Marco Estrada got the ball in the top of the first inning and he walked leadoff hitter Dustin Pedroia. Andrew Benintendi erased Pedroia with a force out and Mr. Mookie Betts struck out. Benny The Kid swiped second base but Hanley Ramirez flied out to end the inning. Sale came out for the bottom of the first and Kevin Pillar flied out to center. Jose Bautista whiffed and Kenrys Morales grounded out to end the inning.
The Sox offense remained dormant in the top of the second inning. Mitch Moreland flied out, Xander Bogaerts struck out and Pablo Sandoval flied out to end the inning. Sale matched Estrada in the bottom of the second inning. Justin Smoak popped up then Sale struck out Steven Pearce and Darwin Barney to end the inning.
The Sox mounted one of their only threats in the top of the third inning. Sandy Leon flied out and Brock "Hitman" Holt struck out but Pedroia singled. Benny The Kid singled but Mr. Mookie struck out again to end the inning. Sale remained hot in the bottom of the third inning. Old pal Jarrod Saltalamachia struck out but Devon Travis singled. Travis moved to second on the force by Ryan Goins. Pillar and Bautista struck out to end the inning.
The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the fourth inning. Ramirez struck out, Moreland flied out and Bogaerts grounded out to end the inning. Sale ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth inning. Morales flied out but Smoak singled and Pearce walked. Barney grounded into a fielder's choice that moved Smoak to third before Pearce swiped second. Sale struck out Saltalamacchia to end the inning.
The Sox still couldn't score in the top of the fifth inning. Sandoval singled but Leon lined out. Hitman Holt flied out and Pedroia grounded out to end the inning. Sale was up to the task in the bottom of the fifth inning. Travis flied out, Goins grounded out and Pillar popped up to end the inning.
Estrada returned for one last inning in the top of the sixth inning. Benny The Kid struck out but Mr. Mookie walked. Ramirez lined out and Mookie swiped second. The infielder shifted on Moreland so Betts literally walked to third. Moreland ended up striking out anyway to end the inning. Sale refused to budge in the bottom of the sixth inning. Bautista struck out yet again but Morales singled. Smoak grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Joe Biagini relieved Estrada in the top of the seventh inning. Bogaerts flied out then both Sandoval and Leon grounded out to end the inning. Sale turned up the heat in the bottom of the seventh inning. Pearce, Barney and Saltalamacchia all struk out swinging in short order.
Unfortunately the Sox couldn't respond in the top of the eighth against Joe Smith. Hitman Holt looked at strike three, Pedroia grounded out and Benny The Kid struck out to end the inning. Sale came out for the bottom of the eighth and blew away Travis to start. Troy Tulowitzky pinch hit for Goins and grounded out as Sale struck out Bautista for the fourth time and his 13th overall. Once again the pitched outstanding but got no run support.
Jays closer Roberto Osuna got the call in the top of the ninth and the Sox finally struck, Barney moved to short and Chris Coghlin took over at third. Mr. Mookie popped up and Ramirez struck out, but Moreland lined a double past the diving Bautista. Bogaerts stepped up with a line drive double down the right field line to give the Sox the lead. Bogaerts jammed his finger sliding into second but stayed in the game. Jays manager John Gibbons wanted the play reviewed and Bogaerts was called out at second after all. The inning was over but it was up to Craig Kimbrel to preserve the 1-0 game in the bottom of the ninth. One pitch to Morales ended that as he blasted a solo home run to dead center to tie the game. Smoak flied out and Ezequiel Carrera pinch hit for Pearce only to strike out. Barney struck out as well to end the inning but Sox manager John Farrell pulling Sale for Kimbrel did not work. On to extra innings.
Jason Grilli came out for the top of the 10th and the Sox rallied. Sandoval nearly hit one out but was robbed on the centerfield warning track. Leon walked and Hitman Holt singled. Marco Hernandez pinch ran for Leon at second but Pedroia popped up. Benny The Kid walked to load the bases for Mr. Mookie. He delivered big time with a bases clearing double to give the Sox a 4-1 lead. Grilli was lifted for Jason Barnes and Ramirez lined out to end the inning.
As if bringing in Kimbrel wasn't bad enough for John Farrell, he brought him back out for the bottom of the tenth. Christian Vazquez was the new catcher and Kimbrel turned up the heat. Saltalamacchia earned a golden sombrero of his own with his 4th strikeout. Travis looked at strike three and Coghlan whiffed to end the game. The Sox had prevailed 4-1.
Hero of the Night is Chris Sale. Yes, Bogaerts and Betts got the big hits but Sale was the one who kept the Sox in the game. He was outstanding, pitching 8 shut-out innings and striking out 13. He deserved the win if Kimbrel didn't blow it.
The Good:
Marco Hernandez pinch ran for Sandy Leon and came around to score.
The Bad:
Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.
The Ugly:
Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 with a walk.
Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 but came around to score after his 10th inning walk.
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 but made the hit count as it was a bases clearing triple. He also swiped two bases.
Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 4 with a walk.
Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but made the hit count as it was the 9th inning rbi single.
Pablo Sandoval was just 1 for 4.
Sandy Leon was 0 for 3 but worked the 10th inning walk.
Brock Holt was just 1 for 4 but scored a crucial run in the 10th inning
Craig Kimbrel vultured the win from Sale by giving up the game tying home run to Morales but struck out 5 of the next 6 guys.
Honorable Mention:
Christian Vazquez caught the bottom of the 10th inning.
Final Thoughts:
Great to see the bats wake up late and great to see Sale continue to pitch well, sucks that they can't score enough or maintain the leads for him. He really should be 3-0 but he's keeping them in games, that's all that can be asked. Hanley Ramirez is struggling but he's been known to go on hot streaks. Moreland continues to be a doubles machine and its nice to see Betts and Bogaerts deliver in the clutch. With David Ortiz retired, they need new stars to step up and deliver. Kimbrel blew the save but there's a huge difference in someone beating him on a fastball and being totally wild. You can live with Craig getting beat on a home run, and he came back to strike out 5 of the next 6 guys he faced. A win is a win so not much else to complain about. Tomorrow night the Sox travel to Baltimore to face the Orioles in a rematch between Drew Pomeranz and Dylan Bundy. The Sox hope for another Pomeranz win at 7:05 PM.
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