox had a 19-2 lead going into the 8th inning and the M's still knocked the relievers around for eight freakin' runs and forced them to use three guys. Comical.