Few probably were suspecting the Red Sox would average nearly 13 runs a game through three contests against the New York Yankees this weekend.
But here we are, with the Red Sox on Saturday beating the Yankees for the third straight game, knocking off New York 9-5 in the penultimate contest of a four-game set at Fenway Park. The Sox now have scored a combined 38 runs between the three games.
At the front of that offensive onslaught has been J.D. Martinez. The Sox slugger has played a pivotal role in all three games thus far, drilling a two-run homer in the fourth inning to erase a one-run deficit and put the Sox ahead. So far this series, Martinez is 5-for-14 with three runs scored, two doubles, a triple, two home runs and five RBIs.
So how much confidence are Martinez and the Sox playing with?
“A lot right now,” Martinez told Guerin Austin after Saturday’s win, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I feel like we’ve been pitching well, we’ve been coming out swinging well, we’re attacking and giving our pitchers some breathing room and continuing to apply pressure every inning.”
Success against the Yankees isn’t a recent thing for Martinez, either. He’s hitting .395 with nine extra-base hits and as many RBIs this season against New York.
Since July 19, Martinez has seen his batting average soar from .284 to .296. And with the Red Sox still trying to keep themselves firmly in postseason contention, Martinez’s hot stretch really couldn’t have come at a better time.
Here are some other notes from Saturday’s Red Sox-Yankees game:
— Speaking of offensive improvement, Andrew Benintendi has been trending in the right direction, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a homer, a pair of doubles and one RBI Saturday.
It’s been a disappointing season for Benintendi as a whole, but Fenway Park lately has been a safe place for him. In his last 16 home games, Benintendi is hitting .338 with 14 extra-base hits and 11 RBI.
— Steady Eddie is an appropriate moniker for Eduardo Rodriguez, who gave the Red Sox another decent outing.
The southpaw lasted 5 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and three walks. While it wasn’t as good of a showing as some other recent outings, he managed to give the Red Sox plenty of space to win the game while ensuring the bullpen didn’t have to get used too much.
In his last six starts, Rodriguez is 5-0 with a 2.23 ERA, striking out 34 and walking 17 in 36 1/3 innings.
— Matt Barnes took over for Rodriguez with two on and two out in the sixth inning, and he did a nice job wiggling out of a jam, striking out Kyle Higashioka to end the frame. He returned the next inning and allowed a double in a scoreless seventh, striking out three.
The month of July has been kind to Barnes, who, over nine appearances, has a 0.00 ERA with 14 strikeouts and two walks over seven innings.
— The lone dark spot in the bullpen was Nathan Eovaldi, who gave up two runs on three hits in the eighth inning. The two runs wouldn’t have scored had he won a 12-pitch battle with Higashioka, who ultimately singled to left to drive in both runs.
Eovaldi did have a pair of strikeouts in the inning, but he does need to show a bit more promise before getting thrown into high-leverage situations.
— The Tampa Bay Rays blew a six-run lead to the Toronto Blue Jays, falling 10-9 on Saturday afternoon. As a result, the Red Sox now own a half-game lead over the division rival in the wild card standings.
