Sox bats pummel Jays
HRs back Price in his return
TORONTO – When the Red Sox lineup gets rolling with home runs by Michael Chavis and even Jackie Bradley Jr., when David Price is healthy, and when the bullpen is untouchable like it was Monday, few teams can stop them. Especially the Blue Jays. The 25-22 Red Sox ruined Victoria Day in Toronto by disposing of the Blue Jays, 12-2, in almost laughably easy fashion in the opener of a seven-game road trip. The Sox had 16 hits, including home runs by four different players. Five Sox drove in runs, and seven scored at least once.
Chavis’ third-inning home run, a two-run shot, was the Sox’ first long ball of the day, followed by Bradley in the sixth then Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers in the ninth. Bogaerts and Devers drove in three runs each.
For manager Alex Cora, seeing the good results appear with concerted effort after a tough weekend series against the Astros meant a great deal.
“I was happy we put in that effort. It was easy to come here after a game like that, a series like that, and have a letdown, a 1:00 game, just take things for granted, and that wasn’t the case,” Cora said. “We were good today. It was fun to watch, and we’ll just keep rolling now.”
Chavis now has nine home runs in only 26 games and 99 big league at-bats. The team is feeding off of his bat, and he is well aware of what it means to be another weapon in a formidable offense.
“That’s when things get really fun, you see a glimpse of what we’re capable of,” Chavis said. “I wouldn’t even say that we’re hot yet, but I think things are going the right way for sure. And being part of those innings is definitely something fun. You can see the vibe in the dugout. … Everybody is having a good time but still is focused on what we’re trying to do. Try not to let up. You’ve got them against the wall, you can’t let them walk back into the game, so you keep working at it.”
Price looked sharp in his first start since May 2 when he was afflicted with elbow tendinitis. In his five innings and 67 pitches, he allowed two runs (none earned) on three hits, one home run, with no walks and four strikeouts.
Four relievers — Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree, Ryan Brasier and Hector Velazquez — worked one hitless inning each.
“They’ve been doing an outstanding job. After the Saturday game (when Velazquez was knocked out after one inning), we were not sure, but we had to stay away from some guys,” Cora said. “It was good to see (Workman) going through the heart of the order, then (Hembree) using different pitches to get people out. Brasier, that was good. Hector, he bounced back.”
Bradley’s first home run of the season stretched the Red Sox’ lead to 8-2, a two-run opposite-field blast off reliever Elvis Luciano in the sixth inning.
The lead expanded to 10-2 an inning later, thanks to RBI by Devers and Steve Pearce.
The Red Sox took the lead for good in the third inning, which began with a walk by starter Edwin Jackson of Andrew Benintendi. A groundout and a Mitch Moreland double later, Bogaerts singled in two runs for a 4-2 lead, then came Chavis’ blast.