Crochet tossed seven strong innings with the only blemish on a two-run home run from slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with just four hits allowed. The lefty fanned six hitters for his third win of the season in Boston’s 10-2 victory.

Crochet did acknowledge his improvement in filling up the zone and feeling more comfortable once again with his cutter.

“Good, didn’t use it a ton early,” Crochet told reporters, per NESN’s postgame coverage. “Kind of gave me the freedom to use it later.”

Crochet took the loss to end Boston’s last homestand against the Seattle Mariners. The Red Sox starter allowed four runs though he struck out nine innings in the start.

“He had two bad innings the other day, man,” Alex Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “He struck out nine in five. Sometimes we make a big deal out of an outing that was OK for the rest of them. It wasn’t acceptable for him but like I told him, ‘If that’s a bad one, I’ll take it.’ He gave us a chance to win.”

It certainly didn’t hurt to have the run support he did behind five home runs from Jarren Duran, Alex Bregman, Kristian Campbell, Rafael Devers and Wilyer Abreu.

“Kind of allowed me to be competitive in the zone,” Crochet added. “… That was sick.”

Crochet’s ERA on the year sits at 2.05. He’s stayed rather outspoken that he’s yet to reach his standard of excellence on the mound. The important part is his production still meets the level of an ace, though the Red Sox know there’s still another level of dominance to come.