Big Maple leaves no doubt as Sox await Sale

BOSTON -- James Paxton didn’t just win a baseball game for the Red Sox on a soggy Thursday night at Fenway Park.

Just as important as the result is the way the veteran lefty and a shutdown bullpen set the table for the return of Chris Sale on Friday night. With the swiftly emerging Brayan Bello taking the ball on Saturday and key swingman Garrett Whitlock set for a return to the roster on Sunday, order is being restored to Boston’s pitching staff.

Backed by 5 1/3 scoreless innings (six hits, no walks, six strikeouts) from Paxton and four relievers combining to give up one hit over the final 3 2/3 frames, the Red Sox edged out the Royals, 2-0, to take three out of four in the series.

It was the type of low-scoring game Boston had been unable to win for most of the season, as evidenced by a 7-38 record when the club scores fewer than four runs.

After getting swept by the Blue Jays in a frustrating start to the homestand, the Sox couldn’t afford to lose much more ground in the American League Wild Card standings.

With Thursday’s tight victory, manager Alex Cora’s team gained a game and Boston (60-55) trails Toronto (65-52) by four for the third Wild Card spot entering this weekend’s three-game set against the Tigers at Fenway Park.

“If we just have the mindset at 2 o’clock in this locker room that we expect to win a ballgame, that’s a great start to our day,” Kenley Jansen said after picking up save No. 26 with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

“Focus on that one game and take care of that one game. Hopefully, we all stay healthy. And if we can do that, I think we’ll be in good shape.”

Speaking of health, there isn’t much that means more to the Red Sox than a healthy Sale. Staying on the active roster has been a challenge for the ace in recent years, but Sale will try to give his team six good weeks down the stretch in his return from a stress reaction in his left shoulder.

“So excited for that guy,” Paxton said. “You know, he worked so hard, and it's going to be great to have him back out there and be fighting with us. I’m just really happy for him that he's back again.”

If anyone can relate to what Sale has gone through, it is Paxton, who has been no stranger to the injured list himself the past few seasons.

But Big Maple has given Boston a lift since coming off the IL on May 12. In 15 starts, Paxton is 7-3 with a 3.36 ERA.

While he has carried a fastball of 97 to 98 mph at times, Paxton relied more on his knuckleball and changeup to beat the Royals. It was a rebound performance, in that it came directly on the heels of just one of three clunkers he has had for Boston this season.

“I think the changeup has been really helpful,” Paxton said. “The cutter hasn’t been quite where I wanted it lately. The curveball was better tonight. Fastball was OK and the changeup was good, so that helped me get through it.”

One other thing that helped Paxton was a tremendous catch in right field by Alex Verdugo, who raced toward the corner for a spectacular sliding grab on the dirt to rob Edward Olivares of extra bases. Verdugo then stood up and easily doubled off MJ Melendez at first to end the top of the second inning.

For Red Sox fans of a certain age, it was reminiscent of the grab Tom Brunansky made to clinch the AL East title on the final day of the 1990 season.

Nobody was more stunned than Paxton.

“I was running to cover third, and I turned around and they're throwing the ball back, and it was a very impressive play. It was awesome,” Paxton said.

It was a nice setup for Friday, which Cora always says is the best night of the week at Fenway in terms of crowd atmosphere. It will be the first “Sale Day” at the historic ballpark since June 1.

“We’ve been waiting for this day,” Cora said. “He’s been around us and he feels good. We’re looking forward to him pitching on a Friday night here in Fenway. It should be fun.”