The Boston Red Sox aren’t slowing down.
Boston earned its eighth straight victory Tuesday night, beating the Texas Rangers 8-4 in the middle contest of a three-game set at Fenway Park.
Offense long has been the Red Sox’s calling card, and that was clear Tuesday as the team combined for 12 hits (seven extra-base hits), with all but one batter registering at least one base knock.
With the win, the Red Sox climb to 64-29, while the Rangers fall to 40-53.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Offense.
On a night where manager Alex Cora had to get creative with his use of pitchers, the Red Sox offense gave the squad a comfortable advantage throughout the night.
ON THE BUMP
— Hector Velazquez got the start for the Red Sox as they utilized a bullpen game of sorts Tuesday. The righty allowed one run on two hits with a pair of strikeouts and as many walks over three innings.
After a 1-2-3 first inning, things went south in the second. Velazquez surrendered a solo home run to Rougned Odor, who blasted a moonshot over the right field wall to make it 1-0. Ronald Guzman followed that up with a double, but Velazquez got out of the inning without further damage despite later walking a batter.
The 29-year-old issued a leadoff walk in the third before retiring the next three batters to end the inning and his night.
— Jalen Beeks entered in the fourth and had a chaotic outing.
The southpaw began by hitting Odor, then allowing a single to Guzman that moved Odor to third. And though he got the next batter, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, to ground into a double play, it scored Odor to cut Boston’s lead to 5-2. After walking Joey Gallo, Beeks got Delino DeShields Jr. to ground into a force out.
Beeks allowed a single in an otherwise clean fifth, but got back into trouble in the sixth. The 25-year-old gave up a single, followed by a one-out double to Kiner-Falefa to put both runners in scoring position, which ended Beeks’ night.
— Brandon Workman relieved Beeks and immediately allowed both runners to score on a double from Gallo to make it 6-4, with both runs getting charged to Beeks. Workman responded by getting the next two batters out to end the inning.
— Matt Barnes took over in the seventh and struck out the side in order.
— Joe Kelly pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
— Ryan Brasier entered in the ninth and allowed a walk in a hitless, scoreless frame.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Down 1-0, the Sox offense went on a tear in the third inning, tagging Rangers starter Yovani Gallardo for five runs.
Blake Swihart smacked a bases-empty, one-out double and Jackie Bradley Jr. followed with an RBI double to make it 1-1. After a Mookie Betts strikeout, Andrew Benintendi hit a double of his own to plate Bradley and give the Sox the advantage. J.D. Martinez then singled to put runners on the corners, and Mitch Moreland followed by singling to bring Benintendi in and make it 3-1. That’s when the biggest splash of all came, with Xander Bogaerts scoring both runners with a triple, upping the score to 5-1.
— Boston added to its lead in the fifth, as Moreland’s sacrifice fly with runners on the corners drove in a run to give the Sox a 6-2 advantage.
— After the Rangers put a pair of runs on the board in the sixth to cut the lead to a pair, the Red Sox responded with an insurance run. After an infield single from Swihart, Bradley blasted a double to center, scoring the catcher from first. Bradley was thrown out at third trying to leg out an extra base, which ended the inning.
— Betts, Benintendi, Swihart and Bradley all had two-hit games.
— Martinez, Moreland, Bogaerts and Brock Holt had one hit apiece.
— Rafael Devers went hitless.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Just another day at the office for Mookie.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Rangers will meet for the series finale of the three-game set Wednesday evening. Chris Sale will get the ball for Boston and will be opposed by Bartolo Colon. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
