Using half their bullpen to get through the game, the Red Sox pieced together a 5-2 win over the Miami Marlins Monday night for their fifth straight win and moved to within a half game of first place in the A.L. East.
Christian Arroyo knocked in two runs and scored another. The Marlins contributed in a big way to a three-run fourth, with a wild pitch and two errors leading to two unearned runs.
Nick Pivetta battled through 4.2 innings before being lifted, leading to a parade of Red Sox relievers being used for the final 16 outs.
The Marlins put a good scare into the Sox in the ninth with a run off Adam Ottavino. Miami had the potential tying run on second before Ottavino got Jorge Alfaro to ground out to third.
WHO: Red Sox (36-23) vs. Miami Marlins (25-33)
WHEN: 5:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
SERIES TO DATE: BOS 2-0
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Nick Pivetta (7-1, 3.77) vs. RHP Zach Thompson (0-0, 0.00)
TV/RADIO: NESN; MLBN; WEEI-FM 93.7
LINEUPS
MARLINS
Chisolm SS
Marte CF
Aguilar DH
Dickerson LF
Cooper 1B
Duvall RF
Diaz 3B
Alfaro C
Berti 3B
RED SOX
Arroyo 2B
Verdugo LF
Bogaerts SS
Devers DH
Renfroe RF
Gonzalez 3B
Plawecki C
Hernandez CF
Dalbec 1B
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
T8: Alex Cora is being forced to stitch this one together, an out at the time. Josh Taylor on now, the fifth Red Sox pitcher of the game and fourth since the fifth inning.
T6: Huge pitch from Hirokazu Sawamura, who gets Jesus Aguilar fishing for strike three, leaving the bases full.
T5: Following a two-out walk, Pivetta gets the hook one out shy of qualifying for the win. Garrett Whitlock on.
T5: Starling Marte crushes a flat slider and drives it out just to the left of the flag pole.
B4: The Marlins couldn't be sloppier this inning. So far, a wild pitch and two errors have contributed to a three-run inning for the Red Sox to score three runs -- the latest on a sharp single to right by Verdugo.
B4: Great at-bat by Arroyo, who shoots a ball through the right side of the infield, scoring two. Then, when Jorge Alfaro's throw to first attempts to back-pick Arroyo at first, the throw bounds into RF and Arroyo hustles down to second.
T4: Marlins break through against Pivetta, but a double play bails him out of further trouble,
T4: It's the fourth inning and the Marlins have already stolen three bases today off the Pivetta/Kevin Plawecki combo.
B3: Consecutive doubles from Christian Arroyo and Alex Verdugo produce another run. Verdugo's was a bloop into left field, going the other way, but it did the job.
B2: It's painful to watch Kike Hernandez at the plate. He strikes out swinging and is now 1-for-33.
B1: Heads up baserunning by Xander Bogaerts. Zach Thompson bounces a pitch in the dirt, and it bounces in front of the plate. When Thompson and catcher Jorge Alfaro go after it, Bogaerts breaks from third and slides in head first with the first run of the game.
T1:Nick Pivetta allows two singles to open the game, but then retires the next three hitters -- two by strikeout -- to strand both baserunners. That's his first start since May 14 that he didn't allow a run in the first inning.
WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox are home after a road trip that saw them go 4-3, losing the first three before winning the last four...They enter Monday 13 games over .500 for the first time this season...This game is a makeup of a game rained out on May 30....They have won each of their last 4 games and are 11-5 in their last 16. Since getting swept by Baltimore to begin the season, the Sox are 36-20 (.643), tied with the Giants (also 36-20) for MLB’s best record in that time...The Sox are 5-1-1 in their last seven series... The Sox have five series sweeps, but they have been swept only once (first series of the season). The Sox have swept three series on the road.....The Red Sox are 16-13 (.552) at Fenway Park, the AL’s third-best home record and are 20-10 (.667) on the road, tied for MLB’s 2nd-best record...They are 7-2-0 in road series....The Red Sox lead the majors with 21 come-from-behind wins...They overcame a deficit of tow or more runs in nine of those, including a deficit of three runs once. The largest lead the Sox have relinquished in a loss is two runs, done only 3 times... The Sox are one of only four teams without a losing streak of four or more games this season....: The Red Sox lead the majors in doubles (134) and (extra-base hits (212)...They rank second in slugging (.439), third in average (.257) and OPS (.756), and fourth in runs (294). The Sox are an MLB-best 32-3 (.914) when scoring four or mote runs...They are 27-3 when scoring five or more runs, 23-1 when scoring six or more runs, and 17-0 when scoring seven or more runs. The Red Sox are out-homering their opponents, 74- 43 (+31), the largest difference in MLB...They are an MLB-best 18-2 (.900) when hitting two or more homers....The Red Sox are 7-2 vs. NL teams...They are 270-182 (.597) all time against the NL, the highest Interleague winning percentage in the majors. The Sox are 30-13 all-time against the Marlins, including 15-3 in the last 18 meetings and 8-1 in the last nine...The Sox have won their last nine home games against the Marlins...They are 8-0-0 in their last 8 home series vs. Miami...: Red Sox relievers have a 1.59 ERA in June ...In the three-game sweep of the Yankees, they allowed one earned run in 11.2 IP with a .114 opponent AVG (4-for-35, 17 SO)....Red Sox relievers rank third in MLB with 10.83 SO/9.0 IP (2nd in AL)...They rank fourth in the AL and seventh in MLB in ERA (3.55)...Corey Dickerson is 4-for-7 with a homer lifetime against Nick Pivetta and Starling Marte is 2-for-6....Christian Arroyo has hit safely in six straight and Hunter Renfroe has a 10-game streak....Kike Hernandez is just 1-for-32...
NOTES:
* JD Martinez remained out of the lineup for a third straight game, still nursing a sore left wrist, the result of a head-first slide into second base on Friday night at Yankee Stadium. "The goal is for him to start tomorrow,'' said Alex Cora.
* Ryan Brasier, who was struck in the side of the skull in Fort Myers while throwing a simulated game, is resting and recovering at his house in southwest Florida.
* Said Cora of the search for a new leadoff hitter: "It's not that easy. I do beleve protection is important.'' Christian Arroyo was the choice Monday. "He can put the ball in play, he goes the other way,'' said Cora. "We're just trying to get something down up there. There's no data there. Hopefully, he goes there and he does the job. Other guys are scuffling right now, trying to find their swings. We've just got to find someone who goes up there and puts up good at-bats and tries to start the table -- or hit a home run.''
* Cora said he and his coaching staff have talked about the potential for a letdown after an emotional series in New York. "It's very important to show up today, go out there and perform.'' said Cora. "The fact that we play Houston (Tuesday), and what they did to us in Minute Maid -- it's not like we have an incentive or something to prove or we're going to play harder. But we're going to play some tough opponents this week -- Houston, Toronto, then we go Atlanta. There's going to be letdowns, but the fact that we can move guys around and we can rest them and take advantage of certain situations and not feel like we're going to lose a beat, defensively or offensively, is going to help us go through this stretch.''
* A surprise visitor to Fenway was Chris Sale, who was long-tossing from about 90 feet on the outfield grass, and scheduled for a bullpen later in the afternoon. Sale, recovering from Tommy John surgery. "He's going to be with us on this homestand and might travel with us,'' said Cora. "HE's in a great place. He feels great. He's excited where we're at. I'm happy that he's here. I think it helps him, just being around the guys. He's one of the leaders of our team. The way things are going, they're trending up and we're very pleased with the way things are going.'' Cora said there's a "good chance,'' Sale will have some hitters stand in against him soon.