Red Sox End Road Trip With a Blast
The Boston Red Sox hit three home runs as they book ended Friday’s 13-run effort with 11 on Sunday in defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 11-8.
Sandwiched around a 3-2 loss on Saturday, the Red Sox now hold a two-game lead over the both the Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles.
The offense showed up on a day that Clay Buchholz fell back to earth. After his last three starts in which he’d pitched 19 innings while only giving up three runs, Buchholz had an early exit Sunday. The veteran lasted only three innings, giving up six runs on four hits while walking four.
As they have done so often this season, the offense of the Red Sox came to the rescue.
Jackie Bradley Jr went 2-4 with a home run and three runs batted in. Hanley Ramirez, continuing his solid season, also homered.
It was David Ortiz that put the Red Sox up for good. His three-run home run off Joaquin Benoit in the sixth inning put the Red Sox up 10-8 and they never looked back.
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The bullpen stepped up huge–eventually–for Boston as well. Heath Hembree gave up two runs in relief of Buchholz, but seven other relievers pitched five innings of scoreless ball. They also gave up only three hits while holding the potent Blue Jays offense at bay. Koji Uehara was among these relievers, pitching one inning. He allowed one hit while striking out one. Since his return from the disabled list, Uehara has faced ten batters, retiring eight of them and striking out five.
The Red Sox will need performances like this from Uehara and the rest of the bullpen from here on out. Twenty games remain, all against the AL East and teams that like to mash the ball.
Used correctly, which John Farrell has been criticized for during much of the year, and this bullpen is one of the best. There’s plenty more to be desired when it comes to Boston’s record in one-run games. With notoriously stingy scoring in the postseason on the horizon, strong pitching will be needed more than ever.
Of course, this Red Sox offense is of a different breed. Batters one through nine in the lineup can hit, as evidenced by the 779 runs scored and .286 team batting average.
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Twenty games left to maintain their groove. Returning home from a 6-3 road trip helps. The final stretch begins Monday with Baltimore.
The offense is ready. Let’s hope the pitchers continue to follow suit.