During their multiyear malaise, the Red Sox have been defined by a void as much as anything else. An absence of adult behavior in adverse situations. To put it broadly, they haven’t just lacked a veteran voice in the clubhouse, but they’ve also been missing that guy who can go out on the field and lead the charge when things get sticky.

Tonight, Alex Bregman gave the Sox those things, and helped stabilize what was rapidly becoming a disastrous road trip.

On one hand, there are no big games in April, but some are still bigger than others, and tonight was kind an important spot for this team. They were coming off a wretched 16-1 defeat, they have Sean Newcomb going tomorrow, and they have Dick Fitts’ rotation spot to fill on Friday after the off day. Lose tonight and the Sox easily could’ve been looking at a 1-5 road trip and a 2-9 stretch overall.

Add it all up, and twice on this trip the Sox have found themselves in desperate need of a stopper, and twice it’s been delivered by a major offseason acquisition. First on Sunday with Garrett Crochet taking a no-hitter deep into his outing, and then tonight with Alex Bregman going 5-5 with two homers, four RBI, and a .206 WPA.

This is why you pay a pretty penny for the right top of the line talent, because it’s not just about the overall numbers, it’s about having guys in the foxhole who can grab the wheel when the car is skidding off course and prevent small fires from becoming raging infernos.

When this team gets hot later in the season, and I still believe they will, we won’t remember much about this stinky stretch of baseball. However, the key is they haven’t buried themselves, which means they’ll be starting that run from a higher place in the standings. Without Crochet and Bregman, there’s a real chance Sean Newcomb is the only thing standing between them and an 0-6 road trip. But instead, they’re still hovering around .500.

Here’s the Bregman highlights:

First, Bregman gave the Sox the lead in the first inning with an RBI single, which I felt was important given what happened last night. Drawing first blood right out of the gate was the fastest way to flush 16-1 out of the system, and Bregman delivered.

In his next at bat, Bregman led off the third inning with a home run, and once again, the timing was key. It came right after the Rays had gotten on the board in the bottom of the second, and provided an immediate counterpunch that further stabilized Boston’s dugout.

In the fourth, he kept his perfect night going with a double that further extended the lead.

Then came another home run in the seventh. By this point, the Sox had a pretty strong grasp on the game, but with the way things have gone recently, it was nice to see Bregman further cement it.

Bregman then also added a single in the ninth just for good measure.

Three Studs

1. Alex Bregman, obviously.
2. Jarren Duran: Hit his first home run of the year, but even more encouraging, it was to the opposite field.

3. Trevor Story: Two hits, and this lovely defensive play in the first inning when the game was just 1-0.

Three Duds

1. Kristian Campbell: For the first time in his MLB career, he failed to get on base.
2. Everybody who struck out: As many positives as there were in this game, a big negative was the 11 strike outs from the lineup. That’s seven times in the last eight games they’ve struck out at least ten times.
3. The Rays on Jackie Robinson Day: They haven’t won on April 15th since 2011.

Play of the Game (Non Alex Bregman category):

This spectacular catch by Ceddanne Rafaela to end the fourth inning. If this falls in, it probably turns into a nail biter of a game late, and Alex Bregman’s WPA would be even higher.