All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 12-2 win over the Blue Jays, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Price makes strong return: David Price hardly looked like someone coming off a two-and-a-half week layoff. Pitching for the first time since May 3, following a stint on the IL with elbow tendinitis, Price gave up two runs -- neither of them earned -- over five innings to claim the victory in the road trip opener. After getting out of a first-and-third jam in the first and yielding a two-run homer to catcher Luke Maile in the second, Price settled into a comfortable groove retiring the final 10 hitters he faced. He was lifted after just five innings despite not allowing a baserunner in any of his previous three innings, but that was a function of Alex Cora not wanting to push him too far in his first game back on the mound. And given that the Sox had a comfortable 8-2 lead at the time, there was no need to ask more of Price. On Sunday, he said he hoped that Price could give him somewhere between 15 and 18 outs, and Price did just that.
Everybody hits: After scoring just four runs in two losses to the Astros Friday and Saturday, the offense busted out north of the border. Boston pounded out 16 hits, with everybody in the lineup collecting at least one, including three members of the lineup who had struggled of late. Jackie Bradley Jr. hit his first homer of the season and first in the regular season since last Sept. 20 with a two-run shot in the sixth. Sandy Leon, returning from a weekend paternity leave, contributed a single to the shortstop hole in the fourth and Steve Pearce, who's been mired well below .200 for the entire season, had a walk, a sacrifice fly and, in his final plate appearance of the afternoon, a double to left. The Sox managed to score in five of the nine innings and went down in order only twice.
Bullpen almost perfect: With Price lifted after five strong innings, the Red Sox still had 12 outs to get to close out the game. First came Brandon Workman, who retired the side in order in the sixth with two strikeouts. Opposing hitters have just four hits in 65 at-bats against Workman, who recorded his first career save on Sunday. Next up was Heath Hembree, who walked the first hitter he faced before coming back to get the next three. Hembree has now retired 21 of the last 24 he's faced coming out of the bullpen. Next up was Ryan Brasier, who had battled control issues of late (he walked two in his outing). But Brasier was sharp in this outing, retiring the Jays in order on a popup and two soft comebackers. Finally, there was Hector Velazquez, who was hammered for five runs in the first inning in his most recent spot start. Velazquez, too, was effective, putting the Jays away in order to close out the game.
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1130567183464128519
TURNING POINT
Price had a bit of a jam in the first inning after an infield hit that nicked his glove and a one-out single to right two batters later, giving the Jays runners at the corners. But he quickly got Randal Grichuk on a tapper in front of the mound and retired Freddie Galvis on a flyout and from there, retired 12 of the last 14 hitters he faced.
TWO UP
Michael Chavis: The Red Sox rookie infield continues to amaze, contributing a two-run homer in the third for his ninth homer of the year. He's tied with JD Martinez for second in homer on the team despite missing the first few weeks of the year. He later added a single.
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1130536848663687169
Mitch Moreland: Moreland hit the ball hard almost every time up, coming up with a single and two doubles and lifting his batting average -- hovering just over .200 not long ago -- to .239.
ONE DOWN
Andrew Benintendi: Although he managed a hit in his fifth plate appearance, Benintendi still looked off with two infield popups and a strikeout. He also failed to get on base in his first plate appearance in the first inning for the 33rd time in 35 innings
QUOTE OF NOTE
"I don't know...I don't know...I don't know...I can't tell you, man.'' Xander Bogaerts, on how it was that he was able to hit a pitch neck-high into the second deck in left field.
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1130563878729977858
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Sox have won 14 of their last 17 games in Toronto
- After starting the season 3- 10 on the road, the Red Sox are now 9-2 in the last 11.
- Price improved to 22-3 in 31 career appearances -- all but one a start -- against the Jays.