*Photo from My Mother Lode*
Looking to get back on track, it was some unlikely names that contributed. Alex Verdugo drove in two runs, Jackie Bradley Jr had a 4 RBI night, and the Boston Red Sox cruised past the Cincinnati Reds with a 7-1 victory on Wednesday night in Boston.
After a bit of a slide against the Baltimore Orioles, and losing the opening game of the quick two game set against the Reds, the Red Sox rebounded in a big way, riding the contributions of Bradley Jr and Verdugo to the win, sitting at a 5-5 record in their last 10 games, and are 3 games under .500 overall.
It was Xander Bogaerts who got the Red Sox started, driving in Rafael Devers with an RBI single in the 4th inning to make it a 1-0 game. Verdugo then followed that up with a two run double to make it a 3-0 lead, and Bradley Jr hit an RBI single of his own, scoring Verdugo and capping a 4 run inning that ended with a 4-0 Red Sox lead.
In the 6th inning, the Reds got on the board when Nick Senzel grounded out, scoring Aristides Aquino to make it a 4-1 game. With the bases loaded in the 7th inning, Bradley Jr cleared the bases with a 3 run triple, making it a 7-1 lead and all but sealing the win.
Getting the start for the Red Sox was Garrett Whitlock, who improved to 2-1 this season with a win. Whitlock allowed just one run on 5 hits, pitching 6 innings in the win. Tanner Houck came on in relief and fired two shutout innings, and John Schreiber sealed the win with a shutout 9th inning of work.
Verdugo said of Whitlock's start that "It feels like any time a guy is on first base, it’s like, ‘Hey, a double-play ball is coming up, right?’ He’s unbelievable throwing bowling balls up there. It’s fun to watch. I’m out there in left field wondering if I’m going to get a ball."
For the Reds, prized pitcher Hunter Greene took the mound, with things unraveling in the 4th inning. Greene lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits, but striking out 8 hitters. Luis Cessa provided 1 1/3 relief innings, followed by appearances from Vladimir Gutierrez, Ross Detwiler, and Jeff Hoffman.
Greene said of what went wrong that "Honestly, for me tonight, I lost the focus on staying present. I felt very present in the first three innings. I slowly started to drift away in that next inning, in the fourth. That’s going to happen, but trying to lock back in as quick as possible is what I wanted to do. Unfortunately, that was a little more of a challenge tonight. I don’t want to think of it as an excuse, but looking back, I think that was a part of the issue in the fourth, trying to stay as present as possible."
Up next, the Reds start a series on Thursday with the Washington Nationals, with Graham Ashcraft in line to start. After a day off on Thursday, the Red Sox face the Oakland Athletics on Friday night, with Nathan Eovaldi to get the start.
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