TORONTO -- All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 10-7 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday night, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Moreland comes through in the 10th: After Craig Kimbrel blew the save in the bottom of the ninth, Mitch Moreland helped the Red Sox come back in the very next inning, cranking a three-run homer off Toronto reliever Ken Giles. Six of his 14 homers this season have given the Red Sox the lead, but this may have been his biggest of the year. Moreland had a rough July, going the entire month without hitting a homer, but here in August, he's already got two, none bigger than the one he hit Tuesday night. "It definitely felt good, especially after trying to come through (and failing) earlier in the game,'' he said. "I've put in a lot of work and there's still a lot to be done. I've just kept my head down and kept working. You're going to go through the ups and downs. You try to make the most of it and keep fighting.''
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Kimbrel trips again: It's been a rough last couple of weeks for Kimbrel, who's allowed runs in four of his last five outings. He wasn't sharp Saturday in a non-save situation against the Yankees, and Tuesday night, entrusted with a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, he couldn't preserve it, allowing a game-tying homer to Justin Smoak with one out. It was his fourth blown save of the year.
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"Tonight was frustrating, personally,'' said Kimbrel. "I felt like I probably had the best stuff I had in the last two weeks. I threw a pitch to Smoak 3-and-0 and he was hacking and he put the barrel on it. I hate it. I hate blowing games. I hate making us play extra innings. But in the end, our guys did what they do and went back out there and kept hitting the ball.'' Kimbrel said his struggles of late have been about command -- both of his curveball and fastball. "You kind of go through (those valleys) as the year goes on,'' he said. "The last couple of weeks, I've been struggling with some things.''
Another poor outing from Pomeranz: So much took place after starter Drew Pomeranz left the game in the top of the fifth, it was almost easy to forget he pitched at all. But Pomeranz was all over the strike zone, issuing five walks in just 4.2 innings. He also registered just one strikeout and recorded only three swings-and-misses. He gave up just two runs, but he was far from sharp. He was unable to get into a rhythm, with baserunners -- often multiple -- every inning. "It's a little bit frustrating,'' he acknowledged, "kind of like this whole year. I feel like something's been holding me back.'' He's still not locked-in mechanically, and the velocity (88-90 mph) isn't getting any better. Interestingly, Alex Cora wouldn't commit to giving Pomeranz another start, noting that, after the series in Baltimore, the Sox have two days off the span of the next five days, giving them some flexibility with their rotation.
TURNING POINT
In a game that featured 17 runs and 22 hits, it's hard to single out a play in the sixth inning as a key. But the Blue Jays led 2-1 at the time and had loaded the bases with no out. Brandon Workman got Kevin Pillar on a flyout to shallow right for the first out. The next hitter, Luke Maile, hit a squibber down the third base line. Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon pounced, and before the ball had a chance to roll foul, picked it up in fair territory, and with one swipe, managed to slap a tag on the runner from third, Kendrys Morales, for the second out. One batter later, the Sox were out of the jam at a time when the game threatened to get away from them.
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ONE UP
J.D. Martinez: Martinez continued to be a run-producing machine. He knocked in Boston's first run with a single in the fourth, then blasted a three-run homer off the left field foul pole in the ninth, giving him three hits -- he also doubled in the seventh, but was stranded at third -- and four RBI. He leads the majors in RBI (97) and also multi-RBI games (29).
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TWO DOWN
Joe Kelly: Kelly allowed a leadoff single in the seventh and, thanks to a throwing error by Andrew Benintendi, the runner ended up on second. Then Kelly compounded things by an errant pickoff throw into center, allowing Devon Travis to move to third, from where he scored on a sacrifice fly.
Matt Barnes: With the Sox having scored four in the top of the eighth to take the lead for the first time in the game, he quickly gave a run right back in the bottom of the inning.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"Ummm ... I wasn't thinking single.''
— Moreland, when asked if he was thinking about trying to hit a homer in the 10th inning.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Red Sox became the first team to reach 80 wins this season.
- The game marked the 14th time the Red Sox reached double figures in runs scored.
- Boston improved to 38-14 against teams from their own division.
- The Sox are 24-1 in Leon's last 25 starts.
- Moreland has 11 game-winning RBI, second on the team.
- The 10th inning homer for Jackie Bradley was his first career homer in extra innings.