All hands on deck
Every Sox bat chips in
They avoided the last-minute drama last night, but the Red Sox still valued the victory as much as ever.
This time, the Red Sox used a late splurge of offense, including four runs in the eighth inning, to pull away from the Minnesota Twins for a 10-4 triumph at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox’ relentless lineup got its act together in the middle of the game, rallying past Minnesota, which had the nerve to jump to a 4-1 lead after three innings.
The outburst in the eighth was marred by an apparent lowerbody injury to Rafael Devers, who departed the game after pulling up short running the bases.
After the game, the team reported Devers experienced tightness in his left hamstring while batting in the eighth. The plan is to reevaluate the player today, but manager Alex Cora said it looked like Devers might be headed to the disabled list.
After losing the first game of this series by one run, the Red Sox won by one run on a walkoff home run from Mookie Betts Friday. The two teams meet for a fourth and final time this afternoon.
The Red Sox now have a 73-33 record, which is the best in baseball. The defending World Series champion Astros are next best at 67 wins.
Red Sox starter Rick Porcello was merely OK in this game, going 52⁄3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Every Red Sox batter got into the act, all nine collecting at least one hit and the RBI spread out among seven different hitters.
Five of the Red Sox runs were scored off Minnesota starter Jake Odorizzi.
The Sox got on the board first as Mitch Moreland singled in Andrew Benintendi. They hit four singles off Odorizzi in the first inning, but only one run came across.
Porcello immediately gave the lead back as Logan Morrison hit a towering shot into the right field grandstand to tie the game at 1.
Porcello was shaky in the third. After retiring the first batter, he allowed a bloop single to center then a solid single to right. A strikeout later, Porcello surrendered a two-run triple to Jorge Polanco. The next batter, Brian Dozier, singled in Polanco and the Twins held a 4-1 lead.
Odorizzi appeared to be settling into a groove, retiring eight batters in a row before the Sox began to figure him out with a three-run fourth inning.
Devers started things off with a shot to center field, a groundrule double that bounced into the stands just behind the Red Sox bullpen. After issuing a walk and then collecting an out, Odorizzi gave up a triple by Jackie Bradley Jr. that bounced off the centerfield wall. Third base coach Carlos Febles waited until the last possible second before putting on the brake signal for Bradley and keeping him from going for the inside-the-park home run, but it was the right call.
Bradley’s two RBI pulled the Red Sox to within one. Betts doubled in Bradley to bring the score even at 4-4.
In the fifth inning, Martinez’ blasted a homer over everything in left to give the Sox the lead, 5-4. It was his 32nd homer.
An inning later, Benintendi’s single knocked in Sandy Leon, who had doubled.
Betts delivered another RBI double in the eighth.
Odorizzi did strike out three batters in the fifth but that was it for him, he was replaced by Gabriel Moya.