The Red Sox jumped out to a quick five-run lead in the first inning and throttled the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-3 to maintain their tenuous hold on first place in the American League East.
The Sox banged out four homers -- three in the first two innings -- while Garrett Richards kept the Jays at bay, allowing just two runs over 6.2 innings for his fourth win.
Kike Hernandez had three hits and three other members of the starting lineup had two hits each as the Red Sox rebounded from a one-sided defeat Tuesday night.
WHO: Red Sox (25-18) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (23-17)
WHEN: 7:37 p.m.
WHERE: TD Ballpark, Dunedin, Fla.
SERIES TO DATE: TOR 1-0
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: TOR 2-1
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Garrett Richards (3-2, 3.89) vs. RHP Ross Stripling (0-2, 5.91)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM 93.7
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Hernandez CF
Verdugo RF
Martinez DH
Bogaertrs SS
Devers 3B
Vazquez C
Gonzalez 2B
Dalbec 1B
Cordero LF
BLUE JAYS
Semien 2B
Bichette SS
Guerrero Jr. 1B
Hernandez RF
Grichuk DH
Gurriel Jr. LF
Biggio 3B
Davis CF
McGuire C
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
B8: Good bounce-back inning from Adam Ottavino, who allows an infield single and nothing else in a quick inning.
T8: For the first time in a month and a half, Christian Vazquez has left the yard as the Sox get one of the runs right back.
B7: Garrett Whitlock, in relief, misfires on a fastball, catching too much of the inner half and Semien lines it out to left field for a two-run shot. Suddenly, the lead isn't so comfortable.
B7: Working into the seventh inning for the third time in his last five starts, Richards is finishing strong, with two quick strikeouts and a fastball still registering in the mid-90s.
T6: Nice, quick stroke by Franchy Cordero, who ropes a double to right with one in the sixth for his first hit tonight.
B4: Richards is pitching like a man with a five-run lead -- attacking the strike zone and challenging hitters. He's faced one over the minimum since the first inning.
T4: Stripling has gotten into a far better groove, having retired the last seven since the Hernandez homer to lead off the second.
T2: Kike Hernandez becomes the second Red Sox player to homer off former teammate Stripling, who gets an inviting 89 mph fastball on the inner half and wallops it out to LF. Three homers in the first 10 at-bats for the Sox.
B1: Garrett Richards gifted with a 5-0 lead before he took the mound, but hasn't retired Toronto hitter though four plate appearances -- two walks and two doubles.
B1: Jays do the Red Sox a favor by running into an out. Marcus Semien makes too big a turn at third and is cut down on a relay throw.
T1: The hit parade continues in the first for the Sox as a double to left from Rafael Devers, a groundout behind second by Christian Vazquez and a double to right-center from Bobby Dalbec produces two more runs. Sox are obviously focused on going the other way and taking advantage of the conditions at TD Ballpark.
T1:Red Sox strike quickly. First, Alex Verdugo jumps on a fastball from former teammate Ross Stripling and smokes it out to right for a two-run shot. That's followed immediately by a solo shot to right-center by J.D. Martinez, who homers after a 12-game drought.
WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox have lost two in a row and four of the last seven, but still occupy first place in the AL East....The Sox own a .667 winning percentage (12-6) on the road which is tied for the best in the majors (also OAK, 12-6)...The Sox also rank fifth in the AL and eighth in the majors in road ERA (3.70)...Last night represented the Red Sox' first shutout loss since Opening Day and also marked just the third time all season that they lost a game by five or more runs...: In the last two games, the Red Sox have allowed 14 runs over the last two games after a stretch of seven straight games in which they allowed no more than four in any one game...The Sox are seventh in the AL and 14th in the majors in ERA (3.91),....Red Sox starters have thrown at least five innings in each of the club’s last 11 games, their longest streak of the season....In seven of their last 11 games, Sox starters have gone at least six innings...Red Sox starters have thrown five or more innings in 36 games this season, tied with the Dodgers for most in the majors...Sox starters have not allowed more than one homer in any of their last 25 games...The Red Sox are out-homering opponents 53-31..That plus 22 is the largest difference in the AL and second-largest in the majors. Only St. Louis (plus-26) has a bigger homer differential....The Red Sox are 6-7 against the Blue Jays since the start of last season....and nine of the last 13 meetings have been decided by one or two runs...The Red Sox lead the majors in doubles (95), extra-base hits (151), and slugging percentage (.440)...They rank third in runs (217) and OPS (.763). The Sox have 26 HR in their last 17 games...Marcus Semien is 3-for-15 lifetime against Garrett Richards and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is 2-for-2...Xander Bogaerts is 1-for-4 with a homer in his career against Ross Stripling....JD Martinez has gone a dozen games without a homer while Christian Vazquez hasn't homered since April 7, some 30 games back.
NOTES:
* Christian Arroyo (hand contusion) took batting practice today and plans to do so again Thursday in Worcester, after which he's set to begin a brief rehab assignment at Triple A.
* All signs continue to point to Danny Santana likely joining the club from Triple A Worcester, perhaps as soon as Friday when the Sox begin an interleague series in Philadelphia.
* Alex Cora said the team is debating whether to change the balance between pitchers and position players on the major league roster. The Sox have gone with 12 position players and 14 pitchers since the start of the season. But the starting pitchers' ability to go deeper, coupled with a more off-days in the coming weeks, could allow a re-set of the roster, where the Sox could go with 13 each.
* Cora deliberately avoided offering his opinion on the controversy generated by White Sox manager Tony La Russa, who was highly critical of his rookie outfielder Yermin Mercedes for swinging at a 3-and-0 pitch with the White Sox up big and facing a position player on the mound. Asked if he would instruct his hitters to avoid swinging in a similar situation, Cora chuckled and said: "We'll keep that in the clubhouse. That's the most important thing.''