Jarren Duran knocked in one run with a sacrifice fly and another with an electrifying triple, carrying the Red Sox past the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-1, earning a split of their day-night doubleheader. The Jays won the opener, also by a 4-1 score.
Tanner Houck gave the Sox four dominant innings while striking out seven and Garrett Whitlock contributed two scoreless innings of relief in the victory, their seventh in the last nine games.
WHO: Red Sox (62-40) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (50-47)
WHEN: 7:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: BOS 8-5
SERIES TO DATE: 1-1
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Tanner Houck (0-2, 2.50) vs. LHP Steven Matz (8-5, 4.34)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM 93.7
LINEUPS
BLUE JAYS
Springer CF
Guerrero Jr. DH
Semien 2B
Bichetts SS
Hernandez LF
Gurriel Jr. 1B
Grichuk RF
Espinal 3B
McGuire C
RED SOX
Hernandez 2B
Devers 3B
Bogaerts SS
Martinez DH
Renfroe RF
Verdugo LF
Plawecki C
Dalbec 1B
Duran CF
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
B4: That's (properly) scored a triple for Jarren Duran, with an error charged to George Springer for bobbling the ball in the triangle. Boy, is it fun to watch Duran run the bases.
T4: In addition to his troubles at the plate, Bobby Dalbec has been shaky at first base, too. But he makes a nice play there to stab a hard low liner off the bat of Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
T4: The Blue Jays finally break through against Houck. Leadoff double by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., a passed ball and sharp single up the middle from Bo Bichette produces the first Toronto run.
B2: Jarren Duran picks up his third MLB RBI with a sacrifice fly to deep right. Originally wasn't going to be in the lineup vs. LHP Steve Matz, but makes solid contact there to get the run in.
B1: Instant offense at the top of the Boston lineup -- double by Kike Hernandez, runs-scoring single from Rafael Devers.
T1: Dominant first inning for Tanner Houck, who fans the side -- one swinging and the last two looking.
GAME 1
Failing to take advantage of a number of scoring opportunities, the Red Sox lost to Toronto Blue Jays, 4-1, in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.
The Sox were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven, five in scoring position.
Garrett Richards was rocked for four runs in four innings, including two homers - a two-run blast to Randal Grichuk and a solo shot to to George Springer. Over his last nine starts, Richards has a 7.18 ERA.
The lone Red Sox run came in the first as Kike Hernandez walked, moved to third on a double and scored on a groundout.
WHO: Red Sox (62-39) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (49-47)
WHEN: 2:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: BOS 8-4
SERIES TO DATE: BOS 1-0
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Garrett Richards (6-5, 4.99) vs. LHP Robbie Ray (8-5, 3.12)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM 93.7
LINEUPS
BLUE JAYS
Springer CF
Guerrero Jr. 1B
Semien 2B
Bichette SS
Hernandez DH
Gurriel Jr. LF
Grichuk RF
Biggio 3B
Kirk C
RED SOX
Hernandez SS
Devers 3B
Martinez LF
Renfroe RF
Vazquez C
Verdugo CF
Plawecki DH
Dalbec 1B
Chavis 2B
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
B5: Red Sox strand runners at the corners. They're 1-for-9 with RISP today and have left seven - five in scoring position.
T5: Another home run off Richards and this one's not off a fastball, but rather, a hanging curve that Springer destroyed, walloping it high off the light tower in the Monster Seats.
T4: That couldn't have been where Richards wanted that pitch -- fastball, a bit up and over the middle of the plate, hammered into the CF bleachers by Randal Grichuk for a two-run shot.
B2: Robbie Ray loads the bases full and leaves them that way, fanning Michael Chavis and Hernandez and getting Devers on an inning-ending flyout. Sox leave three baserunners as Ray needs 31 pitches to get through the inning.
B2: That's the first walk for Bobby Dalbec since.....June 23.
T2: Garrett Richards knocks down a comebacker and had a play at first to end the inning, but he lost track of the ball and a Bo Bichette scores from third to tie the game.
B1: Red Sox are more successful with some aggressive baserunning and it pays off as Kike Hernandez goes first-t-third on a single from Rafael Devers, then scores on a groundout to short by J.D. Martinez.
T1: Red Sox add to their MLB-leading outfield assist total as Alex Verdugo -- upon review -- guns down George Springer trying to go first-to-third on a flyout by Vlad Guerrero Jr. That's 31 for the team, six for Verdugo.
