TORONTO - The Red Sox Express continued to roll Wednesday night, with a balanced attack pounding out 12 hits and five different players driving in runs, leading to the team's sixth straight victory, a 10-5 win over the accommodating Toronto Blue Jays.
The Sox got a two-run homer and a double from Rafael Devers in his first game back from the DL and three RBI from Xander Bogaerts. The Sox led 7-0 before the Jays could get on the scoreboard.
Brian Johnson blanked the Jays through the first five innings before allowing a two-run homer in the sixth and a three-run shot in the seventh. He earned his second straight win and posted six strikeouts.
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS
9:40 If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the Jays barking from the third level of Rogers Centre. This team does. not. care. Rumors of John Gibbons' imminent firing don't seem to be motivating them much. They haven't played hard for much of the year. When the Jays visited Fenway at the end of May, they had players who weren't running out groundballs. Now that it's August and they're buried in the standings, they really don't care. Russell Martin couldn't have looked any more disinterested as a wild pitch got by him and a run scored in the top of the eighth.
9:23 Looks like the Sox might have pushed Johnson a little too far - clearly tiring there and left an 87 mph fastall over the plate which Randal Grichuk hammered into the third deck for a three-run homer. He was at 80 pitches through six, and the Sox probably wanted to give the bullpen some rest after all the innings of late, but it looked like it cost Johnson there in the seventh. At 98 pitches, I would assume that's it. Ryan Brasier warming.
9:03 Encouraging night for Xander Bogaerts, who was hit in the hand last week, sparking fears that he was going to go through the same problems he had in the second half of last year when he essentially had to hit one-handed and couldn't drive the ball after being drilled in the same right hand. But he hit one ball deep to right for a sacrifice fly in the third and just drove a hard double to right to score a run.
8:46 Gorgeous swing by Devers, who loves the ball down-and-in and got a slider right in his wheelhouse from Jake Petricka. Devers serves it out right for a two-run homer, his 16th of the season. Nice return to the lineup for Devers tonight -- a double, walk and two-run homer.
8:02 All of a sudden, Brian Johnson is turning into a strikeout machine. He fanned a career-high 11 against the Yankees in just five innings in his last outing and he's got four in the first three here tonight. The curveball has, not surprisingly, been his put-away pitch -- three of the four strikeouts have come on the curve.
7:45 Mitch Moreland still isn't fully recovered from the knee issues he dealt with a few weeks ago. When someone asked him post-game Tuesday, following his three-run homer, when he turned the corner with his knee, Moreland cracked: "I'll let you know when that happens.'' But in the last few days, Moreland has been having better at-bats. He knocked in four Tuesday night and his two-run double to center in the third inning tonight gives his six RBI in the last two nights.
7:35 In his first at-bat since going on the DL a week and a half ago, Rafael Devers drills a double to center. The Sox could use a hot spell from Devers from the bottom third of the order now, with Brock Holt scuffling, Sandy Leon struggling to get over .220 and Jackie Bradley Jr, though improved, still in the low 200s.
WHO: Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays
WHEN: 7:07 p.m.
WHERE: Rogers Centre
WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox have won five straight and own a winning percentage of .702. They've yet to lose in August and are 9-1 in their last 10 games. They're 24-5 in their last 29 games. Toronto is in fourth place in the A.L. East, 28 games behind the Red Sox.
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Brian Johnson (2-3, 3.74) vs. RHP Mike Hauschild (1-0, 0.00)
TV/RADIO: NESN/WEEI 93.7 FM
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Betts RF
Benintendi LF
Moreland 1B
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Bradley CF
Nunez 2B
Devers 3B
Leon C
BLUE JAYS
Grichuk RF
Travis 2B
Smoak 1B
Hernandez LF
Morales DH
Solarte 3B
Martin C
Diaz SS
Pillar CF
NEWS AND NOTES
- As expected, the Red Sox activated third baseman Rafael Devers from the DL and had him back in the lineup Wednesday. The plan is for him to play Wednesday, get a day off Thursday, then return to action Friday in Baltimore. "He's had his ups and down,'' said Alex Cora. "Obviously, everybody focuses on the error (a team-high 20), but he's a guy who's very rangy at third base. He's made some mistakes, but at the same time, he's been learning. Offensively, he's been up and down. It's not easy to play at this level; imagine playing at 21 years old for a championship-caliber team. But we trust the guy, we let him play and he's been good for us.'' To make room for Devers on the roster, the Red Sox optioned INF Tony Renda, who scored the game-winning run as a pinch-runner Sunday night.
- Cora said the Sox will use both Eduardo Nunez and Brock Holt at second until Ian Kinsler (hamstring) returns from the DL. Nunez got the start Wednesday and will likely be back there Thursday. Nunez was hitless Tuesday night in the series opener, but was 14-for-36 on the just-completed homestand.
- Cora lauded Sandy Leon for the catcher's play in the sixth inning when, with the bases loaded and no out, he fielded a roller down the third base line and quickly tagged the runner breaking from third. "That's the best play of this season,'' said Cora. "Hands down. That's the play of the year. That was amazing. I know that Jackie (Bradley Jr.) will get the Play of the Year this year (for his acrobatic catches in the outfield), but that, for me, that's the play of the year right there. To have the presence of mind to (get) the ball and just tag him? Jason (Varitek, catching instructor) said he never did it. It never happens. And for him to react that way, that was aggressive. His baseball IQ is way up there. The good thing about him is he's willing to keep learning.''