Locked in a 3-3 tie with the Los Angeles Angels in the fifth inning, the Red Sox turned on the jets and unleashed a mighty offensive surge, scoring multiple runs in each of the next four frames to clobber the Angels, 16-4.
The Sox bashed five homers -- two from J.D. Martinez, and one each from Rafael Devers, Mitch Moreland and Mookie Betts. Martinez also had two doubles and knocked in four runs.
Starter Brian Johnson, who gave up a three-run homer in the first inning, lasted just 2.1 innings. But four more relievers covered things the rest of the way, allowing just one more run between them.
WHO: Red Sox (61-56) vs. Los Angeles Angels (56-60)
WHEN: 7:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
SERIES TO DATE: Boston 1-0
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Brian Johnson (1-1, 6.88) vs. RHP Jamie Barria (4-5, 6.36)
TV/RADIO: NESN, MLB Network/WEEI 93.7 FM
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
10:19 Devers appears to have definitively broken out of his skid tonight, with a sharp two-run single in the sixth and, there, a homer down the right field line, No. 24
9:53 Have a night, J.D. Martinez. Second homer - and remember, he missed hitting another one in his previous at-bat by a foot or two at most. Two homers, two doubles, 12 total bases, three runs scored, four RBI.
9:31 Two-run single by Rafael Devers -- just the sixth hit he's had this month -- and the rout is on. The Angels' bullpen is atrocious.
9:10 Bad look for Martinez, who drills a ball off the bullpen wall, but mistakenly thought it was a homer and went into a home run trot as he approached second base and then past the bag, only to have to scamper back and just beat the throw from the outfield.
8:50 A shot into the Monster Seats for Mookie Betts, scoring Bradley ahead of him. That's HR No. 20 for Betts and gives the Red Sox their first lead of the night.
8:38 Nice relief job from Walden, who has gotten seven outs and has yet to allow a hit. He's also been efficient, throwing just 16 pitches in the last two innings.
8:27 Yup, Martinez is hot. Two-run homer on a fat four-seamer over the middle of the plate, driven into the Red Sox bullpen. That's seven homers in his last 18 games and five straight games with multi-hits.
8:04 That's all for Johnson, who gives the Red Sox just 2.2 IP, allowing three runs while being responsible for a baserunner. He threw just 50 pitches. Marcus Walden on.
7:38 J.D. Martinez doubles off The Wall, scoring Mookie Betts from second. That double extends Martinez's on-base streak to 18 games and his hitting streak to eight straight. He's knocked in 16 runs in his last 18 games.
7:19 Home plate umpire Mark Ripperger appeared to badly miss a 3-and-2 curveball that should have been strike three to Justin Upton. Then, four pitches later, Brian Johnson gives up a three-run homer to Albert Pujols. Johnson took a loonnnng look in at Ripperger as Pujols circled the bases.
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Betts RF
Devers 3B
Bogaerts SS
Martinez DH
Benintendi LF
Vazquez C
Moreland 1B
Holt 2B
Bradley CF
ANGELS
Fletcher 3B
Trout CF
Ohtani DH
Upton LF
Pujols 1B
Calhoun RF
Rengifo 2B
Stassi C
Tovar SS
WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox 3-0 shutout was their fastest game of the season at 2:16 and one of the 12 games in the majors this season that have gone nine innings and been completed in 2:16 or less...Of the Red Sox' first 118 games this season, only 38 have been played in three hours or less, the lowest figure for any team in the big leagues...Of the last 16 games in which their starting pitcher has gone at least six innings and allowed three earned runs or fewer, the Sox have won 15 of those...Chris Sale and Brandon Workman combinen for 15 strikeouts and no walks, the second time this season the Sox have fanned 15 or more hitters without issuing a walk...The Sox have won their last seven games against the Angels, their fourth-longest streak against that franchise...In those seven games, the Sox have outscored the Angels 52-12....The Sox also have multiple homers in all secen of those games, totaling 22 homers overall...This marks the first time they've had multiple homer games in seven straight against any one team...Overall, the Sox have homered in 35 of the last 39 games and 14 of their last 15....J.D. Martinez has multiple hits in each of his last four games and has an on-base streak of 17 games, during which he's hitting .409 (27-for-6y) with six homers and 16 RBI....Andrew Benintendi has a five-game hitting streak and over his last 18 games, is batting .395 with 18 RBI....Xander Bogaerts leads the Sox with a .949 OPS, which is fourth in the league...Jackie Bradley Jr. is hitless in his last 13 at-bats while Rafael Devers is without a hit in his last 10 at-bats....In three starts this season, Brian Johnson has a 3.27 ERA with just two walks in 11 innings pitched....Justin Upon is 1-for-5 lifetime against Johnson.... Devers is 1-for-2 with a homer lifetime against Jamie Barria.
PRE-GAME NOTES:
- Alex Cora said the Red Sox are hoping to get four or five innings from spot starter Brian Johnson Friday night. The fact that Chris Sale gave the Sox eight innings Thursday means the bullpen is relatively rested with a number of relievers able to provide multiple innings.
