All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Phillies, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Sale touches 99 mph, strikes out 10: If you needed another sign that this Red Sox' seven-game winning streak was no fluke and the good times might have some staying power, veteran lefty Chris Sale had his best start in some time as he allowed three runs on seven hits with 10 strikeouts in six innings. The stat line wasn't overly impressive, but Sale was on the mound. He touched 99 mph on the gun a few times — 98 several others — and his slider had the kind of bite that repeatedly got checked swings, part of his 17 swings and misses.
“He’s fresh,” Alex Cora told reporters. “He’s feeling good. Sometimes you wonder, is it too soon for him to throw 97, 98? But he hasn’t competed and he wants to compete, and he wants to dominate. Today was a great day for him.
“The fastball is playing. Good sliders. Overall, what we expected and he’s trending in the right direction.”
Sale got a little out of sorts in the fourth inning, as he took the mound with a 3-0 lead thanks RBIs from Rafael Devers (two-out single in the first), Justin Turner (RBI groundout in the third) and Enrique Hernandez (RBI single).
Sale couldn't quite handle Bryce Harper's dribbler, then allowed three more hits and the lead to evaporate. But a little mound visit from the infielders did the trick and Sale finished strong.
“My expectations are pretty high,” Sale told reporters. “I’ve been kind of waiting for it, honestly."
TURNING POINT
In that troublesome fourth inning, there was still one on and one out, and things really could have gone sideways. But Sale struck out Edmundo Sosa on an 80-mph silder, and Dalton Guthrie on a 95.9-mph fastball to end the threat.
THREE UP
Masataka Yoshida: Extended his hitting streak to a MLB-best 15 games with a single.
Triston Casas: Not a great night for the big lefty but he did manage a sacrifice fly to plate the game-winning run in the sixth inning. And the ball was tanked 401 feet to dead center. That's something for him.
Bullpen: Richard Bleier, Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen (7th save) combined for three innings of one-hit and one-walk ball. Both the hit and walk were served up by Jansen, who struck out Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner with the tying runs on base in the ninth.
ONE DOWN
Kyle Schwarber: The former Sox had a rough night, going 0 for 5 with 3 strikeouts (two on checked swings) and he left three on base. He also butchered the first ball on the night from Raimel Tapia, who led to the first run of the game.
NOTEWORTHY
- A spectator fell over a protective railing and into the Red Sox bullpen in the top of the first inning, causing a delay of almost 10 minutes. The fan was taken to the trauma center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and appeared to be alert and responsive.
- James Paxton allowed two runs on two hits and five walks in his sixth rehab appearance for Worcester. His rehab stint runs through Tuesday.
- In the bottom of second, Tapia made a great play to cut off Nick Castellanos' right-field line drive off before the seats, and made a better throw to nail him at second. Tapia did give it back a little bit in the fourth when he got too close to the wall on a Castellanos drive, couldn't play the carom and it wound up a triple.
UP NEXT
Second game of the three-game set will be on Fox at 7:15 p.m. and pit RHP Corey Kluber (1-4, 6.44) against LHP Bailey Falter (0-5, 5.01)