Triston Casas is on fire at the plate, and it's helping the Boston Red Sox win some games they otherwise might lose.
One of the best examples came Saturday night at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox had a 8-3 lead going into the ninth inning against the New York Mets. Boston's bullpen proceeded to give up three runs and made the game interesting, but the home team ultimately held on for a 8-6 win.
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One of the reasons why the Red Sox got away with surrendering three runs in the ninth inning and still emerged victorious was the offensive production provided by Casas.
The Red Sox rookie blasted two home runs off Mets ace Max Scherzer.
The first came in the second inning.
His second homer was a two-run shot in the fifth inning.
Casas became the first rookie ever to have a multi-homer game against Scherzer, who is in his 16th major league season.
The 23-year-old first baseman had a difficult start to the season, but the Red Sox stuck with him. He has rewarded their confidence in him by batting .341 with seven home runs and 16 RBI in his last 88 at-bats.
Casas' resurgence has strengthened an already potent Red Sox offense that ranks No. 2 in the American League in batting average, No. 3 in on-base percentage, No. 1 in doubles, No. 2 in hits and No. 3 in runs scored.
If the Red Sox can add some quality starting pitching before the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline, they should have a pretty good chance to secure one of the three wild card playoff spots in the AL.
