G103: Red Sox 4, Mariners 0

Red Sox  - 011 200 000 - 4  9  0
Mariners - 000 000 000 - 0  5  0

Chris Sale (7-3-0-1-11, 115) is now the only pitcher in Red Sox history with nine road starts with 10+ strikeouts in a season - and there are still two months left to play.

Pedro Martinez had double digit strikeouts in eight road starts in both 1999 and 2000. Sale will now try to top the major league record of 12, set by Randy Johnson in 2000. (Second-best all-time is also Johnson, with 11 in 1999.)

Rafael Devers collected his first major league hit in the third inning - a 427-foot home run to center. The last Red Sox player to have his first hit be a home run was Daniel Nava, who hit a grand slam on the first major league pitch he saw, on June 12, 2010. (Amazingly, Nava's second at-bat in that game also came with the bases loaded. But he struck out.) Devers also singled in the seventh.

Hanley Ramirez walked and scored on Mitch Moreland's sac fly in the second. Sandy Leon hit a two-run dong in the fourth.

The Mariners never posed much of a threat. With two outs in the second, Sale hit Guillermo Heredia in the foot with a pitch and walked Mitch Haniger. Sale then got Carlos Ruiz on a routine grounder to second. Jean Segura doubled with one out in the third, but Sale struck out Ben Gamel and Nelson Cruz. A two-out double by Heredia in the fourth was followed by a foul pop-out from Haniger. Gamel singled leading off the sixth. Sale struck out Cruz and Danny Valencia and got Kyle Seager to pop to second.

Blaine Boyer pitched the eighth and began the ninth. With one out, Seager singled and Heredia walked. Craig Kimbrel came in and struck out Haniger and Ruiz.

Boston wasted a based-loaded/no-out situation in the eighth, when Jackie Bradley (who hit two doubles in his first two at-bats) struck out, Moreland struck out, and Xander Bogaerts grounded to second.

NESN: The soft-spoken Mike Timlin sounds a bit too much like Hawk Harrelson Jr. with his constant  chatter of "we" and "the boys". ... Also his comment in the later innings that "all World Series rings are alike" might have raised the eyebrows of more than a few Red Sox fans. (In addition to 2004, Timlin won the World Series with the Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993.)

AL East: the Yankees beat the Reds 9-5 and the Rays beat the Orioles 5-1. So New York remains 1 GB and Tampa Bay is 2.5 GB.

Chris Sale / Andrew Moore

Holt, RF
Benintendi, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Ramirez, DH
Bradley, CF
Moreland, 1B
Bogaerts, SS
Leon, C
Devers, 3B

[Holt has a .283 OBP. It's just about the worst on the entire team (except for Marrero). Why in the hell is he leading off?]

The Red Sox have acquired infielder Eduardo Nunez, 30, from the Giants. He's primarily a third baseman, and has been a league-average hitter in the NL this year (.308/.334/.417).

Dave Dombrowski:

He's been swinging the bat very well. He can run. So, he's a good offensive player, he's versatile for us, gives us another bat that we feel can help give us some offense, which we do need at this time.

ESPN Stats & Information:

Nunez's history is that of a high-impact bat with significant flaws everywhere in the field. ... Nunez finished his San Francisco Giants career with a bang, going 9-for-16 in his final four games (.563). He's hitting .358 since June 1, which at the time the trade was first reported ranked second in the National League.

Nunez also brings an element of speed. He had 40 stolen bases with the Twins and Giants last season and has 18 in 23 attempts in 2017. ... The fear factor with Nunez is that putting him in the field is a risky endeavor. He's played five positions in his career (second base, third base, shortstop, left field, right field). He has a negative defensive-runs-saved total at all five positions.

AL East: The Yankees are 1 GB and the Rays are 2.5 GB. ... CIN/NYY; BAL/TB.