The Boston Red Sox have set a new franchise record for wins in April with their 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Boston secured its 19th win Thursday at Rogers Centre and closed out their West Coast road trip going 6-3. With help from a solo home run from J.D. Martinez and six innings pitched by Chris Sale, the Sox were able to take their seventh series of the season before coming home to Fenway Park on Friday.
“To finish the road trip the way we did, it’s outstanding,” Sox manager Alex Cora said after the game, as seen on NESN’s Red Sox postgame coverage.
Cora said he thought about going to the pen with two outs in the sixth because Sale’s pitch count was getting high, but Sale insisted he stay in the game.
“I tried to start the conversation and he stopped me right there,” Cora said. “He gave us a chance to win.”
Even though Sale said giving up three runs over three innings was tough, he credited the lineup for showing up and carrying the team to victory.Martinez was part of that, carrying the offense with his fifth home run of the season.
“He can do incredible things with that bat,” Sale said of the slugger.
Here are some other notes from Red Sox-Blue Jays:
— Shortstop Brock Holt left the game in the third inning with what the team is calling left hamstring tightness. Cora said after the game that Holt was feeling better, but it’s “tough to say” if he will play Friday.
“We’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” Cora said. “The decision we make is for the benefit of the player and obviously the team.”
Before the injury occurred, Holt was 6-of-his-last-8 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs. He extended his hitting streak to nine games with a double before exiting the game.
— After going 0-for-his-last-16, Andrew Benintendi ended the night with two hits, a run and an RBI.
— The Red Sox could activate shortstop Xander Bogaerts from the 10-day disabled list before Friday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The 25-year-old hasn’t played since April 8 after he suffered a cracked bone in his ankle. He hit a home run in his rehab stint with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox on Tuesday.
— A night after going 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI, Mookie Betts was held hitless Thursday as he went 0-for-5 on the night.
— Christian Vazquez has not gotten a hit in this last three games.
— Blue Jays starting pitcher Marco Estrada recorded his 1,000th-career strikeout in the first inning when he struck out Mitch Moreland.
