G119: Red Sox 10, Cardinals 4

Cardinals - 000 003 010 -  4 10  1
Red Sox   - 100 081 00x - 10 15  0

Ten straight Red Sox batters reached base in the fifth inning, and eight of them scored. An inning earlier, Rafael Devers set in motion the Red Sox's first triple play in almost six years. Rick Porcello (7-8-3-2-6, 106) pitched well, although he may have been a little rusty in the sixth after sitting on the bench while his teammates sent 13 men to the plate.

The Red Sox scored a first-inning run with four straight singles after there were two men out. Devers's opposite field hit drove in Andrew Benintendi.

Boston did not get another hit until the fifth inning - when they banged out eight (!):

Jackie Bradley flied out to the warning track in left.
Eduardo Nunez singled to center.
Mookie Betts singled to center, Nunez to second.
Benintendi was hit by a pitch in the left knee, Nunez to third, Betts to second.
Hanley Ramirez doubled off the left field wall, Nunez and Betts scored, Benintendi to third. (3-0)
Devers was intentionally walked.
Xander Bogaerts singled to left, Benintendi scored, Ramirez to third, Devers to second. (4-0)
Mitch Moreland singled to center, Ramirez scored, Devers to third, Bogaerts to second. (5-0)
Matt Bowman relieved Mike Leake (4.1-9-8-2-2, 78).
Sandy Leon doubled to the wall in left-center, Devers and Bogaerts scored, Moreland to third. (7-0)
Bradley singled to left, Moreland scored, Leon to third. (8-0)
Nunez singled to right, Leon scored, Bradley to third. (9-0)
Betts popped out to first.
Benintendi lined out to left.

Boston scored a run in the sixth, when Brett Cecil gave up three singles to load the bases and then walked Bradley.

In the top of the fourth, Porcello allowed singled to Paul DeJong and Dexter Fowler. Yadier Molina, who had hit into a double play in the second inning, grounded the first pitch to Devers. The rookie was close to the third base bag when he scooped up the grounder. He took one step back to force the lead runner, then threw to Nunez at second, who threw on to Moreland. Inning over! (Devers: "First thing that went through my mind was just to touch third base and throw as hard as I possibly could to second base.")

It was the Red Sox's first triple play since August 16, 2011, when they turned one (which also went 5-4-3) in the second game of a double header against the Rays.

AL East: The Yankees beat the Mets 5-4 and remain 4.5 GB. Aaron Judge tied a major league record by striking out in his 32nd consecutive game.

Mike Leake / Rick Porcello

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

When these two teams played in St. Louis on May 16-17, the Red Sox won both games: 6-3 and 5-4 (13). (Leake and Porcello were matched up in that second game.)

Elias reports that Tampa Bay's paltry offense (12 runs over the last 10 games) is the worst for any AL team over a 10-game span since the DH was introduced in 1973. In those 45 seasons, one NL team had a worse 10-game period: the 2006 Cubs scored 11 runs in 10 games (April 30-May 9).

AL East: The Red Sox lead the Yankees by 4.5 games. NYM/MFY.