Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez led the offense as Boston had nine players each record a hit in a 7-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park on Tuesday.
Martinez tallied four RBIs on two hits and two walks. It was his sixth-inning RBI-double which ultimately proved to be the winning run.
Boston recorded 12 hits as a team while Kansas City came away with 13.
The Red Sox, who now are 49-31, have won each of their last five games and extend their lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East to two. The Royals fell to 33-45 on the season.
Here’s how it went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Ever-changing.
There were six lead changes before Boston took its 7-6 advantage in the sixth inning.
ON THE BUMP
— Nick Pivetta had to labor through it early and it didn’t get a whole lot better later on. The right-hander allowed a leadoff home run before facing six batters in the first and six more in the second.
Pivetta was pulled in the fifth inning after he went 4 1/3. He allowed Kansas City to take lead in the first before giving it back to the Royals in the second, fourth and fifth innings.
Pivetta allowed six runs on nine hits (three home runs) and walked two. He struck out five as 57 of his 89 pitches went for strikes.
— Yacksel Rios took over for Pivetta and recorded consecutive outs to get out of the fifth. He then returned for the sixth and recorded three straight outs after allowing a leadoff walk.
— Darwinzon Hernandez put together a scoreless seventh inning despite allowing a pair of hits. Hernandez benefitted from an outfield assist by Alex Verdugo, who got Kansas City’s Salvador Perez out at third as the catcher tried to take an extra base after Verdugo bobbled the ball in left field.
— Adam Ottavino didn’t make it easy on himself, allowing the Royals to have runners on second and third with two outs as Boston led 7-6, but ultimately ended the eighth inning unscathed. He threw 16 of his 20 pitches for strikes with one strikeout.
— Matt Barnes, to no surprise, retired the side in the ninth inning.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The Red Sox answered the Royals, who led off the game with a home run, by scoring a pair of runs in the first.
Kiké Hernández gave Boston the leadoff man aboard after he was hit by a pitch and Verdugo stroked a single to right field as Hernández went to third. The utility man then came around to score on an RBI-single from Martinez, which advanced Verdugo to third, as well. Xander Bogaerts reached on a one-out infield single to bring Verdugo across the plate.
— Hunter Renfroe recorded one RBI on a sacrifice fly to score Martinez (one-out walk) from third in the third.
— Boston added a pair of runs on three hits and one walk in the fourth.
Hernández ripped an RBI-single with nobody out to score Danny Santana (leadoff single). Verdugo then walked to load the bases, still with no outs, and Martinez hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Bobby Dalbec (single). Unfortunately, Bogaerts grounded into an inning-ending double play to end the threat.
— Martinez recorded his fourth RBI of the game with a run-scoring double down the right field line in the sixth. Michael Chavis, who ran for Dalbec after a leadoff single, scored from second on the play. It proved to be the game-winning run.
— Nine of Boston’s 10 batters recorded hits with Hernández, Martinez and Dalbec each tallying two. Only Chavis, who didn’t play until the sixth inning, went hitless.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Bobby D is slugging!
UP NEXT
The Red Sox will return to Fenway Park to host the Royals on Wednesday night for Game 3 of their four-game set. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET, which you can watch live on NESN.
