G34: Red Sox 15, White Sox 2

Red Sox   - 009 510 000 - 15 20  0
White Sox - 100 000 010 -  2  7  3

My favourite Red Sox innings are ones in which the first two batters are retired, there is no one on base, and then a big rally begins. (I need a fun name for this kind of inning.) On Saturday, the Red Sox had the greatest two-out/bases-empty (TO/BE) innings in franchise history.

White Sox starter Manny Bañuelos retired the first eight Boston batters on 29 pitches and was one out away from throwing three perfect innings. Bañuelos would throw 32 more pitches - and never find that confounded out.

Bañuelos gave up hits to the next 10 Red Sox batters. Then, after he was long gone, the first six Red Sox batters reached base to start the fourth inning. That's a string of 18 batters, with 17 reaching base and 14 crossing the plate.

How It Happened:

Top 3rd - White Sox lead 1-0

Steve Pearce (cbbbf) struck out looking.
Eduardo Nuñez (c) popped to first.
Christian Vázquez (f) singled left-center.
Andrew Benintendi (cbcb) singled to shallow center, Vázquez to second.
Mookie Betts (fc) doubled into left field corner, Vázquez and Benintendi scored (2-1).
J.D. Martinez (c) doubled to left-center field wall, Betts scored (3-1).
[White Sox pitching coach makes a mound visit, bullpen is quiet.]
Xander Bogaerts (cb) homered to left-center (414 feet), Martinez and Bogaerts scored (5-1).
Michael Chavis (bssbb) homered to center (419 feet), Chavis scored (6-1).
[White Sox bullpen is still a ghost town.]
Rafael Devers (f) doubled to right.
Pearce (f) singled to left, Devers scored (7-1).
Nuñez (bf) homered to left-center (409 feet), Pearce and Nuñez scored (9-1).
[NOW someone in the White Sox bullpen starts warming up. Quickly.]
Vázquez (cbb) singled to left.
[Carson Fulmer relieves Manny Bañuelos.]
Benintendi (bfbb) walked, Vázquez to second.
Betts flied out to right.

Top 4th - Red Sox lead 9-1

Martinez (bbbcf) walked.
Bogaerts (bbb) walked, Martinez to second.
Chavis (bcf) singled to right, Martinez scored, Bogaerts to third (10-1).
Devers (ccbf) singled to first, Bogaerts scored, Chavis to second (11-1).
Pearce (bbcsf) singled to center, Chavis scored, Devers to second (12-1).
Nuñez safe at first on throwing error by first baseman, Devers scored, Pearce to second (13-1).
[Josh Osich relieved Fulmer.]
Vázquez (bc) grounded into double play, third to second to first, Pearce to third.
Benintendi (fbf) doubled to right, Pearce scored (14-1).
Betts (cbbbc) popped to short right.

Make Cora Apologize!

It was the first time a team had hits in 10 straight plate appearances in the same inning since the Rockies recorded 11 consecutive hits on July 30, 2010. It was also the first time all nine starters got a hit and scored a run in the same inning since the Yankees dropped a 12-spot in the first inning against the Orioles on July 30, 2011.

The major league record is 12 consecutive hits, by the Cardinals on September 17, 1920* and the Brooklyn Robins on June 23, 1930. (In the 1920 game, the teams totaled 25 runs and 39 hits in only 1:58. Maybe they had a train to catch. That used to be a thing.)

*: Check out that day's Red Sox game.

After four innings, every player in the Red Sox lineup had at least one hit, one run scored, and one RBI - except for Vázquez, who had not driven in a run. He did not get an RBI the rest of the way, so there was only one zero in the traditional AB-R-H-RBI box score. (I deleted the substitutions below. Ideally, the box should have only nine guys, but teams in blowouts often put in subs.)

Chavis hit a solo home run to dead center in the fifth and doubled in the seventh, finishing the day 4-for-5. Chavis has hit six homers in his first 14 games in the major leagues. Sam Horn is the only other Red Sox player to have done that, with six homers and 15 RBI in his first 13 games in 1987. (He hit his seventh homer in his 16th game.) In 48 at-bats, Chavis is hitting .354 and has an OPS of 1.236. "I usually play my best when I'm having fun." ... I'm assuming he's having fun right now.

A White Sox pitcher had not given up nine runs in an inning since June 19, 2004, when Arnie Munoz did it against the Expos.

Eduardo Rodriguez / Manny Bañuelos

Benintendi, CF
Betts, RF
Martinez, DH
Bogaerts, SS
Chavis, 1B
Devers, 3B
Pearce, LF
Nuñez, 2B
Vázquez, C

When Eduardo Rodriguez gets three runs or more of support, the Red Sox are 41-7 (.854) - and 20-1 (.952) since September 12, 2017. The Red Sox are also 13-1 since September 5, 2017 when Rodriguez pitches at least six innings.

After a forgettable beginning to the season, the Red Sox's starting pitchers have been excellent over the last three-to-four weeks.

Boston has the American League's lowest starting pitcher ERA since April 12 (3.18). The starters have allowed four earned runs or fewer in 20 consecutive games and three earned runs or fewer in 18 of 20 games.

They have seven Quality Starts in their last nine games (2.79 ERA, .201 opponents average), after having only four QS in the season's first 24 games. ... The starters have allowed only one home run the last five games (26.2 innings) and they have the lowest HR/9IP ratio since April 6 (0.79).

Since April 11, Red Sox pitchers (starters and relievers) lead MLB with 10.47 K/9IP. ... Chris Sale has a 2.00 ERA and .188 opponents average in his last three starts, with six walks and 28 strikeouts in 18 innings.

During their current 9-5 stretch, the Red Sox have a .360 on-base percentage (best in MLB). ... They have scored in 20 of their last 46 offensive innings. ... Each of their last six wins has been by at least four runs: 6-1, 7-3, 5-1, 9-4, 7-3, 11-4.

J.D. Martinez's 40 hits are tied for the most in the AL. He has had three hits in each of his last two games. He has never had three or more hits in three straight games. Martinez has also not struck out in his last six games (27 PA), the longest streak of his career.

Mookie Betts has a 14-game on-base streak (.415 average, .508 OBP). Since that streak began on April 19, Betts leads both leagues in times on base (33) and is tied for most hits (22).

Betts (.336) and Martinez (.332) are 1-2 in batting average since the start of the 2018 season. Milwaukee's Christian Yelich is #3, at .330.