TORONTO — For Nathaniel Lowe, it was redemption Tuesday at Rogers Centre. For his Red Sox, it was one step closer to qualifying for the postseason.
After leaving eight runners on base in Boston’s defeat on Sunday night in Tampa, Lowe came up with two big RBI hits against tough righty Kevin Gausman in what the Sox hope will be a tone-setting 4-1 victory over the Blue Jays to start the final week of the regular season.
While Lowe’s second knock snapped a 1-1 tie in the sixth, Carlos Narváez opened up more breathing room later in the frame by breaking an 0-for-17 slump with a two-run double to right-center.
The win helped the 86-71 Sox maintain possession of the second American League Wild Card spot by one game over the slumping Tigers and two games over the Astros.
In the late stages of a pennant race, there is no looking back. And that’s the approach Lowe took after getting to the ballpark on Tuesday.
“I came in pretty excited. We got together last night [on the off-day],” said Lowe. “Got the guys together and went to dinner and had a good time with everybody there. I’ve been really grinding with the staff here. Even [Alex] Bregman gave me some pretty big cues as far as when to get ready and how to fix up some of the errors I have been making so far. I’m really happy with other players and staff here who have helped put me in position to contribute.”
The reason Lowe is in this position is because he had a tough few months with the Nationals that led to him getting designated for assignment on Aug. 14 and then signing with the Red Sox four days later.
That put him in the thick of a pennant race, a position he is familiar with, having won a World Series with the Rangers just two seasons ago.
“He’s been grinding, that’s part of it,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “The other day, it didn’t go his way, but this is a guy who has been there, done that, and has a World Series ring to show it and we trust him.”
Between his time in Washington and Boston this season, Lowe has played in 148 games and taken 524 at-bats, slashing .227/.308/.382 with 18 homers, 83 RBIs and 154 strikeouts.
Without question, he has had better statistical years. But Lowe knows as well as anyone that everyone starts the postseason with the same stats. And that’s why he didn’t fret about a tough night at the office on Sunday.
“Thankfully the experience adds to being able to relax a little bit and just play the game,” said Lowe.
Though the 26-year-old Narváez is a rookie, he was also able to stay calm when the situation called for it on Tuesday, giving his team some breathing room with his first hit in a week.
“Needed it,” Narváez said. “Needed it big time. Was trying to stay short on the two-strike approach. That was a big-time at-bat, big-time hit for me and for the team.”
At this point of the season, they all are.
The same holds true for each pitch.
At a time of the year where it is substance over style, Lucas Giolito gritted his teeth to keep Boston in the game early, throwing 98 pitches in 4 2/3 innings. Though he would have preferred to go deeper into the game, the big righty minimized the damage despite four walks, allowing just one run.
The bullpen picked Giolito up by getting the final 13 outs.
“It wasn’t good. It wasn’t pretty,” Giolito said. “But at this point, winning games is all that matters. I don’t care if I get a win. I don’t care if I go whatever amount of innings. At this point, it’s about winning these games, getting into the postseason. I obviously didn’t have much to work with tonight. So it was a grinder. It was a battle.”
Luck also comes into play in a pennant race and October. Giolito was the first to acknowledge he had some in the second inning when he faced George Springer with the bases loaded and two outs. Springer rifled a ball down the third-base line that was called foul. The Jays argued, but it is a non-reviewable call.
Later in the at-bat, Springer struck out looking on a pitch that was outside of the strike zone.
All that mattered for the Red Sox was the end result.
“This is a very tight race,” Giolito said. “So these games have a playoff vibe. But, it’s the push for [the playoffs]. We’re not quite there yet. We gotta keep working.”
