G82: Red Sox 15, Blue Jays 1

Red Sox   - 110 302 800 - 15 21  1
Blue Jays - 010 000 000 -  1  5  0

Mookie Betts had a good week on Sunday afternoon. The Red Sox right-fielder went 4-for-6, with two home runs, three runs scored, and eight RBI. He also stole a base.

Betts tied the major league record for most RBI by a leadoff hitter. He is the fifth player to have eight RBI from the leadoff spot (since RBI became an official statistic in 1920).

Betts had plenty of help in routing the Blue Jays and completing a three-game sweep. Deven Marrero, Tzu-Wei Lin, and Hanley Ramirez each had three hits. Like Betts, Marrero scored three times. Ramirez drove in three runs, Marrero knocked in two. Drew Pomeranz (6-5-1-2-3, 104) turned in another fine outing, lowering his ERA to 3.64. Fernando Abad pitched the last three innings and was awarded with his first save of the year.

The fun began immediately. After two were out in the top of the first, Dustin Pedroia walked and stole second. Mitch Moreland also walked. Ramirez's single scored Pedroia.

Lin tripled with one out in the second and scored on Betts's single. The Jays got one run back in the bottom of the second, but after that, the day was all Boston.

In the fourth, Lin beat out a bunt single to third. Then, on the very next pitch, Marrero dropped a bunt down the first base line. The Jays let it roll and it stayed fair. Betts looked at two balls before launching a home run to deep left-center. Betts's second dong came in the sixth inning, after Marrero had singled to right.

The Red Sox sent 12 batters to the plate in the seventh. Singles by Ramirez, Jackie Bradley, and Christian Vazquez loaded the bases with no outs. Lin struck out, but Marrero hit a ground-rule double to right for two runs. Betts followed with a two-run single to center. Andrew Benintendi doubled to left, scoring Betts. Pedroia hit a ground-rule double to right, bringing Benintendi in and upping the score to 13-1. The Jays made a pitching change. Moreland grounded out, but Ramirez hit a two-run homer to left-center. After Bradley singled, Vazquez grounded to first.

Abad allowed only one baserunner in his three innings, a one-out walk in the ninth.

The Red Sox's 21 hits was a season-high.

The Yankees lost again (8-1 to the Astros, their 14th loss in their last 19 games), so Boston has a three-game lead in the East.

Drew Pomeranz / Joe Biagini

Betts, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Moreland, 1B
Bradley, CF
Ramirez, DH
Benintendi, LF
Vazquez, C
Lin, 3B

MLB.com's preview states that Drew Pomeranz ("a source of stability" for the Red Sox) has "allowed more than two earned runs in just three of his 15 starts". This seemed impossible, so I checked. It's true. (One in April, one in May, and one in June.) In six of those other 12 starts, he did not pitch more than 5.1 innings, but still. He's been far better than my gut feeling tells me.

Also, Pomeranz has allowed only three earned runs in his last three starts (17.2 innings, 1.53 ERA).