All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 8-3 win over the Royals, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES:
Sox take a while to warm at the plate: In the first few innings, the Red Sox hit a number of balls hard off Kansas City starter Glenn Sparkman, spraying line drives around the infield and outfield, only to have them hit right at Royals defenders. As such, the Sox could claim only two hits through the first five innings, and one of those was an infield single. But in the middle innings, the Sox finally were able to do some damage. And after the Sox erupted for three runs in the sixth to grab a one-run lead, they didn't quit offensively. The eighth inning saw the Sox tack on another three runs -- courtesy of a pinch-hit homer from Eduardo Nunez -- and in the ninth, just for good measure, they scored two more as Rafael Devers rapped a two-out double to left center, giving the Sox additional breathing room. There have been games in which the Sox offense has seemingly shut down in the middle of the game, providing an opportunity for the opposition to claw back. But a more persistent attack carried the day in this series-opening win.
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1136105822549880833
Rodriguez provides strong start: For a span of about three batters in the bottom of the second inning, it looked like this could be a short night for starter Eduardo Rodriguez. He yielded a hard-hit double into the right field corner to Alex Gordon, then, one batter later, a two-run homer to Cheslor Cuthbert, giving the home team an early 2-0 lead. Was this going to one of those nights? As it turned out, no -- Rodriguez got two quick groundouts to finish out the inning, then, over the next three innings, allowed three singles, but was never really in trouble again. When Alex Cora came to lift him after 5.2 innings, Rodriguez expressed his displeasure by tossing his glove on the dugout bench. That, to me, was a positive display of emotion. Too many times, Rodriguez appears content to give the Sox a chance to win; on Tuesday night, he seemed genuinely disappointed to not get the opportunity to pitch deeper into the game.
Bullpen offers clean night: From the moment Cora lifted Rodriguez, he knew that he would need 10 big outs from his relievers in a game in which, at the time, the Sox led by just one run. But the tag team of Heath Hembree, Marcus Walden, Brandon Workman and Ryan Brasier gave the Sox 3.1 innings the rest of the way, allowing just one run in the process. That came in the ninth, when Gordon led with a double, took third on a deep flyout and scored on a groundout. Otherwise, the bullpen was dominant, with just two baserunners allowed before Gordon's leadoff hit in the final inning.
TURNING POINT
The Red Sox were clinging to a one-run lead in the eighth when Cora had the idea to pinch-hit Nunez for Brock Holt with one out and two on. Nunez golfed a breaking ball from reliever Jake Diekman well into the left-field seats to break the game open and give the Sox some breathing room.
TWO UP
J.D. Martinez: Martinez fell a homer shy of the cycle after starting out the night hitless in his first two at-bats. He tripled, doubled and singled in his last three plate appearances.
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1136095662058217474
Brock Holt: Getting some playing time thanks to some injuries in the infield, Holt had two hits and a walk.
ONE DOWN
Michael Chavis: Chavis continued to struggle at the plate, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. He's now just 2-for-14 on the current road trip.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"I can't explain, but I want to keep being that guy where we're winning all the time.'' โ Rodriguez, on the team being 25-7 when he starts since the start of 2018.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The win was just the seventh in 20 tries in series openers this season for the Red Sox.
- Eduardo Nunez's pinch-hit homer was the third PH homer of the year for the Sox.
- Rafael Devers has 30 RBI in his last 34 games.
- The Sox have now won seven of Eduardo Rodriguez's last eight starts.