May 29, 2018

G55: Red Sox 8, Blue Jays 3

Blue Jays - 000 100 200 - 3  8  0
Red Sox   - 210 101 12x - 8 13  1
The Red Sox jumped on Marco Estrada in the first inning, with Mitch Moreland and J.D. Martinez both hitting run-scoring doubles. By the time Estrada (3.2-7-4-0-1, 63), had faced 10 batters, the Red Sox had four doubles - and led 3-0.

From there, it was a smooth night for the most part. Sandy Leon had a nice evening, with two doubles, a home run, two runs scored, and three RBI.

In the first, Xander Bogaerts singled with one out. Moreland doubled him home and Martinez brought Moreland in with a two-bagger. Leon doubled in the second and scored on Andrew Benintendi's double. Brock Holt singled and stole second in the fourth and scored on Jackie Bradley's opposite-field single.

Singles by Rafael Devers and Dustin Pedroia (who snapped an 0-for-9 start to his year) began the sixth. Leon's double scored Devers and when Bradley walked, the Red Sox had the bases loaded and one out. But Benintendi (who was 8-for-his-last-15) grounded into a double play.

Bogaerts led off the seventh by blasting a home run out of the park to left and Leon hit a two-run dong into the Boston bullpen in the eighth.

Four batters were hit in the game. Rick Porcello (6.2-5-3-2-5, 96) hit Yangervis Solarte's back foot with a pitch in the top of the sixth. In the top of the seventh, Porcello was already into his windup when Russell Martin asked for time. In violation of the rules, the umpire granted it.

Porcello's next pitch drilled Martin in the shoulder and the Toronto batter stood at the plate, looking out at Porcello and smirking. He believed (with good reason, I'd say) that Porcello hit him for his late decision to ask for time. But the person most at fault - and the person who put Martin at risk (as well as any other batter who might have been hit later in retaliation (which did happen)) was plate umpire Vic Carapazza, who blatantly violated the rules and put the careers of every single batter in jeopardy. (The chance of a season- or career-ending injury was certainly remote, but it became more of a possibility after Carapazza's idiotic decision.)

In the top of the eighth, Joe Kelly's 2-1 pitch hit Teoscar Hernandez in the left elbow. (NESN's replay (of course) zoomed in too much and when the ball struck the batter's elbow, it was out of the picture frame.) Brock Holt led off the bottom of the eighth and Danny Barnes plunked him "on the wallet" with his first pitch of the inning. Carapazza issued warnings to both teams - a situation that never would have happened if he had done his job correctly in the first place.

When the Red Sox score first, they are 23-3.
Marco Estrada / Rick Porcello
Benintendi, LF
Bogaerts, SS
Moreland, 1B
Martinez, DH
Devers, 3B
Pedroia, 2B
Holt, RF
Leon, C
Bradley, CF

1 comment:

allan said...

Justin Verlander's 1.08 ERA is the second-best by an AL pitcher through his first 11 starts in the last 20 seasons, trailing only Pedro Martinez in 2000.