Boston first baseman Michael Chavis, seen here in an earlier game this season at Fenway Park, hit a three run homer to lead the Sox over the Blue Jays Thursday night. Photo courtesy of Delaney Gardner
On the fourth of July at Rogers Centre in Toronto, the Boston Red Sox provided their own late inning fireworks in a come from behind 8-7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the rubber game of the three game series.
Rafael Devers continued his hot hitting at the plate with his 15th homerun of the season in the top of the first. The solo blast made it 1-0. Rowdy Tellez immediately put the hosts in front though with a two run single in the bottom half of the inning to make it 2-1. Danny Jansen hit a solo homer to dead center field in the second to give the Jays a two run lead. Jansen did it again in the fourth with another solo homer to center, his fourth of the series. Freddy Galvis followed in the inning with a two run homer down the line in left and just over the fence to extend the Toronto lead to 6-1. For Jansen it was his first career multi-homerun game.
Boston (46-41) though wouldn’t go away quietly and exploded in the sixth inning to take back the lead. Xander Bogaerts singled in Mookie Betts, and JD Martinez singled in Devers to cut it to 6-3. Jackie Bradley Jr. grounded into a fielders choice with the bases loaded that scored Bogaerts, and then Michael Chavis hit a no doubter over the left field fence with two on base and two outs to give the Sox a 7-6 lead. Brandon Workman though out of the Boston bullpen couldn’t hold the lead in the eighth and suffered his fourth blown save. Jansen hit a one out ground rule double, and then with two outs Eric Sogard doubled in Jansen to tie it 7-7. Jays closer Ken Giles came on for the top of the ninth and struck out Chavis. The Red Sox then called on Marco Hernandez to pinch hit for Sandy Leon. On a 1-0 pitch, Hernandez snuck one just over the left field fence to once again give Boston a one run lead.
Toronto (33-55) had another chance in their last at bat. After Workman retired the leadoff hitter, both Cavan Biggio and Justin Smoak walked. Workman then got Tellez to fly out however. The right hander then was able to get pinch hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a slow ground ball to Devers who made a nice play to get him at first in time to end it, and leaving the tying run and go ahead run on base.
Workman (8-1) got the win in relief and allowed one run on two hits in 2.0 innings. Boston used six pitchers on the night. Josh Taylor, Ryan Brasier, and Matt Barnes worked a scoreless inning each from the fifth through the seventh inning. Martinez led the way with three hits, while Devers had two and scored two runs reaching base four times. Jansen led the Jays with three hits, while Galvis and Brandon Drury each had two. Toronto also used six pitchers, and Giles (1-2) was pinned with the loss by allowing the ninth inning Hernandez homer.
Boston now heads to Detroit for the final three games before the All Star Break. Game one is Friday night at 7:10 and will feature a pair of left handers, as Eduardo Rodriguez goes for the Sox and Gregory Soto toes the rubber for the Tigers. Detroit is 28-54 on the season, and a dismal 12-29 at home in Comerica Park.
