It looked like the Red Sox were finally going to overcome poor starting pitching.
And then it didn’t.
But finally, they did.
Another subpar outing from Nathan Eovaldi put the Boston Red Sox in a 5-0 third-inning hole, but they chipped away throughout the game, ultimately tying things up on a seventh-inning solo shot by Mitch Moreland. However, the next half inning, Freddy Galvis blasted a homer to put the Toronto Blue Jays ahead 6-5.
But in the ninth, a Moreland RBI double and Rafael Devers single gave the Sox the two runs they needed to earn the 7-6 win and avoid the sweep at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox climb to 4-9 with the win, while the Blue Jays fall to 4-9 with the loss.
Here’s how it went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Resilient.
The Red Sox clawed back all game and erased a pair of deficits to earn the win.
ON THE BUMP
— One bad inning marred Eovaldi’s outing. The right-hander allowed five earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and as many walks over five innings. Eovaldi also surrendered a pair of homers.
It was smooth sailing the first two innings, with Eovaldi allowing a combined two walks and one hit with two strikeouts in the pair of stanzas.
But in the third inning, the wheels started coming off.
Eovaldi allowed a leadoff walk, then got the next two hitters out. Galvis singled to put runners on the corners, and Justin Smoak brought everyone home with a three-run dinger to open the game’s scoring.
After issuing a two-out walk to Randal Grichuk, Eovaldi left a 1-1 cutter on the inside part of the plate to Rowdy Tellez, and the first baseman blasted a two-run moonshot to right.
Having allowed five runs already, Eovaldi finally got out of the third when he struck out Danny Jansen. He buckled down in the fourth, allowing a single in a scoreless frame. His night ended when he allowed a hit in a scoreless fifth.
— Heath Hembree took over for Eovaldi and pitched a 1-2-3 sixth, striking out two.
— Colten Brewer struck out a pair in a 1-2-3 seventh.
— Ryan Braiser entered in the eighth with the game tied, and he allowed a one-out solo homer to Galvis that landed in the Jays bullpen.
— Marcus Walden loaded the bases on a single, hit batter and walk, but got out of the inning without allowing any runs.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The Blue Jays hung three runs on Eovaldi in the third inning, but the Sox responded with three runs in the bottom half of the frame. Mookie Betts led off the inning by reaching on a fielding error after Blue Jays outfielders miscommunicated on a fly ball, then he came home on a one-out double by J.D. Martinez.
Two batters later, Devers roped a two-out two-bagger to plate Martinez, then the third baseman came home on a single from Dustin Pedroia, cutting Boston’s deficit to 5-3.
–Boston added another run in the fifth.
Xander Bogaerts lined a one-out single to left, then moved to second on a Devers walk. Two wild pitches by Jays’ starter Aaron Sanchez allowed Bogaerts to move to third and then home, pulling the Sox within a run.
With Devers on third, Pedroia hit a fly ball to center field that Devers (unwisely) tagged up on. The third baseman was out by a mile on a nice throw home by Grichuk to end the inning and keep the Red Sox from tying things up.
— Moreland completed the comeback for the Sox in the seventh.
With the bases empty and one on, Jays reliever Joe Biagini left a 3-2 fastball up and in on Moreland, and the first baseman clubbed it into the Red Sox bullpen to tie the game at five.
— In the ninth, Moreland came up big yet again.
Betts drew a one-out walk, then scored from first on a Moreland double that went to the center-field wall after going over Grichuk’s head.
Nunez pinch-ran for Moreland and stole third, putting him 90 feet away with just one out. Jays reliever Ken Giles ultimately loaded the bases for Devers, who hit a chopper over Lourdes Gurriel Jr. at second to plate Nunez and give the Sox the win.
— Moreland and Devers led the Red Sox with two hits.
— Andrew Benintendi, Martinez and Bogaerts all had one hit.
— Betts, Jackie Bradley and Blake Swihart all went hitless.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Probably true.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox welcome the Baltimore Orioles to Fenway Park for a four-game set beginning Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET. Eduardo Rodriguez is expected to get the ball for Boston and will be opposed by David Hess.
