In what was Eduardo Rodriguez's return to the rotation Thursday, his Boston Red Sox teammates opened things up in the top of the seventh inning to earn him the win.
In his first start in about 18 months against the Baltimore Orioles, his solid outing was all you could ask for. And props to the offense for the run support in the 7-3 win.
Speaking of which, J.D. Martinez continued his historical hot streak and is now the only Red Sox player to earn an extra-base hit in each of his first seven games of the season.
For Baltimore, Trey Mancini was welcomed back to Camden Yards for the first home game since the first baseman beat colon cancer, but the Orioles couldn't come back after a heavy seventh inning from Boston.
The Red Sox improved to a winning 4-3 record, and importantly, won't be swept by the Orioles this series.
Here's how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Offense.
The Red Sox amassed 12 hits and earned their fourth straight win.
ON THE BUMP
-- Rodriguez went five innings and gave up three earned runs on four hits. He didn't walk a single batter, and recorded seven strikeouts in his first day back at work.
Rodriguez gave up the Red Sox's first allowed home run of the year, but he settled down after a tough first inning. He threw 79 pitches, 56 for strikes.
All things considered, it was a pretty impressive outing for a man who hasn't pitched in more than a full season after some scary COVID-19 complications.
-- Garrett Whitlock gave Boston two clean innings with three strikeouts. He threw 15 of his 20 pitches for strikes.
-- Matt Andriese gave up a hit with a strikeout in the eighth.
-- He bridged the gap to closer Matt Barnes, who was one strike away from an immaculate inning.
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
-- It's hard to say who is hotter right now, Christian Vázquez or Martinez. The catcher was 3-for-5 with a run, while the designated hitter went 2-for-5 with a run and RBI.
-- Rafael Devers got things going for Boston in a solid day at the plate, something he needed. After Alex Verdugo doubled to get on, the third baseman brought him home with his first home run of the year (a 452-foot shot). He went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBIs and a walk. Verdugo also had a multi-hit game going 2-for-5 with two runs.
-- Franchy Cordero helped Boston take a 4-3 lead in the sixth with a single that allowed Verdugo to score on an error.
-- Boston opened things up in the seventh, with Martinez hitting a double to center that scored Verdugo for some insurance. More came after Devers walked, and Marwin Gonzalez singled to left to bring in Martinez and make it a 6-3 game.
-- Kiké Hernández was 1-for-5 with a two-run home run that came in the eighth.
TWEET OF THE GAME
This was just a great moment.
UP NEXT
Boston is off Friday, but remain in Baltimore for two more games against the Orioles this weekend. First pitch from Camden Yards Saturday is 7:05 p.m. ET.
