All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 6-5 win over the Blue Jays, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Chavis to the rescue: Michael Chavis has had his share of big hits since being promoted to the big leagues a little more than a month ago, but none bigger than the one Wednesday night. Chavis was hitless in his first five plate appearances, but more than made up for it when he delivered a game-winning homer to left-center on a 1-and-2 pitch in the top of the 13th inning. Toronto reliever Jimmy Cordero got ahead of him 1-and-2, but then made the mistake of hanging a breaking ball on the outer half, which Chavis belted into the seats. The homer came just an inning after it seemed as though a solo homer by Mookie Betts had won the game, only to have the Blue Jays respond with a game-tying homer of their own in the bottom of the inning.
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1131404484700246017
Bullpen takes a licking: It was hardly the best night for the Red Sox bullpen, even if it ended in victory. Of the five relievers cycled through by Alex Cora, only one -- Ryan Brasier -- didn't give up a run. Brandon Workman allowed the Jays to close to within a run with a hairy seventh. Next, after the Sox reclaimed a two-run lead on a homer by Rafael Devers, Matt Barnes gave the run back in the bottom of the eighth. Then, Marcus Walden blew the first save of the night when he allowed a one-out double to Brandon Drury and a two-out, game-tying single from pinch-hitter Danny Jansen. Finally, Heath Hembree yielded a game-tying homer to Rowdy Tellez in the bottom of the 12th. Finally, the Sox pulled it out, but the bullpen made them work far harder for this one than they should have.
Cora tries five-man infield: The Red Sox manager got creative in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Red Sox tried to maintain a tie game. With one out, the Jays loaded the bases on a double, an intentional walk and a single, bringing Freddie Galvis to the plate. What to do? Cora brought Betts in from right field to play his original position, second base. The Sox stationed Betts between "regular'' second baseman Chavis and first baseman Mitch Moreland, giving them three infielders on the right side. That left, of course, just two outfielders, with Andrew Benintendi playing left-center and Jackie Bradley Jr. station in right-center, each playing shallow in case a flyball was hit and a throw needed to be made to the plate to cut down the winning run. As it turned out, Galvis made the move academic when he swung at a series of breaking pitches in the dirt, eventually going down on strikes. With two outs, Cora then move Betts back to right and Walden got Drury on a flyout to left.
SECOND GUESS
Maybe Alex Cora was spooked about the last time he let Porcello go deep in the game, but it seemed to be a quick hook last night when he was lifted after allowing just one over six innings and his pitch count only at 80. That proved especially true when it took five relievers to provide seven innings of relief to lock down this win.
TWO UP
Sandy Leon: The Red Sox catcher was 0-for-5 and didn't get the ball out of the infield, but he was superb behind the plate all night, managing to block more than a half-dozen pitches in the dirt, at times saving the Sox a run.
Rick Porcello: Porcello has traditionally struggled against Toronto, but he provided a good start, allowing just one run on three hits over six innings.
ONE DOWN
Christian Vazquez: Inserted into the lineup as the DH with J.D. Martinez sidelined, Vazquez didn't give them much offense, going 0-for-5 until reaching on an infield single in the 13th.
QUOTE OF NOTE:
"At that point, I had no hits, might as well just try to get a knock and he threw me a slider, I stayed behind it and caught barrel.'' Michael Chavis on his game-winning homer.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The last six homers the Red Sox have hit have all been solo shots.
- Rafael Devers has homered in every game in this series, hitting homers in three straight games for the first time in his career.
- The Sox are undefeated (3-0) in extra innings on the road this season.
- Boston's bullpen racked up two blown saves in the game, giving them eight for the season.