On two different occasions tonight, each for entirely different reasons, the Red Sox found themselves on the verge of a feel good win. But in a game that became a microcosm for the first half of their season, they allowed a combination of shoddy bullpen work, a complete failure to execute in key situations, and a side of stupid baseball to undermine phenomenal potential.
The first, and most direct opportunity for bliss came when Garrett Crochet strutted off the mound after seven brilliant innings of work. More specifically, he threw seven shutout innings while striking out ten, leaving the Sox just three outs away from a rested Aroldis Chapman in the ninth.