All you need to know about the Red Sox' win over the White Sox, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINE
Offense keeps exploding: When the Red Sox scored 16 runs in the series opener, it feed lt like something of an outlier, a freak occurrence that wasn't likely to be duplicated anytime soon. And then, two nights later, the Red Sox went out and scored 16 again, cruising to another lopsided win. The Sox even matched their hit total by again pounding out 19 hits, and once more, everyone in the starting lineup contributed at least one hit. The Sox led 3-0 before the White Sox came up to bat, added three more in the second, and, importantly, didn't let up, adding nine more runs over the final three innings. They got three homers, cracked four doubles and forced the White Sox to use a position player to pitch the top of the ninth inning.
Wacha has first bad start: Michael Wacha was enjoying a brilliant start to his Red Sox career. In his first six starts for the Sox, Wacha never gave up more than two runs in any one outing, becoming the first Sox pitcher since Brian Johnson in 2018 to start a season like that. But the streak didn't extend to Thursday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. Despite being given a 3-0 lead before he took the mound and getting three more runs of support in the second, Wacha struggled, allowing three runs in the bottom of the third. Then, in the fifth, he was charged with two more as the White Sox struck back against him in a desperate attempt to get back into the ballgame. Wacha was lifted with one out in the fifth and didn't get to qualify for what should have been an easy victory, allowing five runs on seven hits. Those five runs were equal to the number he had yielded in his four previous starts combined.
Barnes hits bottom: Every time it seems Matt Barnes has figured some things out, he takes a step backward, and Thursday represented the nadir of his season. After retiring the first hitter he faced in the bottom of the eighth, Barnes promptly lost complete control of the strike zone, issuing four consecutive walks, forcing in a run and requiring Alex Cora to lift him from a game in which the Sox were leading by seven runs. It should have been the kind of outing where Barnes could just rear back and throw the ball over the plate and get some work in. Instead, it found him struggling mightily to throw strikes.
TURNING POINT
Despite a 6-0 lead by the second inning, this one got tighter in the middle innings, with the White Sox climbing back into the game and cutting the lead to two. The Red Sox, however, gave themselves plenty of breathing room by scoring twice in the seventh on run-scoring singles from Christian Vazquez and Christian Arroyo, re-establishing a four-run cushion and sealing the game.
TWO UP
Alex Verdugo: After a good start to the season, Verdugo has looked lost at the plate ever since. In recent days, however, there were signs that he was breaking out and that was evident Thursday night with a four-hit performance that included two doubles and three RBI.
J.D. Martinez: Before the game, Cora said he has never seen Martinez as locked in as he's been of late. And that was before Martinez went out and added three more hits and a walk, lifting his average to .380.
ONE DOWN
Bobby Dalbec With a lefty starter going for the White Sox, Dalbec got an opportunity to play, but didn't make the most of it. He did manage a run-scoring single to right in the eighth inning, but also had two strikeouts and a soft comebacker to the mound.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"The first week of my career, but it definitely feels like there's more runners on (base) this time around.'' Trevor Story, who has seven homers in his last seven games, asked if he's ever experienced a streak like this before.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* After scoring just five runs in the series against the White Sox at Fenway earlier this season, the Red Sox scored 33 runs in this one.
* Xander Bogaerts (walk, single) has reached base in each of the last 24 games.
* The Red Sox won just one of their first 10 series, but have now won the last four in a row.
* The Sox lead MLB in doubles with an even 100 for the season.
* Both Kike Hernandez and J.D. Martinez extended their hitting streaks to six games.
* Trevor Story has 32 RBI in the month of May.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox return home for a seven-game homestand, starting with a five-game series against Baltimore. It will be RHP Garrett Whitlock (1-1, 3.58) vs. RHP Kyle Bradish (1-3, 5.74)