Red Sox - 000 001 400 - 5 7 0 Tigers - 005 032 00x - 10 10 0In the bottom of the third, a walk and a double put Tigers on second and third with no one out, and the top of Detroit's order coming up. Henry Owens looked like he was going to escape, however. Ian Kinsler flied to center and the runner at third stayed put. Owens struck out Cameron Maybin and then intentionally walked Miguel Cabrera.
Owens went to a 1-2 count on J.D. Martinez - one strike away from heading back to the dugout with the game still scoreless - but Martinez slapped an outside pitch to right for a two-run double and Justin Upton followed with a three-run homer to center.
Owens needed only three pitches to get the first two men in the fifth, but Cabrera singled, Martinez doubled, and Upton cracked another three-run dong. Owens (5-6-8-5-6, 97) recorded the third out, but that was the end of his afternoon. Walks continued to plague Owens, who franked at least one batter in each of the first four innings. He was helped by two inning-ending double plays, in the first and fourth.
Junichi Tazawa came on to pitch the sixth and promptly gave up two more runs.
Andrew Benintendi tripled to open the sixth and scored on Dustin Pedroia's fly to right. Benintendi also hit his first major league home run (again), with a man aboard, in the seventh. ... Sandy Leon had two hits and upped his average to .386. ... David Ortiz hit his 39th double of the season in the first inning.
The Blue Jays lost to Cleveland 3-2, so the Red Sox remain only 0.5 GB Toronto. Boston now heads for Tampa Bay for a four-game series.
Pedroia, 2BEduardo Rodriguez was pulled from this start because of continued soreness in his left hamstring:
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Betts, RF
Ramirez, 1B
Bradley, CF
Leon, C
Shaw, 3B
Benintendi, LF
I don't want to get in the game tomorrow and do something wrong and get that crazy or get in the game and not focus on throwing strikes and focus on whether I can still feel that. I had that feeling before with my knee. I know it's going to be something wrong. It doesn't make the pitch where I want it or give up a lot of runs.
We need innings and a scarcity of walks from Mr. Owens.
ReplyDeleteHmmm: "@TimBritton: After being scratched around 6 last night, Henry Owens drove from Scranton to Philly & had a 6:30 flight this morning to Detroit."
The drive is a little more than 2 hours. I'd like to think he drove from like 7-9 last night and then slept close to his flight, rather than beginning his long day at 3 AM or something.
Game Notes:
ReplyDeleteBoston has won 8 of its last 9 games and is 26-16 (.619) since 7/3, the 3rd-best record in that span behind Toronto (26-14) and the Cubs (27-15).
David Ortiz has hit 23 HR at Comerica Park, the most by a visiting player since the venue opened in 2000 (Paul Konerko ranks 2nd with 18).
Ortiz's 60 RBI at Comerica rank 2nd all-time among visitors behind only Konerko (62).
Among all players with at least 100 at-bats at Comerica Park, Ortiz ranks 1st in SLG (.710) and OPS (1.122).
Ortiz has 29 HR and 97 RBI this season. He was the only major leaguer to record at least 30 homers and 100 RBI in each of the last 3 seasons (2013-15). He has reached those totals 9 times as a Red Sox, most in club history (Ted Williams ranks 2nd with 7).
The only players with 10+ seasons of 30 HR/100 RBI for a single team are Babe Ruth (12-NYY), Albert Pujols (10-STL), Hank Aaron (10-MIL/ATL), and Lou Gehrig (10-NYY).
Red Sox starters have allowed 7 ER in the last 7 games (42.2 IP, 1.48 ERA).
Mookie Betts leads MLB in runs (tied, 98) and total bases (291) and ranks 2nd in hits (163) and XBH (67)...Since 7/1, he leads MLB in slugging (.690).
Betts is only 2 runs shy of becoming the 4th Red Sox player to score at least 100 times in a season prior to turning 24 years old...Fred Lynn scored 103 runs in 1975 (23), Johnny Pesky scored 105 runs in 1942 (23), and Ted Williams scored 130+ runs in 3 consecutive years from 1939-41, all before turning 24.