In a 24-hour span, the Boston Red Sox just may have saved their season.
Boston's backs were against the wall after a devastating 5-4 loss to the Houston Astros on Monday night. But with 6-5 and 4-1 wins on Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, the Red Sox took the series from the Astros, who had previously defeated them seven times in a row.
Both wins were enormous, with the Red Sox's playoff chances hanging delicately in the balance. And their rookie shortstop, who wasn't even supposed to be a shortstop at all, played a humongous role in their success.
23-year-old Ceddanne Rafaela had his most memorable series of the season in Houston, excelling on both sides of the ball.
Rafaela banged a ball off the wall with two outs in the second against future Hall-of-Famer Justin Verlander, providing the eventual game-winning RBI. He added a huge insurance run in the seventh with another double. And his contributions on the other side of the ball were even more important.
It was hard to keep track of all the fantastic plays Rafaela turned in during the two Red Sox wins. He made a jump throw deep in the hole. He nabbed three or four Astros on slow rollers to his right. He stole another hit on a one-hop scorcher to his backhand. And every out he recorded was crucial.
That Rafaela can improve defensively at one of the game's toughest positions as the season progresses is impressive enough. But to do it while simultaneously playing Gold Glove defense at a completely different position? Truly remarkable.
"It's the work I put in before every game," Rafaela said postgame on the NESN broadcast. "I see where my name is on the lineup card, and that day, I focus on that position."
Rafaela entered play on Wednesday with -9 outs above average at shortstop, per Statcast. That was tied for the worst mark at the position all season. But this week marked a huge step forward.
All along, it has felt like Rafaela's future with the Red Sox was in center field. But with so many talented young outfielders under contract, and top prospect Marcelo Mayer once again on the minor-league injured list, is there a chance he could see the majority of his time at shortstop?
Regardless of the future, Rafaela is playing his best baseball right now, and that's a crucial development for this Boston team. They'll need everything he can give them down the stretch in their bid for October.
