The Boston Red Sox can’t stop winning.
Mookie Betts gave Boston tallied five RBIs, including a grand slam in the Red Sox’s 6-4 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night from Fenway Park.
David Price turned in a quality start. The lefty tossed 6 2/3 innings, giving up six hits, three runs while striking out eight, in Boston’s 10th-consecutive victory.
The win also marks the most by any team before the All-Star break, previously held by the Baltimore Orioles when they won 65 games in 1969.
With the victory, the Red Sox climb to 66-29, while the Blue Jays slip to 42-50 on the season.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Mookie.
The right fielder drove in five of the Red Sox’s six runs, including a go-ahead grand slam in the fourth inning that gave Boston the lead for the first time in the game.
ON THE BUMP
— Price ran into some trouble early on, giving up two runs in the first. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. doubled to center before Teoscar Hernandez smacked a two-out, two-run homer into the center-field bleachers to give Toronto a 2-0 lead.
Price, however, did collect three strikeouts in the inning.
The southpaw seemed to settle down after that, tossing five straight scoreless innings until getting touched in the seventh. With the Blue Jays down 5-2, Kendrys Morales sent his 11th homer of the season to center field to cut the visitor’s deficit to two. Price retired the next two batters before Red Sox manager Alex Cora went to the bullpen.
— Brandon Workman relieved Price in the seventh inning and gave up a single before recording the third out.
— Matt Barnes got into a jam in the eighth inning. After Randal Grichuk singled, Justin Smoak knocked him in with an RBI double to cut the lead to 6-4. Â Hernandez followed with a single to put runners on the corners, but Barnes ended the inning with two huge strikeouts of Morales and Russell Martin.
— Craig Kimbrel came in for the ninth and closed out the game to collect his 29th save of the season.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Boston threatened to do damage in the home half of the first after going down 2-0 when it put runners on first and second after J.D. Martinez singled and Steve Pearce was hit by a pitch, but Xander Bogaerts struck out looking to end the inning.
— The Red Sox made some noise in a big way in the fourth, however.
After Bogaerts led the inning off with a single, Brock Holt appeared to ground into a fielder’s choice that erased Bogaerts. But the play was reviewed and the umpires judged that Devon Travis left the bag before receiving the ball allowing both runners to be safe.
Eduardo Nunez followed with an infield single to load the bases and Sandy Leon grounded into a fielder’s choice to cut Boston’s deficit to 2-1. J.A. Happ then walked Jackie Bradley Jr. to re-load the bases for Betts. The right fielder worked Jays starter Happ for 12 pitches before sending pitch No. 13 up and over the Green Monster for the go-ahead grand slam, ending Happ’s night in the process.
— Betts struck again in the seventh, this time driving in a run with an RBI single to extend Boston’s lead to 6-3.
— Betts and Bradley led the way for the Sox with two hits apiece, while Martinez, Bogaerts, Nunez and Blake Swihart all had one. All other Boston batters went hitless.
TWEET OF THE GAME
It will be hard to forget.
UP NEXT
The two sides will meet again Friday night for the second game of their four-game set. Boston will give the ball to Rick Porcello and he’ll be opposed by Ryan Borucki. First pitch from Fenway Park is set for 7:10 p.m. ET.
