Well, it is true that the Red Sox hitters would have been in a different frame of mind if they were down 3-2 instead of 9-2.
However, we've explained the perfectly logical reasons that Cora went with Perez.
Perez has good numbers against lefties. Managers are supposed to play the percentages. It's all they can do sometimes.
Maybe Bra would have gotten him out. And maybe not.
Of course the double mattered. But striking out a guy for the third out and having the ump blow it mattered plenty too. The two things are not mutually exclusive.
If you think momentum in a game is a real thing, you might want to look all the way back to Games 3 and 4 against the Rays. We BLEW LATE LEADS IN BOTH GAMES BUT WE WON THEM BOTH.
I'm pretty sure the plan was Eovaldi for 1 inning only. It was the same thing Cora did in the 2018 playoffs, using starters for 1 inning on their throw days.