*Photo from Union Leader*
In a season where the Red Sox lineup has struggled, Mitch Moreland has started to pick up the slack. Moreland hit two homers, including a walkoff homer, Nathan Eovaldi threw 6 innings, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 to win their first series of the season. With the win, the Red Sox have won 3 of their last 4 games.
Moreland got the scoring started in the second with a long solo homer to center field to make it 1-0 Red Sox. In the 3rd, Cavan Biggio tied it up for the Jays with a solo homer as well. The Red Sox got that run right back in the bottom of the 3rd, when Jackie Bradley Jr scored on a throwing error to make it 2-1. In the 4th, Vladimir Guerrero Jr hit an RBI single to tie the game at 2. Bo Bichette then drove a solo homer into the Red Sox bullpen in the 6th to give Toronto a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the 6th, Rafael Devers tied it up with a solo homer to center field. Then, in the 9th inning, Moreland hit a two run walkoff homer into the green monster seats to make it 5-3 Red Sox.
Matt Barnes got the win for the Red Sox, working a scoreless 9th inning, striking out two hitters. Eovaldi started for the Red Sox, and threw 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, walking no one and striking out 10 hitters. Xander Bogaerts drew a two out walk in the 9th to set up Moreland's walkoff blast, the first this season for the Red Sox. Josh Osich and Austin Brice pitched in relief of Eovaldi and in front of Barnes.
Moreland's two homers gave him 6 total on the season, a quick start for Moreland, which the Red Sox have needed. Moreland said of the walkoff celebration that ''I'm pretty sure we broke a few rules, I felt some guys patting me. I'm not going to say who, but some guys might have been hugging me. . Obviously, got the ice bath. So maybe that killed off of it. Washed the germs off.'' Moreland also said of his approach at the plate that ''I knew I needed to make something happen, the guy, he threw a lot of soft. I went up there kind of trying to see a pitch up in the zone and able to get it.''
Thomas Hatch got the loss for Toronto, as he was on the mound for Moreland's homer. Prior to that, he had thrown a scoreless 8th and gotten two outs in the 9th, striking out 3 hitters. Ultimately, the walk to Bogaerts was what did him in. Starter Matt Shoemaker threw 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits, walking no one and striking out 6 hitters. Ryan Borucki pitched after Shoemaker and before Hatch.
The Blue Jays home for this season, Sahlen Field in Buffalo, NY, has had renovations on it completed, so the park is now up to major league standards, so Toronto has now been cleared to play their home games there. They have a day off on Monday, but have been invited to the field to see it for the first time newly renovated. Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said about the field that ''We haven't seen them, either, we're going to give the players the option tomorrow night to see if they want to see what it looks like.''
The Blue Jays play their first game at Sahlen Field on Tuesday against the Miami Marlins, where Hyun-Jin Ryu gets the start for Toronto. The Red Sox welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to town on Monday for a 4 game series, where Ryan Brasier will be the opener in Monday's game.
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