G38: Red Sox 6, Cardinals 3

Red Sox   - 110 020 020 - 6  6  0
Cardinals - 003 000 000 - 3  6  3

From Mookie Betts leading off the game with a home run to Craig Kimbrel striking out the final St. Louis batter with a 99-mph fastball, this game was pretty much positive from start to end.

Eduardo Rodriguez (6-5-3-2-5, 110) stumbled in the third and the Red Sox lost the lead for a short time. But he bounced back, and the bullpen did its job. Only six of the final 26 Cardinals batters - starting with the first out in the third inning - reached base and none of them advanced past first.

Jackie Bradley hit a solo homer in the second inning. (That blast was to the opposite field, as was his seventh-inning single, a good sign.) Armed with a 2-0 lead, Rodriguez allowed a single to Kolten Wong, the #8 hitter, to start the third and then he hit opposing pitcher Lance Lynn with a pitch. Dexter Fowler doubled to left, scoring Wong. Tommy Pham's sacrifice fly to center scored Lynn. Fowler took third on that fly and scored when Matt Carpenter popped to short left-center. Xander Bogaerts went out and made a sliding catch; his throw home was on target, but late. The Cardinals led 3-2.

The Red Sox's fifth-inning rally sort of mirrored the Cardinals' third, with the bottom of the order setting the table. Bradley walked and Deven Marrero reached on an infield error. Rodriguez's dribbler in front of the plate accomplished the same thing as a bunt, advancing the runners to second and third. Bradley scored on Betts's groundout to short, and Dustin Pedroia's single put the Red Sox in the lead, as Marrero scored.

Boston tried to get some insurance in the seventh against Jonathan Broxton. Bradley singled and Marrero bunted him to second. But JBJ was stranded there as pinch-hitter Chris Young flied to center and Betts grounded to short.

The Red Sox had better luck in the eighth. Sam Tuivailala retired Pedroia, but Bogaerts dumped a single into short right. Lefty Brett Cecil came in and before throwing a pitch, he seemed to have picked off Bogaerts. But Bogaerts took off for second and somehow slid head-first around Aledmys Diaz's tag, pulling his left arm back and rolling slightly towards the outfield, jabbing his right hand at the base. The Cardinals challenged the safe call - and it was upheld.

Cecil then threw nine pitches, walking Andrew Benintendi (bsbbb) and Mitch Moreland (bbbb), leaving the bases loaded for the next reliever. That was Miguel Socolovich, against whom Christian Vazquez lifted a fly to short right-center. Fowler made the catch and Bogaerts took off from third. Even though the fly ball was not deep, the throw had to be perfect - and it was not. Bogaerts slid across the plate, making it 5-3. More fun ensued when Bradley popped a pitch over by the left field line. Pham was standing in foul territory when he tried to catch the ball; it hit off his glove and landed in fair territory. Benintendi scored easily but Moreland, running hard from first with two outs, was thrown out at the plate (though it was somewhat close).

After Rodriguez pitched six innings, Robby Scott issued a one-out walk in the seventh, but got the next man before handing the ball to Heath Hembree, who got a force play to end the inning. Matt Barnes was warming up while the Red Sox batted in the top of the eighth, but it was Hembree who returned to the mound. He retired the first two batters, gave up a single, and then got the final out on a popup to third.

Kimbrel threw only eight pitches. Randal Grichuk popped to right, Wong flied to left, and Mike Adams struck out, being utterly overmatched on the last two pitches, both of which he swung at and missed. ... Kimbrel has now retired 23 of his last 24 batters.

Eduardo Rodriguez / Lance Lynn

Betts, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Benintendi, LF
Moreland, 1B
Vazquez, C
Bradley, CF
Marrero, 3B
Rodriguez, P

The Red Sox (19-18, 4 GB) have two games in St. Louis before going to Oakland for four games. Then a day off next Monday before the Rangers and Mariners visit Fenway.

Craig Kimbrel's last 15 batters:

K
K
K
K
K
K
K
Infield single
K
K
K
K
6-3
K
K