The Red Sox took a seemingly easy win and made it more interesting that it should have been, but still managed to hold off the Seattle Mariners, 6-5, to snap a two-game losing streak.
Matt Barnes took over in the ninth with a four-run lead and promptly gave up a three-run homer to Kyle Seager to make it a close call before getting the final two outs.
J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts combined for four hits and four RBI as each contributed a homer.
WHO: Red Sox (12-8) vs. Seattle Mariners (12-7)
WHEN: 7:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
SERIES TO DATE: Seattle 1-0
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Martin Perez (0-1, 5.93) vs. LHP Yusei Kikuchi (0-0, 4.74)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM
LINEUPS
MARINERS
Haniger RF
France DH
Seager 3B
Lewis CF
White 1B
Murphy C
Moore 2B
Haggerty LF
Crawford SS
RED SOX
Hernandez CF
Verdugo LF
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Vazquez C
Arroyo 2B
Renfroe RF
Dalbec 1B
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
T9: Three-run homer by Kyle Seager off Matt Barnes makes it interesting. Until tonight, Barnes had allowed just one run in his first nine appearances.
B5: Sharp single to CF from Bogaerts, scoring Hernandez from third, and that's all for Kikuchi.
B5: Big double play from Martinez takes the Sox out of what was potentially a big inning (bases loaded, no out), but scores a run.
T5: Sawamura is wisely using his splitter basically only when he's ahead and to put hitters away. His two strikeouts have come on that pitch.
T4: Hard to know whether Sox had a play at the plate on a strong throw from Kiké Hernández in CF, but not the best call on the part of Perez to cut it off at the mound. Anyway, he's done after just 3.2 IP and interminable 83 pitches. Sawamura on.
T4: Since issuing back-to-back walks with one out in the second, Perez has settled in nicely, retiring seven in a row.
B3: JD Martinez inside-outs a ball just beyond the Pesky Pole, with the ball hitting the top of the short RF wall and bouncing into the seats for HR No. 7. It was slider, above the belt, right over the middle of the plate.
T3: A relatively stress-free (and quick) inning for Perez, who needs just 13 pitches to set down the Mariners in order in the top of the third.
B1: Bogaerts clears everything in left, giving the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. His third homer in the last four games after going without one in the first 17 games.
T1: Big play by Xander Bogaerts, who dives to stop a grounder from going through the infield and starts an inning-ending double play and saves Martin Perez from a big inning.
T1: For the sixth time in the eight games on this homestand, the Red Sox allow a run in the top of the first as Kyle Seager bangs a double off The Wall.
T1: Alex Verdugo was about to notch another outfield assist, fielding a ball off The Wall by Mitch Haniger and throwing a strike to second to get Haniger out stretching. But second baseman Christian Arroyo tried to apply the tag before he had the ball secured in his glove and it came loose.
PRE-GAME NOTES: Thursday's game was the first season in which the Red Sox held a lead but went on to lose the game...The Sox actually led twice 2-0 and again 3-2 before losing in extra innings...It was also the first extra-inning loss after two wins in extras...In 15 of their first 20 games, the Red Sox have gotten at least five innings from their starting pitchers, the most for any team in the AL...The Sox starters have thrown exactly 100 innings, tied with the Texas Rangers for third-most in MLB...After giving up just six runs in a span of 32.2 innings, the Red Sox bullpen allowed four runs in four innings Thursday night...Overall, the Red Sox pen is is fourth in the AL and fifth in MLB in ERA at 3.18...Since the start of 2015, the Red Sox are 11-5 against the Mariners at Fenway.....The Sox lead the majors with nine come-from--behind wins; the Mariners are second with seven, including Thursday's win....Following a run through the first two weeks that saw them as the highest-scoring team in the game, the Red Sox offense has been throttled of late, with four runs or fewer in five of their last six games...They still rank second in the majors in runs scored, OBP, slugging percentage and OPS.....Xander Bogaerts is tied for the major league lead in hits with 26. He's also in the AL Top 10 in average (fourth), OBP (eighth), OPS (ninth) and doubles (tied for third)....After starting the season just 1-for-12, he's hitting .438 with a 1.131 OPS.....Rafael Devers and JD Martinez are tied for the league lead in homers with six. They're the first Red Sox teammates to hit six homers in the season's first 20 games since 2005 when David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez did so in 2005.....Kyle Seager is 18-for-55 (.327) with four homers lifetime against Martin Perez while Mitch Haniger is 7-for-21...Both Martinez and Bogaerts have hit homers off Yusei Kikuchi.
NOTES:
- Alex Cora said he would like to see Martin Perez be more aggressive within the strike zone in Friday's start. "The thing we keep pushing with him is, 'Don't nibble...attack, attack, attack,' '' said Cora. "He has a good changeup, a good cutter, good life. His velocity has been up, so the only thing that he has to change is attack a little bit more. Avoid the walks and keep throwing good stuff in the zone and good things are going to happen.''
- Reliever Ryan Brasier (calf strain) is still some time away before returning. "Nothing (to report),' said Cora, "but getting better. But I haven't gotten a report as far as throwing for a while.''
- In spring training, Cora preached the importance of having hitters at the bottom of the lineup willingly cut down on their swing in certain situations to help put the ball in play more and get runners home from third with less than two out. That didn't happen in Thursday's loss, where the Sox missed some opportunities to deliver baserunners from third and the final four hitters in the lineup went a combined 1-for-14. "I think overall, as a team, we've been good,'' he said. "But we've been bad the last two days and not only the bottom of the lineup. We had probably five at-bats that ended up being strikeouts with a man at third and less than two outs. If we put the ball in play against Toronto, we get closer to them; (Thursday), if we put the ball in play, we add on and it's a different story. Franchy (Cordero) is striking out a lot lately. Hunter (Renfroe) is having better at-bats against righties. That was a good sign. I think overall, we've been OK; as a team, we've been good. I asked where we're at league-wise as far as producing runs with men at third and less than two outs and we're fourth in the league doing that. It just happens that, in the last two days, we've seen a lot of strikeouts. But I think it's combination lately -- (facing) good pitching, some bullpen games. Seeing a different arm every inning, it's not easy to prepare for. It's not an excuse, but it's the truth.''