Alex Verdugo continued to swing a hot bat by driving in four runs with a two-run homerun and the game winning two-run double in the 10th inning on Wednesday night, as the Boston Red Sox salvaged the finale of a three game series with a 6-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre.
Toronto took the first two games of the series, ending the Boston win streak at seven and their streak of seven straight series wins. The hottest pitchers in the American League got the nod on the hill, Alek Manoah for the Blue Jays and Nick Pivetta for the Red Sox. Santiago Espinal gave the Jays a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the second inning, before Rob Refsnyder tied it with a sacrifice fly in the third. Tensions ran high in the bottom of the third when Pivetta hit Alejando Kirk with a pitch. The benches would clear, but no physical altercations or ejections took place and both teams were warned. George Springer led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo homerun to make it 2-1 Toronto. In the sixth with two outs, Xander Bogaerts beat out an infield single to third baseman Matt Chapman and then Verdugo followed on an 2-0 pitch with a two-run homer to right field off Manoah to put the Sox in front for the first time 3-2. A pair of doubles with one out by Loudes Gurriel Jr. and Raimel Tapia off Ryan Brasier in the eighth tied the score again 3-3. Matt Strahm helped Boston force extra innings in the last of the ninth after a leadoff walk to Springer by striking out Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and then getting Kirk to fly out. With the runner placed on second base rule to start extra innings, Refsnyder and Rafael Devers both walked to load the bases. JD Martinez was then hit by a pitch by David Phelps to regain the lead. After reliever Tim Mayza came in to replace Phelps who started the 10th, Bogaerts would ground into a double play with Refsnyder out at home and Bogaerts out at first leaving runners at second and third with two outs. Verdugo continued the at bat for the Sox by taking a 1-1 pitch from Mayza and lining a two-run double to left center for a 6-3 advantage. After Strahm got the first two outs of the bottom half of the 10th, Toronto (42-33) got three straight hits on singles by Chapman and Espinal (RBI), and then an RBI double by Cavan Biggio. With the tying run at third and winning run at second, Strahm was able to get Springer to popout to second baseman Trevor Story to secure the victory.
Pivetta got a no-decision allowing two runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts in 6.0 innings. Jon Schreiber got his 14th hold, and Strahm (3-2) was credited with the win. Verdugo was the offensive hero with the two hits and four RBI, while Franchy Cordero collected four hits and two stolen bases. Manoah also got a no-decision in the defeat for Toronto allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits in 7.0 innings. Phelps (0-2) was tagged with the loss. Tapia, Chapman, and Espinal had two hits a piece. Boston (43-33) gets a day off Thursday before opening up a three game interleague series Friday afternoon at 2:20 against the Cubs in Chicago. Rich Hill (4-4, 4.09 ERA) starts on the hill for the Sox in game one. Chris Lessner and Marc Calnan from Eastern Maine Sports will be at Wrigley Field Saturday night for game two of the weekend set, and will have some great photos to share on the Eastern Maine Sports Facebook page. The Red Sox also finished off a historic month, 20-6 in June. The last time a Boston team won 20 games in June was 1961.
