BOSTON — A Red Sox team missing three of its best bats put on quite the offensive display Wednesday night.
With Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez all given the evening off, Boston responded by sending four balls into the outfield seats at Fenway Park en route to a 6-4 win at Fenway Park
GAME IN A WORD
BP.
The Red Sox lit up Indians starter — and 2014 American League Cy Young winner — Corey Kluber, launching back-to-back home runs in the second inning and again in the fourth. Kluber allowed just six hits in his six innings of work, but each of those six batters ended up scoring.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
A three-run homer by the red-hot Jackie Bradley Jr. in the fourth preceded a solo bomb by Ryan Hanigan, giving the Red Sox a commanding 6-0 lead.
At least, that appeared to be the dagger until Jean Machi took the mound in the eighth. The right-hander inherited a man at first, walked the first batter he faced and let up a three-run homer to Yan Gomes to bring the Indians back to within striking distance.
The Sox failed to add any additional insurance in the home half of the inning, but Junichi Tazawa pitched a perfect ninth to shut the door and pick up his first save since April 26, 2012.
ON THE BUMP
— Red Sox starter Joe Kelly completed a perfect first inning — thanks in large part to some more fantastic defense by center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. — then induced an inning-ending double play in the second to work around an one-out walk.
The right-hander retired the side in order again in the third, and another double play — this one of the 3-6-1 variety — ended the fifth after consecutive Cleveland singles.
The Indians finally got on the board in the fifth. Lonnie Chisenhall led off the inning with a single, and Yan Gomes reached on an error by second baseman Josh Rutledge. The Red Sox responded by turning yet another double play, but Chisenhall, who took third on Rutledge’s error, was able to scamper home with the first run of the night for the Tribe.
Kelly also walked a batter, allowed another base hit and uncorked a wild pitch during the inning but stranded runners on second and third. He escaped a similar jam in the sixth — allowing a double and a walk but zero runs — before calling it a night.
Kelly allowed one unearned run on five hits in his six innings of work, walking three and striking out three. It was the first time this season he did not allow an earned run in a start, and he now has allowed just three in 17 1/3 innings over his last three outings.
— Remember Bradley’s highlight-reel grab from earlier? Well, the polar opposite took place in the top of the seventh.
With Alexi Ogando on the mound, Jose Ramirez lofted a one-out fly ball toward the triangle. Right fielder Rusney Castillo settled under the ball and caught it with ease but, believing the inning was over, proceeded to turn around and toss it into the seats. That blunder gave Abraham Almonte, who walked to lead off the inning, two free bases.
It ended up being inconsequential, however, as Ogando struck out Jason Kipnis to retire the side and strand Almonte on third.
— Tommy Layne faced three batters in the eighth, striking out one and allowing a single before giving way to Machi.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— David Ortiz and Travis Shaw swung the big sticks for the Red Sox in the second, clubbing back-to-back solo shots to open the scoring.
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Shaw’s landed in the Monster seats, and Ortiz’s traveled just far enough to land in the visitors’ bullpen, evading the outstretched glove of Chisenhall. It also was the 492nd of the designated hitter’s career.
Chisenhall later in the inning gave Bradley a taste of his own medicine, robbing him of extra bases with a lunging catch.
— Pablo Sandoval missed joining the home run club by about 10 inches in the fourth, as his line drive drilled a spot near the top of the wall in straightaway center. Sandoval ended up on second base, however, and came home, along with Castillo, on Bradley’s fifth home run of the season. Hanigan’s blast in the ensuing at-bat made it 6-0.
TWEET OF THE GAME
That’s … pretty good.
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UP NEXT
The Sox welcome the Kansas City Royals to town for a four-game weekend series beginning Thursday.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
