Rafael Devers knocked in four runs and Brandon Workman recorded the final five outs as the Red Sox held off the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-4.
Workman allowed a run in the ninth and needed 45 pitches to get through the last inning and two-thirds before stranding two runners on a strikeout of Randal Grichuk.
Devers hit a solo homer in the third, doubled home two in the fourth and singled home an insurance run in the eighth. Brock Holt accounted for the other Red Sox with an RBI single.
Eduardo Rodriguez won his 11th, pitching into the seventh inning.
WHO: Red Sox (51-44) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (36-60)
WHEN: 7:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: Boston 8-6
SERIES TO DATE: 1-1
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (10-4, 4.43) vs. RHP Aaron Sanchez (3-13, 6.22)
TV/RADIO: NESN/WEEI 93.& FM
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
10:30 It's Brandon Workman's ball now -- presumably to the finish line, with five outs to go.
10:20 Interesting show of faith in lefty Josh Taylor, who gets the 2-3-4 of the Jays' lineup in a two-run game of the eighth.
9:14 Hernandez strikes again for the Jays. Two homers tonight -- both solo shots -- and nine career homers in 20 games at Fenway.
9:07 Devers continues to wield the hot bat tonight, with a rope to the bullpen wall, scoring two. He's knocked in three of the four Red Sox runs.
8:35 Rafael Devers, going the other way, manages to sneak one just over The Wall, giving the Sox a one-run lead again.
8:29 Teoscar Hernandez goes deep off Rodriguez, because, of course. That's his 10th career homer against the Red Sox.
8:24 Brock Holt's sharp line single to center scores Andrew Benintendi from third. It's amazing how consistent he's been since coming back from the IL; he's 13-for-27 with RISP in that span.
8:11 Almost effortlessly, Jackie Bradley Jr. takes the carom off the CF wall, and fires a strike to second, cutting down Justin Smoak trying to stretch a single into a double.
8:01 Hustle double by Xander Bogaerts, who bolts out of the box and takes second when two Toronto outfielders display a lack of urgency in getting the ball back into the infield.
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Betts RF
Devers 3B
Bogaerts SS
Martinez DH
Benintendi LF
Chavis 1B
Bradley CF
Vazquez C
Holt 2B
BLUE JAYS
Sogard LF
Guerrero 3B
Gurriel DH
Grichuk RF
Biggio 2B
Smoak 1B
Galvis SS
Hernandez CF
Maille C
WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox have dropped three of the last four...The Red Sox have given up 82 runs in their last 11 games...In that span, they've allowed fewer than six runs twice.....Offensively, they've homered in 15 of their last 16 games and lead the majors in runs scored per game (5.65), batting average (.272) and runs (.537)...The Sox have scored in the first inning in 12 of their last 15 games....Xander Bogaerts has at least one hit, one run and one RBI in each of the last eight games....Ted Williams also had an eight-game streak (1942) and an 11-game streak in 1950....The last MLB player to have a streak longer than eight games was Chase Utley (9 in 2008)…..Mookie Betts has scored one run in each of the last 11 games, the longest streak for a Red Sox player since Nomar Garciaparra scored in 12 straight in 1998....Betts is on pace to score 141 runs and would become the fourth Red Sox player in history to score 120 or more runs in a season three times....Michael Chavis is one of six Red Sox rookies to hit 15 homers in the season of his MLB debut, joining Ted Williams, George Scott, Tony Conigliaro, Ellis Burks and Dick Gernert...Brandon Workman has retired the last 10 batters he's faced. He leads the majors in opponents batting average (.102), slugging percentage (.161) and OPS (.418)….In his last 14 outings, Josh Taylor has a 1.17 ERA with 21 strikeouts and just four walks....Betts has an eight-game hitting streak, with six doubles in the last 10 games....Andrew Benintendi has a three-game hitting streak with six RBI in the last seven games.....Bogaerts has homered in four of his last five, five of his last seven and has three hits in each of his last three games...J.D. Martinez is hitless in his last nine games...The Sox are 14-3 in Eduardo Rodriguez's last 17 starts....He's gone at least five innings in each of his last 13 straight starts...The Sox are 10-0 when he goes six or more innings...Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is 4-for-9 against Rodriguez in his career.....Justin Smoak is 4-for-17....Bogaerts is 10-for-37 (.27z) against Aaron Sanchez while Brock Holt is 3-for-16.
PRE-GAME NOTES:
- After expressing some concern about Heath Hembree's declining velocity Tuesday night, Alex Cora said the reliever feels fine physically. Cora said Tuesday's poor outing (three hits allowed, no outs recorded) was the reult of not elevating his fastball.
- Nathan Eovaldi is scheduled to make an appearance for Pawtucket Thursday -- weather permitting -- then will join the Sox in Baltimore and be activated over the weekend.
- Brian Johnson threw a 25-pitch live BP and is getting closer to being ready for a rehab assignment.