CINCINNATI — The Boston Red Sox took another step toward a division title Saturday, putting up another shutout that ended with a feel-good moment for their manager.
Mitch Moreland ended his long slump with a three-run homer, Eduardo Rodriguez pitched three-hit ball into the eighth inning and Boston beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-0.
Boston has won 13 of 16, and holds a four-game lead over the Yankees with eight games to play. The Red Sox are trying to win back-to-back AL East titles for the first time. They have their best record of the season at 90-64, reaching 90 wins for the second straight year.
It ended with a ninth inning that was unlike anything Manager John Farrell has experienced. His son, Luke, relieved for the Reds, giving them a special moment in a competitive situation.
“It was somewhat surreal,” he said. “Very proud. You’re standing there looking through a netting in the dugout and you think you’re maybe watching him throw back in Little League, in high school. To see it happen on a major league mound – a special day, a special inning.”
Luke Farrell walked two in a scoreless inning and glanced back at the Boston dugout, momentarily removing his cap as he headed for the Reds’ dugout.
“There was a little added pressure for me,” said Luke Farrell, who like his father wears No. 52. “That’s the first time we’ve been on the same field together. You want to do well for your team.”
The last time a manager faced his son as an opposing player was 2004, when Felipe Alou of the Giants went against his son, Moises, of the Cubs.
“There’s a major conflict going on inside,” John Farrell said. “You’re always pulling for your guys, but that’s a unique arrangement there.”
The Red Sox got what they wanted, closing in on a title with an offense that’s an anomaly in the homer-heavy major leagues. More- land’s shot off Robert Stephenson (5-6) was the 160th by a Red Sox hitter, the fewest in the AL.
“That gives us a little breathing room,” said Moreland, who broke an 0-for-19 slump with his second homer in September. “That was nice.”
Rodriguez (6-6) has given up two or fewer earned runs in each of his last four starts, the best stretch of his career. He gave up three singles and two walks in 7 2/3 innings, his longest outing since May 21, making sure he’ll be in the conversation for a prominent postseason role.
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