*Photo from Boston.com*
Looking to snap out of what has been an extended slump since the trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox once again had Chris Sale on the mound, his second start since coming back from Tommy John surgery. They once again backed him up. Xander Bogaerts homered, Alex Verdugo drove in two runs, and the Red Sox shut out the Texas Rangers 6-0 on Friday night.
Boston manager Alex Cora said of Sale that "Obviously, his whole career he’s been a stopper. He’s been an ace. He’s had a marvelous career. That’s what we kind of needed tonight. We had a rough series. It was nice to come back with a win."
Bogaerts got the scoring going in the first inning, with an RBI single to left field that scored Kike Hernandez and gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead to open the night. In the second inning, an RBI single from Hernandez gave Boston a 2-0 lead. In the 5th, Bogaerts pummeled a solo home run to the top of the green monster, and Verdugo hit a two run double off the monster to give the Red Sox a 5-0 lead. They made it 6-0 in the 6th inning when Jarren Duran scored on a groundout from Hernandez.
Sale got the win to move to 2-0 on the season in his two starts. This time around, he went 5 innings, and allowed 5 hits and walked one hitter, striking out 5. The bullpen came on and combined to shut out the Rangers as well, with Hansel Robles, Austin Davis, Hirokazu Sawamura, and Matt Barnes combinig to shut the door at the end of the game.
Asked about going 2-0, Sale said "I understand where I'm coming from, the last couple of years. I had surgery and I’m coming back. Now I’ve got two starts in the big leagues. I’ve got a job to do. I’ve got to win games. Obviously, we didn’t play well in New York. That series got away from us. To be able to post up and get us on the right track, that’s my job. That’s what I’m supposed to do."
For the Rangers, it was starter Dane Dunning who got hit with the loss, allowing 5 runs on 9 hits and one walk, recording just one strikeout in 4 2/3 innings, getting taken out after Verdugo's two run double. Josh Sborz was responsible for the other run allowed, throwing 1 1/3 innings. Jharel Cotton then threw two shutout innings to end the game.
Texas manager Chris Woodward said "I mean, listen, we faced one of the better pitchers in baseball today. We had pressure on him for three out of the five innings. Just the at-bat quality when we have guys in scoring position hasn’t been there. It’s not so much about getting the big hit, it’s about the at-bat quality."
The Rangers and Red Sox continue their series tonight, with Jordan Lyles getting the start for Texas, while Eduardo Rodriguez looks to keep the good times rolling for the Red Sox.
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