The Boston Red Sox got plenty of offense in their 16-4 rout of the Los Angeles Angels, but that should not take away from the absolutely dominant performance put forth by J.D. Martinez on Friday night.
Martinez was 4-for-5 with two home runs, two doubles and four RBI’s. And really, it was just the latest in what has been a torrid stretch offensively.
The Red Sox DH scorched four balls Friday, driving two home runs into the bullpen, nearly adding a third, and sending another ball off the Green Monster. It’s the fifth consecutive game he has notched multiple hits, and he now has 30 total bases over an eight-game hitting streak in which he is batting .517.
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After the game, Martinez did not go as far as to say this is the best zone he has been in this season but did give some insight into his recent approach at the plate.
“I don’t know, I just feel like I’m finding ways to get hits every night, that’s all I’m thinking about right now,” Martinez told Tom Caron, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage.
He also noted how one good at-bat can create a snowball effect.
“It definitely does, at the same time it can get in your head, you can start getting a little overconfident,” he added. “But I feel like the guys do a pretty good job here of keeping me humble and keeping me hungry. So, that’s just kind of the idea. Just go out every at-bat and give it my all.”
Martinez now carries a slash line of .310/.383/.569 with 27 home runs and 71 RBI’s. He has 201 RBI’s in 257 games with the Red Sox.
Here’s are some other notes from Friday’s Red Sox-Angels game:
— The Red Sox clubbed five home runs in the contest, but one of the more notable ones was Mookie Betts’ two-run shot in the fifth inning.
Betts sent a ball over the Monster to give the Sox a 5-3 lead. It marked his 20th home run of the campaign, making it four straight seasons with at least 20 long balls for the reigning MVP.
— Rafael Devers joined the hit party as well, going 2-for-5 with a two-run single and his 24th home run of the season — a solo shot in the eighth.
The three-RBI night puts Devers ahead of Mike Trout (who has not driven in a run in this series) the American League lead with 90, one ahead of Trout. Xander Bogaerts sits third with 87.
— Speaking of Devers, the third baseman got a little time at shortstop late in Friday’s game, taking over for Bogaerts as Alex Cora made some late-game moves. Christian Vazquez also slotted in at third base for the eighth and ninth innings.
Cora seemed more than confident in Devers’ ability at short.
“He can move. He plays there in the shift. There was no hesitation there at all. Actually, it’s something in case of an emergency or late in games where we hit for Brock … he can play it.”
— For his second consecutive appearance, Nathan Eovaldi went two innings out of the bullpen.
But this time, it was the righty’s second frame that gave him trouble. After sitting on the bench through a five-run sixth, Eovaldi walked two, hit a batter and gave up a base hit in the seventh.
He has allowed at least one earned run in six of eight appearances out of the bullpen, including each of his last three.
