Kutter Crawford went into the All-Star break on a high. He’d pitched back-to-back shutout starts of seven innings apiece against the formidable Yankees (in New York) and Kansas City Royals.

But in each of his first four starts coming out of the All-Star break, he allowed five or six earned runs. He gave up a grand total of 13 home runs, including at least three homers in three of his outings. Twice, he’d failed to reach five full innings.

On Tuesday night, he took a perfect game into the sixth inning. That, combined with nine runs from the Boston bats, culminated in a 9-4 victory and series win over the Texas Rangers.

“He threw the ball well, extremely well,” said manager Alex Cora. “I think the four-seamer played better than the last three or four (starts). Command was a lot better. He was on the attack, very efficient. Gave us a chance to win.”

After one of the previous four starts, Crawford spoke about the need to throw more “quality strikes.” In the first inning on Tuesday, he threw nine pitches, eight for strikes. His manager saw the four-seamer as the difference.

“He was able to elevate. He had velo, he had life, and I think that was the separator,” Cora said.

When all was said and done, he’d pitched 5.1 innings and allowed four earned runs on three hits, one walk, and struck out four.

But when the perfecto bid ended, the frame went downhill hard and fast. David Hamilton made a nifty throw to first for the first out, but it would be the last of Crawford’s outing. He gave up back-to-back singles to catcher Carson Kelly and center fielder Leody Taveras, and leadoff man Marcus Semien got Texas on the board with a double. When Crawford walked Corey Seager to load the bases, Cora called for reinforcements, despite his starting pitcher only being at 67 pitches.

“They’re good hitters,” Cora said. “We’re gonna be aggressive. We’re gonna use everybody, and we’re going to try to get 27 outs however we can to win games.

“We’re in the middle of a playoff chase or whatever you want to call it,” Cora continued. “If I feel like that’s the moment of the game, that’s the moment of the game. Sometimes it’s gonna work, sometimes it not gonna work, but it’s not going to be for lack of aggressiveness. If I feel they’re throwing the ball well, we’ll keep rolling with them. If I feel like the matchups benefit the bullpen, we’ll go to the bullpen.”

The Rangers didn’t let Cam Booser record an out, either. The bases remained juiced as he faced the minimum three batters required; Josh Smith greeted him with an RBI single, and Booser issued back-back-to-back bases-loaded walks to force in two more. All four runs were charged to Crawford.

For the second time in the inning, Cora had to make a pitching change with one out and nowhere to put a batter. He called for Lucas Sims, who got Josh Jung to line out, and Wyatt Langford, who’d led off that inning, to strike out looking to strand a full diamond. It was a huge moment for the trade deadline acquisition.

“Eh, he hung a slider to (Jose) Altuve,” Cora said of Sims’ rough outing over the weekend. “He’s thrown the ball well. Good cutter, good slider, good four-seamer. … He gave us more than enough (tonight).”

Crisis averted for the home team. The visitors, however, immediately lost their manager; Bruce Bochy argued the called strike 3 – which was slightly outside the zone – and was ejected at the start of the bottom of the inning.

The Boston bats had failed to capitalize on several opportunities throughout Monday’s series opener, and only won in the 10th inning on Rob Refsnyder’s walk-off hit. On Tuesday night, they tallied 12 hits, including three doubles and a homer, drew a pair of walks, and only struck out seven times, after too many double-digit punchout games in recent weeks.

The offensive showing included a pair of moments loaded with symbolism. After Masataka Yoshida became the game’s first baserunner when Rangers starter Jose Ureña hit him with the first pitch, Rafael Devers got Boston on the board with an RBI double off the Green Monster. His 627th career RBI tied Ted Williams for the second most by a Red Sox player before turning 28. Devers has a chance to tie or break Jim Rice’s record of 669; he doesn’t turn 28 until the end of October.

The Red Sox put up five runs in the fifth inning and knocked Ureña out of the game. The kill shot was Connor Wong’s three-run homer. With former Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk looking on from the Legends’ Suite, the current backstop blasted one to the left corner of the Green Monster seats, just fair inside the Fisk Pole to extend Boston’s lead.

The Red Sox tacked on another three runs in the eighth, and Kenley Jansen’s four-out closing performance put the game to bed. After losing four in a row, including a three-game sweep by the Houston Astros over the weekend, this series win was the “reset” Cora said his team needed.

The Red Sox and Rangers play their series finale on Wednesday at 6:05 p.m. Barring a postseason meeting, they won’t see each other again until Opening Day 2025.

Originally Published: August 13, 2024 at 11:20 p.m.