All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Blue Jays, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Offense unloads: Turns out, the eighth inning awakening by the Red Sox lineup Tuesday night wasn't a mirage after all. The Red Sox came out swinging in the first inning with two hits and a run, and kept on hitting the rest of the night, collecting a season-high 13 hits. Seven of the nine hitters in the starting lineup had at least one hit, led by Xander Bogaerts, who pounded out four more hits with his second straight multi-hit game. For a time, it looked like so many other games this year where the Sox scored early, and then failed to add on. But after snapping a 1-1 tie in the sixth with two, they kept going, with two more in the eight and another two runs in the ninth. That provided some rare breathing room for the pitching staff late in the game, knowing that one mistake wasn't going to cost the game.
Wacha strong again: For the fourth time in four starts this year, Michael Wacha shut down the opposition. After allowing just three earned runs in his first three outings, Wacha turned out his strongest start yet, completing the sixth inning for the first time this season while yielding just one run on four hits. He used his trademark changeup effectively, getting eight swings and misses on it. The only trouble he encountered came in the third, when he got little backing from his infield defense as twice, double plays that could have been turned behind him weren't. Nevertheless, Wacha escaped after allowing just one run. That seemed to energize him, as he retired 10 of the final 11 hitters he faced.
Small ball pays off: For a team struggling most of the season -- and especially in the last week -- to score runs, the Red Sox weren't afraid to play some small ball. In the eighth inning, after the first two batters reached, Jackie Bradley Jr. laid down a nice bunt to the third-base side which moved both baserunners over. They eventually scored. Meanwhile, the Sox also got sacrifice flies from two players struggling with the bat -- Bobby Dalbec delivered one immediately after Bradley's bunt, while in the sixth, Kiké Hernandez drove a fly ball to center, deep enough to score Rafael Devers with ease from third base.
TURNING POINT
It was still very much a game in the seventh inning, with the Red Sox clinging to a 3-1 lead. Jake Diekman recorded the first two outs but not before issuing a walk. In came Hirokazu Sawamura, who yielded a single up the middle to George Springer. That brought the potential go-ahead run to the plate in the person of Bo Bichette, but Sawamura overpowered him with some fastballs up in the zone and got him swinging for the final out, standing two. The Sox added on two more in the top of the next inning to effectively put the game out of reach.
TWO UP
Bullpen: After two walk-off wins in the last four games, the Boston bullpen was probably a little shellshocked, and the fact that seven relievers pitched Tuesday night left them a bit short. But four relievers combined to shut out the Blue Jays over the final four innings, allowing just two baserunners along the way.
J.D. Martinez: The DH hasn't been much of a factor of late, but had two strong at-bats in his final two plate appearances, with a run-scoring single followed by a hard-hit double to open the eighth inning.
ONE DOWN
Trevor Story: Story reached base three times (single, walk, HBP) and scored a run, but he continues to struggle at his new position, twice failing to turn double plays -- both times when he had difficulty on the transfer as he took the ball out of his glove to make a throw.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"I was surprised. Walking in, seeing him here, it kind of made the boys a little upbeat, a little extra going into the game. It's great having our jefe back in here in the clubhouse.'' -- Michael Wacha on the return of Alex Cora.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* Xander Bogaerts had his seventh three-hit game of the season, the first Sox player to do that in the first 20 games of a season.
* The Red Sox did not have a homer for the fifth straight game and have just one homer in the last nine games.
* The game marked just the third time in the first 19 games that the Red Sox scored five or more runs.
* The game was only the third in the last nine meetings between the Red Sox and Blue Jays that wasn't decided by one run.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox finish up their series with the Blue Jays with an afternoon start at Rogers Centre. They'll send RHP Garrett Whitlock (1-0, 0.66) face RHP Alek Manoah (3-0, 2.00)