Red Sox Notes: Boston Offense Provides Timely Break Out Performance

The Boston Red Sox needed an answer in the midst of a battle against one of baseball’s best teams in the Philadelphia Phillies.

Boston dropped Game 1 and quickly fell behind 4-0 in the middle game of the series. How would the Red Sox respond?

A five-run fifth inning did the trick in a come-from-behind 8-6 win at Fenway Park on Wednesday night.

“Those first couple innings, we just kept telling ourselves to keep swinging it,” David Hamilton told Jahmai Webster, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Keep hitting hard. Stuff starting falling. We put up that five spot.”

“We hit the ball hard,” Alex Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Put pressure on them.”

The Red Sox eventually took the lead when Alex Cora called upon Enmanuel Valdez to pinch-hit for Jamie Westbrook. The Boston infielder delivered with a two-run double to put his team in front.

“We had a chance to use Valdy with men on,” Cora shared. “He put a great swing. Obviously, (Hamilton) and ( Jarren Duran) put pressure on them.”

Hamilton kept the line rolling an inning later with a two-run homer, continuing his season turnaround with an improving offensive approach for the Red Sox.

“I’m just trying to hit the ball up the middle every time,” Hamilton added. “Got that one out in front a little bit and hit it good.”

The Red Sox face elite talent throughout this homestand, with both league leaders, the Phillies and the New York Yankees, coming to town. This win marked Boston’s first step against elite talent.

“We play hard,” Cora added. “We’re talented. Just gotta keep going.”

Here are more notes from Wednesday’s Phillies-Red Sox game:

— Duran tallied his seventh game with at least three hits in the 2024 season.

— The Red Sox earned their 10th win of the season when their opponent scored first.

— Duran, Hamilton and Rafael Devers all tallied multi-hit games to pace the offense.

— Kenley Jansen recorded his 10th save of the season.

— Boston won a game in come-from-behind fashion for the 13th time this season.

— The Red Sox and Phillies wrap up their three-game series at Fenway Park on Thursday night. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.