Troll at your own risk: Sox responding with routs

HOUSTON -- Perhaps the Astros should institute a social media blackout for the remainder of the American League Championship Series.
And if Boston manages to advance to the World Series, the higher-ups in the Brewers' and Dodgers' front offices might think about doing the same for the Fall Classic.
Meet the Red Sox, the team that simply cannot be trolled.
It was just 10 days ago that Aaron Judge and the Yankees beat the Red Sox in Game 2 of the AL Division Series, walking out of Fenway Park with a boom box blaring "New York, New York" on their way back home.
:: ALCS schedule and results ::
That was the final time we heard Ol' Blue Eyes' voice following a Yankees win. The Red Sox went to the Bronx and took two straight, sending their rivals home, where they could listen to as much Sinatra as they pleased while they watched the rest of the postseason on television.
Monday, only hours after the Red Sox had evened the best-of-seven ALCS with a Game 2 win at home, Astros third baseman Alex Bregman posted on his Instagram feed: "Lil pregame video work," accompanied by a video of George Springer, Bregman and Jose Altuve tagging Nathan Eovaldi -- Boston's Game 3 starter -- for back-to-back-to-back home runs in a June game while the pitcher was still with the Rays.
"Welcome to the current generation," Houston manager AJ Hinch said when asked about it on Monday's off-day. "Obviously there's fun banter. … You get the different tweets and the different Instagram posts, and it's all in good fun."
The Astros didn't have much fun Tuesday, walking off their home field as losers of an 8-2 blowout. The game was close through seven innings, but the Red Sox posted a five-spot in the eighth, breaking it open to regain home-field advantage.
That's the only kind of posting the Red Sox are doing these days.
"We don't even look into that stuff," J.D. Martinez said, when asked about the impact Bregman's Instagram post may have had on Boston prior to Game 3. "We've done a real good job of minding our own business."

Neither manager Alex Cora, Steve Pearce nor Jackie Bradley Jr. would bite when asked about the social media story after Game 3, preferring to talk about what they can control, instead.
"Not worried about it," said Pearce, who hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth before Bradley belted a grand slam in the eighth. Eovaldi finished with six strong innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out four.

The Red Sox claimed not to know much about Judge's musical selection before Game 3 of the ALDS, but they went out and bludgeoned the Yankees, 16-1, in the next game. After closing out the series in four games, it was no coincidence that Sinatra's ode to Gotham was playing in the visitors' clubhouse as they popped champagne.

Who knows if Bregman's post did anything to poke the bear, but after seeing Boston seize control of the series, it's clear that the bear is wide awake. The Red Sox are now 3-0 away from Fenway Park in this postseason, so even with the next two games being played at Minute Maid Park, there's no reason for Boston to think it can't finish things up here and enjoy a few days off before hosting Game 1 of the World Series next Tuesday.
Heck, maybe the Red Sox will even tag Bregman if they decide to post some photos from the celebration on Instagram.