Recap - Red Sox offense scorches Angels
Jim Monaghan
Content Coordinator
A relentless offense and 6.1 strong innings from the bullpen added up to a 16-4 Red Sox win over the Angels at Fenway Park Friday night.
J.D. Martinez (pictured) slammed a pair of home runs and two doubles to lead the way, with Mookie Betts (2-4, 2 RBI), Rafael Devers (2-5, 3 RBI), Christian Vazquez (2-4, 1 RBI) and Mitch Moreland (2-5, 3 RBI) adding to the onslaught.
Martinez now has an eight-game hitting streak and over the past three weeks, his numbers have been scorching - .425/.489/.838 with 22 runs batted in, 18 runs scored, eight home runs and seven doubles.
Brian Johnson put Boston in a 3-0 hole in the first inning, allowing a two-out, two-strike three-run blast to Albert Pujols. The Red Sox answered back in the bottom of the inning with an RBI double by Martinez.
Held scoreless after that through the third inning, the Red Sox scored twice in the fourth and fifth innings, five times in the sixth, twice again in the seventh, and four more times in the eighth.
Yes, it's only the Angels who have now lost nine of their last ten (and don't get us started on how Mike Trout's immense talents are once again being wasted), but these are the types of games the Red Sox are SUPPOSED to dominate. Losing to teams like the Orioles and Royals is almost inexcusable, given the potential output the Boston offense is capable of on a nightly basis.
Still, it's going to come down to the pitching. Sale's performance Thursday night was an indication that he may have started to figure things out. Rick Porcello will need to build on his last outing on Saturday afternoon. Eduardo Rodriguez needs to be more consistent.
With David Price out for the foreseeable future, it's probably unrealistic to expect the likes of Brian Johnson to give much more than the 2.2 innings he gave Friday night.
The bullpen is what it is - inconsistent. But if it's not being called on in the fourth or fifth inning on a nightly basis, Alex Cora might be able to massage his way through the late innings to get to Brandon Workman who appears to have assumed the role of closer.
It's almost enough to make you start thinking about October again.
Click here to find more by Jim Monaghan on Red Sox Life. Follow him on twitter - @Monaghan21.
Content Coordinator
A relentless offense and 6.1 strong innings from the bullpen added up to a 16-4 Red Sox win over the Angels at Fenway Park Friday night.
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| Photo courtesy of USA Today |
Martinez now has an eight-game hitting streak and over the past three weeks, his numbers have been scorching - .425/.489/.838 with 22 runs batted in, 18 runs scored, eight home runs and seven doubles.
Brian Johnson put Boston in a 3-0 hole in the first inning, allowing a two-out, two-strike three-run blast to Albert Pujols. The Red Sox answered back in the bottom of the inning with an RBI double by Martinez.
Held scoreless after that through the third inning, the Red Sox scored twice in the fourth and fifth innings, five times in the sixth, twice again in the seventh, and four more times in the eighth.
Yes, it's only the Angels who have now lost nine of their last ten (and don't get us started on how Mike Trout's immense talents are once again being wasted), but these are the types of games the Red Sox are SUPPOSED to dominate. Losing to teams like the Orioles and Royals is almost inexcusable, given the potential output the Boston offense is capable of on a nightly basis.
Still, it's going to come down to the pitching. Sale's performance Thursday night was an indication that he may have started to figure things out. Rick Porcello will need to build on his last outing on Saturday afternoon. Eduardo Rodriguez needs to be more consistent.
With David Price out for the foreseeable future, it's probably unrealistic to expect the likes of Brian Johnson to give much more than the 2.2 innings he gave Friday night.
The bullpen is what it is - inconsistent. But if it's not being called on in the fourth or fifth inning on a nightly basis, Alex Cora might be able to massage his way through the late innings to get to Brandon Workman who appears to have assumed the role of closer.
It's almost enough to make you start thinking about October again.
Click here to find more by Jim Monaghan on Red Sox Life. Follow him on twitter - @Monaghan21.
