The bad news was the Boston Bruins were eliminated in Game 7 of their first round NHL playoff series by the Carolina Hurricanes but the good news was the Boston Red Sox once again laid waste to the bungholes of the Texas Rangers. Rich Hill (1-1, 2.89 ERA) came off the Covid List and won his first game of the season with six solid innings. For the second straight day the Boston bats returned to life, pounding Rangers starter Glenn Otto and the Texas bullpen for 14 hits and 11 runs. Rafael Devers highlighted a four run second inning with a 2 run blast and every single batter reached base at least once during the game. The most encouraging sign was batters 6 through 9 all got multiple hits and an rbi. Hiro Sawamura escaped a jam in the seventh inning and the Sox cruised to an 11-3 victory over the Rangers at Globe Life Field.
The Sox wasted no time getting to Otto in the top of the first inning although Kike Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers lined out to right but JD Martinez struck his fourth home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Xander Bogaerts got a base hit to left but Trevor Story struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.
Hill came off the Covid List to get the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Story booted a grounder by Eli White to start. White swiped second but Marcus Semien popped up to Story. White stole third and scored on the Corey Seager rbi base hit to right. Jonah Heim banged into a double play to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1.
Seager ties it up
Devers blasts one out of here
The Sox poured it on in the top of the second as Franchy Cordero walked to start. Christian Vazquez got a base hit to right and Bobby Dalbec lashed a base hit to left to score Cordero. Jackie Bradley Jr dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over and Hernandez scored Vazquez with a sac fly to center and Devers capped the inning by smashing his 6th home run of the season to increase the lead. Martinez walked but Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.
The Rangers beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the second as Nick Solak grounded out to short to start. Andy Ibanez grounded out to short and Kole Calhoun grounded out to second to end the inning.
Story lined out to short to start the top of the third before Cordero grounded out to short. Vazquez grounded out to second to end the inning. Sam Huff hit a roller to Hill who spiked the ball like a football and did the funky chicken for an error to start the bottom of the third. Huff moved to third on the grounder to second but White struck out swinging. Semien grounded back to the mound to end the inning.
The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth as Dalbec doubled to left to start. JBJ singled to right to move Dalbec to third and Bobby scored when Hernandez beat out a double play ball to increase the lead. Devers struck out swinging but Martinez drew a walk. Bogaerts popped up back to Otto to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.
Seager grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth but Heim doubled to center. Solak took strike three and Ibanez flied out to right to end the inning.
The Sox iced the game in the top of the fifth as Story walked to start and immediately stole second. Cordero singled to right to score Story and chase Otto from the game. Josh Sborz came in and Vazquez doubled to right to score Cordero with another run. Dalbec struck out swinging and JBJ flied out to center but Hernandez doubled to left to score Vazquez. Devers struck out swinging again to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-1.
Calhoun struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Huff grounded out to short. Culberson got a base hit to right but White popped up to first to end the inning.
Former Tampa Bay Rays ace Matt Moore came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Martinez got a base hit to center to start. Bogaerts forced JD at second but Story struck out swinging again and Cordero flied out to center to end the inning. Hill cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Semien popped up to third to start and Seager struck out swinging. Heim lined out to left to end the inning.
Vazquez grounded out to second to start the top of the seventh but Dalbec reached on an error by Culberson. JBJ forced Dalbec at second and Hernandez hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Hill ran out of gas in the bottom of the seventh as Solak beat out a roller to third to start. Ibanez singled to center and Calhoun doubled to left to clear the bases and chase Hill. For once Sox manager Alex Cora did the right thing by letting Hill come out for the seventh but it backfired as he left after 6 solid innings of 3 run ball. Hiro Sawamura came in and Huff grounded out to short before Brad Miller pinch hit for Culberson. Miller struck out swinging but White walked. Semien forced white at second to end the inning with the Rangers up 9-3.
Dennis Santana came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Devers greeted him with a double to center to start. Devers moved to third on a Martinez swinging strikeout passed ball and scored on the Bogaerts sac fly to center to increase the lead. This was the first time all season the Sox have scored 10 runs. Story grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-3.
Matt Barnes came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Seager took strike three to start. Heim flied out to center and Solak grounded out to short to end the inning....but wait! Rangers manager Chris Woodward challenged the call but it was upheld.
Brett Martin came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Cordero got a base hit to center to start. Vazquez struck out swinging but Cordero moved to second on a wild pitch. Cordero moved to third on a fly out to center by Dalbec and scored when JBJ singled off of Martin himself. Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-3.
Jake Diekman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Ibanez popped up to first to start. Calhoun grounded out to third and Huff struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 11-3.
Hero of the Night is Rafael Devers. His two run home run put the game out of reach.
The Good:
JD Martinez was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and a run scored.
Franchy Cordero was 2 for 4 with a walk, an rbi and 3 runs scored.
Christian Vazquez was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.
Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with an rbi.
Rich Hill got the win by tossing 6 plus innings of 3 run ball. Only two runs were earned and he struck out 4.
Hiro Sawamura pitched a scoreless seventh inning.
Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
Jake Diekman pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
The Bad:
None
The Ugly:
Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in 3 runs.
Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.
Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error but walked, stole a base and scored a run.
Final Thoughts:
Where the hell was this kind of offense in April? For the second straight game the bats broke out, especially the bottom of the order of Cordero, Dalbec, Vazquez and Bradley. The Sox aren't asking these guys to hit .300 but even just not be automatic outs and the Sox would be in good shape. Maybe the Sox are finally turning a corner? People have been saying all along the bats are too good to hit THAT bad so if they come around, at least one problem is solved. Hill pitched a gutty game even if he lost it in the seventh. The rotation has been great all season and if the Sox ever figured out the bullpen situation, they'd be right there with the other AL East teams. Its only May and there's plenty of time to get back in the race but the New York Yankees are making it difficult because they've been on fire the last month. Still, the Red Sox still owe the Yankees for 1978 so what better way than to erase that memory by rallying down 11 games in May this year? Stranger things have happened to why not? All in all it was a good win and the Sox desperately need to go on a winning streak. The win improved the Sox to 13-20, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to sweep the Rangers tomorrow afternoon when they send Captain TBD to the mound against old pal Martin Perez. The game begins at 2:35 PM Eastern time at Globe Life Field.
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