All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 11-2 win over the Mariners, complete with BSJ analysis and insight.
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Chavis busts out: Heading into Sunday, rookie Michael Chavis had grown stone cold at the plate, without a hit in his previous 19 at-bats. In the first inning, Chavis sent a weak popup to shallow right which rookie second baseman Shed Long tracked down, only to mishandle at the last moment as the ball dropped in for a gift single. That ended Chavis's long skid at the plate, and seemed to propel him toward a big afternoon. After hitting into an inning-ending double play in the third, Chavis chipped in with an opposite-field single to right to score two runs in the fifth and then flared another to right in the seventh, plating two more. He finished the day with five RBI, becoming the 23rd rookie to achieve such a thing. He's also now totaled 19 RB in his first 20 games, becoming only the third player in Red Sox history to accumulate that many, following Ted Williams (1939) and George Scott (1966).
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Velazquez, two relievers piece it together: Spot starter Hector Velazquez, making his sixth start of the year, gave the Sox five strong innings, allowing just two runs on two hits. In his five previous starts, Velazquez hadn't gone more than 3.1 innings, but was able to keep going Sunday thanks to some efficient innings. In the second inning, he retired the Mariners in order on nine pitches, and did the same in the fourth while needing just eight pitches. When Velazquez was done after 63 pitches, Marcus Walden entered and allowed just one baserunner over the next two innings while fanning three. He was followed to the mound by Josh Smith, who got out of a first-and-second two-out mess in the eighth and retired the final four hitters of the afternoon in order. The Sox thus avoided using any of their high-leverage relievers, and with Monday's off-day, bought the majority of their bullpen two days off in a row.
Sox slog it out in poor weather: A steady rain fell throughout the day, and combined with cool temperatures -- 45 at game-time, and dropping to 40 degrees by the end of the game -- it made for an unpleasant environment for the players all afternoon. "It was tough,'' confirmed J.D. Martinez. "It definitely wasn't baseball weather, if you ask me, but we found a way to get it done.'' Alex Cora thanked the grounds crew and head groundskeeper Dave Mellor for the maintaining the field and ensuring that it remained playable with regular, between-inning application of dirt and sand, especially on the mound, which threatened to turn muddy at times. The teams were committed to getting the game in since this is the only trip to Boston for the Mariners and finding a common off-day later in the year was going to be problematic.
TURNING POINT
After the Mariners managed a run in the top of the fifth, the Sox countered with two of their own in the bottom of the inning and claimed a 6-2 lead which only continued to grow. Tellingly, both runs came after the Mariners recorded two quick outs in the inning.
TWO UP
J.D. Martinez. Through the first 17 home games, Martinez didn't have a homer at Fenway. That changed with a solo shot in the first, and Martinez, for good measure, added a two-run shot in the eighth.
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Rafael Devers: Devers enjoyed his third straight three-hit game and has 18 RBI in his last 16 games.
ONE DOWN
Steve Pearce: The first baseman hasn't broken out of his season-long slump. He was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a double play.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"Offensively, we know it was just a matter of time.'' Alex Cora on the lineup's recent hot run.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Xander Bogaerts has scored 17 runs in his last 18 games.
- Marcus Walden has an 0.63 ERA over his last nine appearances.
- Christian Vazquez has thrown out five of the last seven baserunners attempting to steal.
- In the last 28 games, Red Sox starters have combined for a 3.18 ERA.
- The Sox have 24 homers in their last 12 games.