Red Sox enjoying hot start to campaign
BOSTON Red Sox manager Alex Cora doesn’t think about his team’s torrid start. He wonders how much better it can be. “We’re good right now, don’t get me wrong,” Cora said after Boston beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 on Tuesday night for its major leagueleading 38th victory. “But we feel there’s room to improve. It’s fun right now, but I can’t wait.”
Sandy Leon hit a home run and two doubles, Xander Bogaerts also homered and Rick Porcello took a three-hitter into the seventh inning, helping the Red Sox match the secondbest start in franchise history.
J.D. Martinez also had two of Boston’s six doubles as the Red Sox (38-17) won for the eighth time in 10 games. Only the 1946 Boston team that started 42-13 with Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr returning from World War II had a better start through 55 games.
Every batter in the Red Sox lineup had one hit by the sixth inning.
“That tells you right there everybody’s contributing,” said first baseman Mitch Moreland, who doubled in the first to make it 2-0. “It’s always nice to scratch it and put up a crooked number early. It helps (the pitcher) settle down.”
Porcello (7-2) allowed three runs, two earned, and five hits in 6 2/3 innings. Toronto loaded the bases against Hector Velazquez in the ninth, but Craig Kimbrel got two outs for his 17th save.
Marco Estrada (2-6) allowed four runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings, dropping his fifth straight decision since April 26. Justin Smoak homered for Toronto, which has lost 12 of its last 16 games.