BOSTON -- Plan A for Red Sox manager Alex Cora was to hold Nick Pivetta out of Sunday¡¯s Game 3 of the American League Division Series against the Rays so he could hand the ball to the righty for a start in Game 4 on Monday.

But as often happens with Cora during the month of October, he went off-script in his all-out approach to seize the moment.

This certainly happened on Sunday, as Pivetta pitched the 10th through 13th innings and didn¡¯t allow a run, earning the win as the Red Sox earned a memorable 6-4, extra-inning victory that gave them a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

So what¡¯s the plan now for Game 4, in which the Red Sox have a chance to close out the Rays and move on to the AL Championship Series? That job will fall to Eduardo Rodriguez, the veteran lefty who has a chance at redemption after he got only five outs while throwing 41 pitches in Boston¡¯s 5-0 loss in Game 1.

It would hardly be surprising to see Rodriguez flip the script on Monday night, because he¡¯s done that all season -- often following his best starts with a subpar one, and vice versa.

Without question, Rodriguez will carry plenty of emotion into the matchup, considering he is eligible for free agency this offseason. The 28-year-old has been with the Red Sox since 2015, and there¡¯s a chance that Game 4 could be his final Fenway Park start wearing a home uniform.

In order to reach Monday up two games to one with a chance to clinch at home, the Red Sox got a huge outing from Pivetta, who threw 67 pitches on two days¡¯ rest after tossing 73 pitches in relief in Game 1.

¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± said Pivetta. ¡°It¡¯s just another day for me. [I feel] great.¡±

Aside from Pivetta, Cora didn¡¯t tax anyone in the bullpen in Game 3, leaving Boston in good shape for Monday¡¯s potential close-out game.

Cora used six relievers, but that didn¡¯t include Chris Sale, who could face a pocket of lefties in Game 4 after his disappointing start in Game 2 on Friday lasted just one inning and 30 pitches.

It remains to be seen if Cora will use his best bullpen weapon in 25-year-old rookie Tanner Houck, who fired five electric innings and threw 61 pitches in Game 2.

Though conventional wisdom could have Cora holding Houck back for a potential winner-take-all Game 5, there is nothing conventional about the way Boston¡¯s manager handles postseason games.

That was evident before the team even got to the ballpark on Sunday.

¡°We were all in, and they knew it,¡± said Cora. ¡°We texted all the starters yesterday and we said ¡®Spikes on,¡¯ and they understand what that is. We might do it differently than other teams, but when you get to that stage, you take it day by day.¡±