Boston Red Sox rout Tigers: 3 sluggers who roared in 14-5 beatdown

The Boston Red Sox routed the Detroit Tigers 14-5 on Saturday Afternoon. The Red Sox are starting to bounce back from getting swept from the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this week as the Sox won the series opener on Thursday Afternoon and got back to .500 with a 4-4 record.

Tanner Houck got the nod on the mound for his 2nd start of the season and he pitched 5 innings and allowed 2 earned runs in the 4th inning, allowed 3 hits and 2 walks, and struck out four batters. Houck is one of those mediocre starters who will give you a good enough start to get the win as he also pitched five innings last Sunday in the win against the Orioles.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers are now 2-6 with a three-game losing streak against the Red Sox and the last game in the series in Houston on Wednesday. Rookie pitcher Joey Wentz was the starter on the mound but was knocked out in the 2nd inning when he allowed six runs to the Sox.

Now, lets take a look at my top three stars of the game.

1.  Raffy’s two dingers seal the deal for Boston Red Sox

Third baseman Rafael Devers hit two homers in the win against the Tigers. The first was what knocked Wentz out which was a Grand Salami in the 2nd inning which also brought home Kike Hernandez, Catcher Connor Wong, and left fielder Rob Refsnyder.

It was the first Grand Slam for the Sox this season, and boy it was a beauty.

This was Devers’s 5th career Grand Slam in 696 career games as he hit two of them last season.

Then in the 7th inning, Devers hit a 395-feet solo homer for his 2nd of the game. This was Devers 13th 2-home run game of his career and he hit 2 2-home run games last season. Devers is 26 years old and he is tied for 2nd place in most multi-homer games at that age in Red Sox history with Mookie Betts.

This is Devers’s 2nd straight game with a home run as he hit one in Thursday’s win. Devers now has four home runs for this season.

2.  DUUVVALL does it again for the Red Sox

Adam Duvall went 3-for-5 with 2 doubles and a 2-run Home run in the 3rd inning that brought Yoshida home.

Duvall hit the doubles in 8th and 9th innings and was brought home in the RBI single by Verdugo and the pinch-hit 2-run home run by Raimel Tapia.

This is also Duvall’s 2nd straight game with a homer as he hit one in Thursday’s win, and his 5th double of the season and he has 10 extra-base hits in his first seven games with the ball club which is the most in Red Sox history. Duvall has 14 RBIs this season, which he became the first player ever to have at least 8 extra base hits and 14 RBIs with any franchise.

3.  Dugie scores twice for the Red Sox

Alex Verdugo went 2-for-4 as he got a double, single, RBI, and 2 runs. Verdugo started the 2nd inning barrage with a double to right where it advanced Yoshida to third base who was on base for the 1st of his three walks. Verdugo scored on bases loaded walk when Wentz walked Connor Wong.

In the 8th inning, Verdugo brought Duvall home on a RBI single and scored on a Wong RBI single in the three-run inning before being pinch-hit by Raimel Tapia in the 9th.

The Red Sox will look to sweep the series Sunday afternoon for a 1:10 pm start time with Kutter Crawford expected to start on the mound for the Sox.