BOSTON — While it might be too little, too late, even with 57 games remaining, the Red Sox have looked like a good baseball team dating back to Thursday night.
The Red Sox extended their winning streak to three games Saturday with an 11-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Boston’s offense produced 16 hits, continuing an impressive stretch for the unit.
Saturday’s win improved the Red Sox’s record at home to 27-27, though they’re still 11 games under .500 overall (47-58) and 12 games back of the first-place New York Yankees in the American League East.
Let’s run down some notes from Saturday.
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— The Red Sox are hitting .332 (84-for-253) with 25 extra-base hits over their last seven games. They’ve scored 51 runs in that stretch, their most in any seven-game stretch since September 2013.
— Travis Shaw, who was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket before the game, led the charge by going 4-for-4 with two homers, a double, a single, a walk, three RBIs and five runs scored.
Shaw needed a triple for the cycle in his final at-bat. He instead launched his second home run.
“It’s in your head. Everybody’s talking about it,” Shaw said of the cycle. “If you hit the ball in the gap, everybody’s like, ‘Don’t stop running.’ But I’ll take the homer.”
Shaw became the first Red Sox player since at least 1914 to record four hits, five runs scored and 11 total bases in a single game. His five runs scored were the most by a Boston rookie since Walt Dropo scored five on June 8, 1950.
— The last Red Sox player before Shaw to hit his first career home run as part of a multihomer performance? Ryan Lavarnway on Sept. 27, 2011, against the Baltimore Orioles.
— Xander Bogaerts made a little history, too.
Bogaerts, who went 4-for-5 with a double and three RBIs, has six career four-hit games, tying him with Carl Yastrzemski for the second-most four-hit games by a Red Sox player before turning 23 years old. Ted Williams is the only Red Sox player ever to have more four-hit games (eight) before turning 23.
“We’re watching a guy really blossom into his own right in front of our eyes,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “It’s multiple hits a game, he’s right in the middle of it.”
Bogaerts also became the eighth Red Sox player in the last 100 years to compile at least 100 RBIs before turning 23.
— The one question surrounding Bogaerts — it’s admittedly unfair to nitpick given how awesome he’s been this season — pertains to his power and whether his home run numbers will increase as he continues to develop. Bogaerts, who almost homered Saturday, has just three homers this season.
“I know I have the power, so I’m definitely not even worried about that at all,” Bogaerts said. “So as long as I keep doing what I’m doing right now, the power will come.”
Everything else is working just fine for Bogaerts, who’s hitting .319 this season, including .391 (34-for-87) with runners in scoring position. No complaints here.
— Rusney Castillo has looked much more comfortable in his return to Boston. These next two months are huge for the 28-year-old outfielder, as the Red Sox need to see what they have for next season.
Castillo tied a career-high with three hits and three RBIs. He’s hitting .400 (8-for-20) with a home run, two doubles, four RBIs and five runs scored over his last six games.
“The biggest difference from the previous time he was up with us is he’s handling pitches that are close to him,” Farrell said. “The swing is freed up a little bit, where he’s able to address some pitches on the inside part of the plate, where he was being attacked early on the previous time that he was up here with us.”
— Pablo Sandoval, who missed his second straight game after being struck on the wrist/forearm with a pitch Thursday night, swung in the cage Saturday. He’s still considered day to day.
“The strength in the grip is improving,” Farrell said. “There’s still some swelling and soreness there, so we’ll check him (Sunday) whether or not he’s going to be in the lineup (Sunday).”
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
