Bostons Michael Chavis rounds the bases after a homerun in a game earlier this season at Fenway Park. Chavis hit his first career grand slam homer on Monday night to lead the Red Sox to a win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Photo courtesy of Delaney Gardner
The Boston Red Sox scored five runs in the first and third innings on Monday night, Rick Porcello earned his seventh victory, and Michael Chavis hit his first career grand slam in a 10-8 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park in the opener of a four game series.
Boston (51-43) began the scoring early and often in the bottom of the first inning. Mookie Betts led off with a double. Rafael Devers popped out, before both Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez walked. With the bases loaded, Andrew Benintendi singled in a run for a 1-0 lead. On a 3-2 pitch to the next batter, Chavis hit a long grand slam into the monster seats in left center to extend to a 5-0 advantage. It was his 16th homer and first slam of his career. Toronto outfielder Billy McKinney hit a two run homer to center into the Boston bullpen in the top of the second to cut it to 5-2, before Randal Grichuk doubled in a run and Justin Smoak hit an RBI groundout in the third to all of a sudden make it a 5-4 game.
The Sox put another five spot up on the board to take the biggest lead of the night in the bottom of the third. Devers singled in a pair, Bogaerts singled in another, and Benintendi hit a two run double. The hosts though were held scoreless the rest of the way. Toronto (35-60) snuck back into the game again in the eighth off Sox relievers Ryan Brasier and Matt Barnes. Danny Jansen hit an RBI single and Brandon Drury hit a sacrifice fly to make it 10-6. Freddy Galvis then hit a two run two out single off Barnes. That would be as close as the Jays would get as Brandon Workman worked a perfect ninth for the save.
Rick Porcello (7-7) went the first 6.0 innings to pick up the win for Boston. He allowed four runs on eight hits, with no walks and two strikeouts. He threw 112 pitches, 71 for strikes. Marcus Walden worked a perfect seventh inning. Workman earned his fourth save. Chavis led the RBI totals on the night with four. Bogaerts had three hits. Benintendi had two hits and three RBI. Devers added two hits and a pair of RBI, while Betts and Brock Holt also had two hits each. Trent Thornton (3-7) took the loss for Toronto allowing five runs on five hits in 1.1 innings. Eric Sogard had three hits, while Galvis, Grichuk, and McKinney each had two a piece. The Sox took advantage of six walks over the first 2.2 innings and eight free passes in the game.
Game two of the series is Tuesday night at 7:10 p.m. Boston will send newly acquired right hander Andrew Cashner (9-3, 3.83 ERA) to the mound, while the Toronto starter is yet to be determined.
