Beat the rain, you beat the Royals.
That was the Boston Red Sox's strategy Wednesday against Kansas City, trailing a run until J.D. Martinez stole the lead with a three-run blast to center before it started really pouring.
Martín Pérez put together a solid start pitching into the sixth with great support from the defense behind him. With the rain coming down, insurance runs came off the bats of Xander Bogaerts and Hunter Renfroe. After a second rain delay, Hunter Renfroe homered.
Boston held on to a 6-2 win for its sixth straight victory. With their 50-31 record, the Red Sox remain three games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.
Here's how it all went down between the Red Sox ad Royals.
GAME IN A WORD (OR TWO)
Light show.
After a 30-minute, fans that stuck around at Fenway Park got entertainment from the game and lightning threatening Boston's skies. Keep scrolling, we'll show you.
ON THE MOUND
-- After a quick first for Pérez, the first batter he faced in the second inning went yard. The solo shot would be the only run he gave up until the sixth, though.
The lefty ultimately went 5 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits but just two earned runs. Pérez struck out two, throwing 54 of his 86 pitches for strikes.
He had some pretty good help from the guys behind him, too.
-- Brandon Workman came in to relieve the starter, giving up a hit but getting Boston out of the sixth inning until the second rain delay was called.
-- Darwinzon Hernandez and Josh Taylor each pitched a full inning out of the bullpen. Save for their pitch counts, the clean innings with one strikeout apiece were identical.
-- Matt Barnes came in to close things out, and despite the second batter he faced getting on with a single, he fanned the next two for the second and third outs.
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
--Rafael Devers was hit by a pitch in the second, but that's all the action Boston had on the basepath until the bottom of the third.
Marwin Gonzalez started the inning off with a single, and advanced to second after Kiké Hernández was walked. Alex Verdugo (two runs) got on, grounding into a fielder's choice that sent Hernández back to the dugout.
That set up Martinez for a three-run, go-ahead home run just before the rain came.
-- Gonzalez (2-for-2 with a run) and Bogaerts (2-for-4 with a run). Martinez was 1-for-3 with two runs, a walk and three RBIs.
-- Martinez gave Boston a lead before the storm rolled in, but some lightning striking in the distance as Xander Bogaerts hit an RBI-double in the fifth to make it 4-1 was pretty awesome.
It didn't end there. Two batters later, Hunter Renfroe hit a grounder that the Royals used to get Rafael Devers out, but Martinez scored in the meantime to make it 5-1.
-- Renfroe hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth after the rain delay ended to make it 6-2. He was 1-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.
TWEET OF THE GAME
This is the most baller photograph ever taken. We won't entertain any other arguments.
UP NEXT
One more game against the Royals determines if the Red Sox sweep the four-game set Thursday. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. ET from Fenway Park, will full coverage on NESN beginning at 12 p.m..
