Sufficiently recovered from their recent offensive downturn, the Red Sox exploded for 12 hits -- including three homers -- to blank the Los Angeles Angels, 9-0, their third straight victory.
The Sox got a three-run shot from Xander Bogaerts for the game's big blow and solo homers from Alex Verdugo and Rafael Devers. Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero weighed in from the bottom of the order, with each contributing two doubles and two RBI.
Martin Perez earned his first victory of the season and his first victory at Fenway since joining the Sox prior to the start of the 2020 season.
WHO: Red Sox (24-16) vs. Los Angeles Angels (16-21)
WHEN: 4:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
SERIES TO DATE: Red Sox 1-0
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Martin Perez (0-2, 4.01) vs. RHP Dylan Bundy (0-4, 5.01)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM 93.7
LINEUPS
ANGELS:
Ward RF
Ohtani RF
Trout CF
Rendon 3B
Iglesias SS
Gosselin 1B
Upton LF
Suzuki C
Fletcher 2B
RED SOX
Gonzalez 2B
Verdugo CF
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Vazquez C
Renfroe RF
Dalbec 1B
Cordero LF
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
B7: Turns out, the only thing the Red Sox lineup needed to break out was the arrival of the Angels. Eight runs Friday night and nine more today, now that the Sox have their third homer of the afternoon -- a solo shot over the bullpens from Rafael Devers, who ties J.D. Martinez for the team lead at 10.
B6: For the second time in three innings, Dalbec doubles to left and Cordero scores him with a double just inside the first base bag. What is happening?
T6: That's almost certainly it for Perez, who goes six shutout innings, extending the Red Sox' string of five straight in which they've gotten at least six innings from their starter. Perez, now in his second season with the Sox, is in line to pick up his first Fenway win in a Red Sox uniform.
B5: Xander Bogaerts, over everything in left. Got a fastball center-cut and destroyed it. That's No. 9 on the season and fifth in his last 13 games.
B4: More bottom-of-the-lineup production for the Red Sox as Bobby Dalbec scrapes The Wall with a two-run double and Franchy Cordero snaps another interminable hitless streak (0-for-18) by pulling a double down the right field line.
T3: Perez has been able to work around four walks, but he's not doing his pitch count any favors -- 58 pitches through three innings.
T3: Martin Perez's velocity has been better of late and he challenges Ohtani with a 94 mph fastball up in the zone for a swinging strike three.
B1: Alex Verdugo breaks out of an 0-for-14 funk with a long homer over the Boston bullpen in right field. His fifth homer this year but first since May 4. Got a changeup on the inner half and cleaned it out.
T1: Shohei Ohtani gets a little too aggressive for his own good. After poking an opposite-field single just inside the third base bag, Ohtani rounded first and headed for second, not realizing that teammate Taylor Ward was anchored to second. Ohtani is then erased in a brief rundown between first and second.
WHAT's UP: This marks the 32nd time that the Red Sox have begun a season by winning 24 games in their first 40, the most recent of which took place in 2018...In six of the most recent starts like this one, the Sox have made it to the postseason...The Sox have a 3.85 staff ERA. The last four times the Sox had 23 or more wins and a sub-4.00 ER through the first four games, they went on to win a World Series - 2004, 2007, 2013, 2018....The Sox have a plus-37 run differential, ranking them third in the American League and fourth in MLB...The Sox lead the majors in doubles (87), extra-base hits (138), slugging percentage (.437) and OPS (.763)...They're second in runs (203) and batting average (.262), behind only the Astros in both categories...The Sox are outhomering their opponents by a margin of 48-29. That plus 19 is the largest homer differential in the American League...Sox pitchers have allowed just .74 homers per nine inning, the third-lowest rate in baseball. They've allowed multiple homers in only seven games and just once in the last 12. They're the only team in either league which hasn't allowed as many as three homers in a game...Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez are 1-2 in MLB in hits. Martinez (No. 1) and Bogaerts (No. 2) are also first and second in total bases.....Martinez leads the majors with 33 RBI and leads the league in runs scored...He's also fifth in slugging and OPS....Bogaerts is fourth in batting average and eighth in OPS...The Sox have allowed no more than four runs in the last six games, their longest such streak of the season....They're seven in the AL in ERA at 3.85...In their first 40 games, the Sox have gotten five or more innings in 33 games, tying them with the Dodgers for the most in the majors...They've also had their starters go at least six innings in four straight and in six of the last seven games...Matt Barnes posted his 12th perfect appearance of at least one inning Friday night...Over his last eight outings, he's retired 23-of-24 hitters...In that stretch, opposing hitters are just 1-for-24 with 15 strikeouts and no walks...Barnes is 9-for-9 in save opportunities. In those nine games, he hasn't allowed a run and permitted just two baserunners -- one on a walk, one on a base hit...In his last three starts, Martinez Perez has a 2.20 ERA..,The Sox have scored just nine games in his seven starts....In five of those, they scored one or no runs while he was still in the game...David Fletcher is 3-for-6 with a homer against Perez in his career while Justin Upton is 3-for-9 with a homer...Bogaerts is 10-for-33 with two homers lifetime against Dylan Bundy and Martinez is just 2-for-16 with nine strikeouts.
NOTES:
* Prior to the game, the Red Sox placed RHP Garrett Whitlock on the IL-Covid related for a bad reaction to his vaccine. He was placed on the roster by RHP Colten Brewer.
* Kike Hernandez (hamstring) is set to DH for Worcester tonight and play the outfield Sunday. That could set him up to be activated for the start of the road trip Tuesday. However, INF Christian Arroyo (hand) is still sore as he attempts to swing and is for now limited to hitting off a tee and some soft toss swings. He's unlikely to be ready for a rehab stint until later next week.
* Tanner Houck (flexor muscle) Connor Seabold (elbow inflammation) are improving and receiving treatment, but haven't been cleared to throw or resume any baseball activities.
* Alex Verdugo heads into today 0-for-14 and is hitting just .226 for the month. "I don't want to say that's he been pull-happy because he never tries to pull the ball,'' said Alex Cora. "But it seems like he's getting beat with fastballs inside and then with changeups, he's rolling over. He's been playing a lot, too. It's part of the grind. This is something that's different for him -- 162 games, he's never done that.'