All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 7-5 win over the Blue Jays, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Vazquez delivers in walk-off win: With some dramatic wins of late, the Red Sox have been getting contributions up and down the lineup and on Friday night, it was Christian Vazquez's turn. Vazquez wasn't even in the starting lineup but entered in the eighth when he delivered a single when called upon to hit for starting catcher Sandy Leon. But the real heroics were saved for the 10th inning. With two out, Marco Hernandez reached when he was plunked on the arm by a pitch. Over a seven-pitch at-bat against Toronto reliever Jordan Romano, finally, Vazquez swung and drove the ball the other way, on a liner that didn't come down until it cleared the home bullpen wall in right field. "I hit it good and the win was blowing that way,'' recounted Vazquez. "I was trying to hit the ball to the gap. Marco was running, 3-2, two outs, to score the run.'' Hernandez could trot most of the way, since it was obvious that the ball was going out. Vazquez estimated that the homer was the longest ball he's ever hit to the opposite field. It was the second walk-off homer of his career.
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1142271349739675648
Sale stumbles early in short outing: Starter Chris Sale earned yet another no-decision Friday night. At times this year, that's been the result of poor run support, but on this occasion, Sale, by his own admission, didn't pitch very well. He was tagged for two runs in the first and another two in the third and by the time he got through the fifth, he was done for the night, done in by a high pitch count (101), the result, mostly, of a 36-pitch first inning. "I didn't really have a rhythm,'' Sale offered, "and kind of got out of synch. In the first inning for sure, I was battling myself. I talked to Dana (LeVangie, pitching coach) throughout the start and he was giving me some things to stay on top of, to get back within myself. But today was just one of those grinds. I felt like my stuff was good, but I couldn't really coral it at one time and put it all together.
Bogaerts misses out in first round of All-Star balloting: As Major League Baseball released the first round of fan balloting, Xander Bogaerts missed the cut and is now not eligible to start next month's All-Star Game at shortstop. Bogaerts made some headway in recent days, but still finished out of the Top 3 of the voting in MLB's newly-designed "primary'' round. This, despite the fact that Bogaerts went into Friday's action leading all A.L shortstops in runs scored, doubles, RBI, extra-base hits, and on-base percentage. Bogaerts can still be selected to the team by either the player vote or as part of a group added by the commissioner's office. Two other Red Sox players did advance beyond the primary round -- J.D. Martinez finished on top in the DH category and outfielder Mookie Betts was sixth among the top nine outfielders chosen in the first round.
TURNING POINT
The Red Sox trailed in the seventh inning 5-1, but began their comeback bid with one out. A triple by Mookie Betts chased starter Trent Thornton but the offense kept chugging against the Jays bullpen with three straight hits to bring the Sox to within a run at 5-4.
TWO UP
J.D. Martinez: His performance has been up-and-down of late and he did strike out twice more, but also delivered three more hits and knocked in a run.
Andrew Benintendi: He reached base three times with two hits and a walk, knocked in one run and scored twice as part of the Red Sox' win.
ONE DOWN
Sandy Leon: Leon was hitless in three at-bats and is now without a hit in his last 14 at-bats.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"I put us in a pretty bad hole early on ... but I'm going home with a smile on my face.'' Chris Sale.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- This marked the fourth time in the last 11 games that the Sox have gone to extra innings.
- Boston collected doubles from Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. and has seven in the last 10 games.
- Xander Bogaerts has doubled in each of his last six games.
- The Sox improved to a season-high seven games over .500.