WHAT'S UP: At 62-39 (.614), the Red Sox own the AL’s best record...They are a season-high 23 games above .500. The Sox have won six of their last seven games...They are 30-16 (.652) in their last 46 games...This is the 10 time the Red Sox have won at least 62 of their first 101 games, having also done so most recently in 2018, 2011, and 1979....Under the 10-team playoff format from 2012-19, all 11 teams that won at least 62 of their first 101 games made the postseason, with five advancing to the World Series....The Red Sox have won three of their last five games, including each of the last two, despite trailing in the eighth inning or later...This is the first time the Sox have had three wins of that kind in a five-game span since 2006...Prior to Sunday and Monday, the last time the Sox won consecutive games despite railing after 7 innings in each was August 2018... The Red Sox lead MLB with 33 come-from-behind wins...They trailed after five innings in 12 of those. According to Elias, the only teams that are unbeaten when holding a lead of four or more runs are the Red Sox (36- 0), Brewers (33-0), and Cleveland (22-0)....The Sox are 28-13 (.683) vs. AL East teams. Twenty-nine of the Sox’ first 32 games out of the All-Star break are vs. the AL East (NYY-10, TOR-10, TB-6, BAL-3, DET-3)....The Red Sox are 13-9 against the Blue Jays since the start of 2020, including 8-4 this season...Thirteen of the last 22 meetings have been decided by one or two runs.....The Sox are are 32-20 (615) at home, the fourth-best record in the AL (10th-best in MLB)... They are 17-7 (.708) at home since Fenway opened to full capacity on May 29, including 13-3 in their last 16 games. In their last three homestands, the Sox have averaged 6.2 runs per game while recording a .294/.362/.547/.908 batting line. ...The Red Sox have the AL’s best road record (30-19, .612), second-best in MLB...They have a 3.83 ERA on the road (seventh in MLB) and a 4.28 ERA at home (21st)....The Red Sox lead MLB with 30 OF assists...Sox outfielders rank tied for fourth in the majors with 16 defensive runs saved (source: FanGraphs)...In their last 27 games, Red Sox starters own a 3.75 ERA...Sox starters have thrown five or more innings 76 times, fifth-most in MLB; the Sox are 50-26 (.658) in those games....Alex Verdugo gave the Red Sox their decisive 5-4 lead Monday night with a two-run HR in the eight inning... Of his 16 career HR with the Sox, nine have tied the score or given BOS the lead, including seven of his 10 HR this season...Rafael Devers hit his 101st career HR Monday night, his 489th career game...The only other Red Sox with at least 101 HR through their first 500 career games are Ted Williams (108), Tony Conigliaro (105), and Nomar Garciaparra (101). Devers leads MLB in RBI (81) and ranks in the top five in HR (T-fourth, 27), XBH (second, 54), and total bases (third, 211). ...Red Sox relievers rank third in the AL and seventh in MLB in ERA (3.56)...The Red Sox rank in the top five in the majors in runs scored (third, 514), AVG (fourth, .257), SLG (second, .443), OPS (fourth, .763), doubles (first, 217), and XBH (first, 360). The Sox have hit four or more HR in a game an MLB-best 10 times. In 24 games beginning 6/27, the Red Sox have hit an AL-best 40 HR, trailing only LAD (45) for most in MLB. The Sox own MLB’s best records when scoring four or more runs (55-7, .887) and five or more runs (48-4, .923)...They have scored 10+ runs in a game 13 times, tied with the Blue Jays for most in the AL and second-most in MLB (CIN-14).
NOTES:
* Xander Bogaerts will sit out for the first game today, but is expected to be back in for the nightcap. He was given Monday off, too, with the expectation that he would likely return for the next game. But Bogaerts has been battling a sore wrist for the last 10 days or so and could use another day, according to Alex Cora. "This kid didn't have an All-Star break,'' said Cora, "and we've been grinding for a while. One more day doesn't effect anybody. The wrist, yeah, it's there. We know about it. Having another day is no big deal.''
* Hirokazu Sawamura, who was scheduled to pitch for Worcester Tuesday night as part of a brief rehab assignment, had that outing rained out. He's currently on the IL with triceps inflammation. The plan calls for him to try again today,. He's eligible to be activated Friday when the Sox begin their three-city road trip.
* Marwin Gonzalez, who is also on the IL with a hamstring strain, did some running Tuesday before the rain fell and according to Cora "there's a good chance he might go on a rehab assignment this weekend.''
* Cora remains hopeful that Ryan Brasier will be able to contribute at some point out of the bullpen, but recognizes that there's a lot for Brasier to overcome. He was struck in the head by a comebacker while throwing a simulated game in Fort Myers a few months back and there's the mental aspect for him to overcome. "(We have to see) how he's going to react to (facing) hitters,'' said Cora. "Is he going to be able to finish pitches and stay in there? There's other elements, not only physical, that he has to go through. Hopefully at one point during the season he can contribute. He's a big part of it. We've been missing him all season.''
* The Red Sox added catcher Connor Wong as their 27th player for the doubleheader.