All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Mariners, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Two swings do the trick: The Red Sox managed seven runs despite getting just eight hits, in large part because all seven runs came as the result of two homers. In the third inning, fresh off a three-homer game the night before. Trevor Story launched a grand slam that just cleared The Wall in left, snared by, of all people, former Red Sox outfielder Johnny Gomes. In so doing, Story became just the fifth player in team history to hit four or more homers and knock in 11 or more runs in the span of two games. Then, in the eighth inning, with the Sox clinging to a one-run lead, Jackie Bradley Jr., inserted into the game an inning earlier for defensive purposes, faced lefty Anthony Misiewicz and clubbed a ball into the Monster Seats for his first homer of the season.
Wacha returns from IL: Starting pitcher Michael Wacha spent the previous 15 days on the IL with an intercostal strain before being activated Friday. He went right back to work and delivered a solid start for the Sox. He held the Mariners scoreless through the first four innings before being a bit roughed up, allowing two runs in the fifth inning. Wacha's command wasn't perfect, but that's to be expected after a layoff. But he was good enough to allow just one through the first four frames. "The mechanics were just a little bit rusty,'' said Wacha, "and I felt like the command on the pitches wasn't quite where I wanted to be. But overall, body was feeling really good. I was just frustrated at times with falling behind, (three) walks and some long ABs.'' Still, Wacha has been dependable -- in all six of his starts, he's allowed two runs or fewer and no more than four hits.
Scary collision: In the eighth inning, as J..P. Crawford hit a pop-up to shallow left, shortstop Xander Bogaerts drifted out and left field Alex Verdugo came racing in. Neither could hear the other call the ball, and so when Bogaerts stuck his glove up to make the catch, Verdugo, sending a collision, hit the ground. But that caused Bogaerts to stumble backward, landing awkwardly, and jarring the ball loose. (The official score inexplicably gave an error to Verdugo in a call that will undoubtedly be overruled in the coming days). Bogaerts was motionless on the ground, but eventually got up and remained in the game to complete the inning. But when his turn came up in the bottom of the inning, he was lifted for pinch-hitter Franchy Cordero. Alex Cora said Bogaerts had some soreness in the lower back and was considered day-to-day, but in total, the Red Sox caught a break since the run-in could have had far more serious repercussions for either player.
TURNING POINT
In the eighth, with the Sox up by two, Crawford reached on the "error" by Verdugo, and the Mariners then got a two-out single from Jesse Winker to score Crawford and close to within a run. That gave the Mariners the potential tying run on first and the potential go-ahead run at the plate. But John Schreiber, entrusted with the eighth, bore down and fanned Eugenio Suarez for the final out, stranding the baserunner. In the bottom of the inning, the three-run homer from Bradley effectively iced the game for the Sox.
TWO UP
Kike Hernandez: Slumping since the first week of the season, Hernandez is showing signs that he's heating up. He reached base three times in four plate appearances and has nine hits in his last eight games.
J.D. Martinez: Martinez has been white hot for the last three weeks, and he continues to swing it, collecting two more hits, giving him a .403 average for the month of May.
TWO DOWN
Rafael Devers: It was bound to happen, but Devers appears to have cooled some at the plate the last few days, including Friday night when he was 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
Christian Arroyo: Arroyo hasn't played much this month, and it showed at the plate as he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts before being replaced by Bradley in the seventh inning.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"That was wild. I was not expecting to see him up in the stands. You feel like you show up to the ballpark every day and see something that you've never seen before. That was that today, for sure.'' Michael Wacha on Johnny Gomes, seated in the Monster Seats, catching the grand slam from Trevor Story.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* Jake Diekman pitched a scoreless seventh inning, stretching his streak of seven straight appearances without a run.
* Austin Davis has allowed just one run over his last 14 outings, dating back to April 15.
* The home run for Jackie Bradley Jr. was his first since July 2, 2021 while with the Brewers.
* The Red Sox have collected multiple extra-base hits in 17 straight games, the second-longest streak in MLB this season.
* Almost half of Kike Hernandez's hits this seaosn -- 12 of 27 -- have gone for extra bases.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Mariners will play the third game of their four-game series Saturday at 4:10 with RHP Garrett Whitlock (1-1, 2.43) vs. RHP Chris Flexen (1-6, 4.35).