Red Sox Wrap: Offense Comes Alive In Clobbering Of Phillies

The Boston Red Sox offense isn’t suffering from any jetlag, it was ready for the Philadelphia Phillies.

In their first game back from a West Coast road trip, the Red Sox dispatched the Phillies 11-5 in the series opener of a three-game set at Fenway Park.

Sox bats were alive early and often, with Kiké Hernández, J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers all hitting home runs for Boston. Garrett Richards, meanwhile, allowed three runs across five innings to secure his first win in nine outings.

The Red Sox climbed to 55-34 with the win. The Phillies fell to 42-44 with the loss.

Here’s how it all went down.

GAME IN A WORD
Shellacking.

The Red Sox ran away with this one pretty quick.

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ON THE BUMP
— It wasn’t a sterling outing from Richards, but it got the job done as he got his first win since May 19. Richards allowed three runs on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts across five innings.

He got off to a rocky start, allowing a triple to Jean Segura to begin the game. Segura would come home on a J.T. Realmuto double, but Richards got the next three hitters out to end the inning.

Richards in the second allowed three straight singles to start the frame, the latter of which was an Alec Bohm liner to right that plated Rhys Hoskins and Didi Gregorious, turning a 2-1 Boston lead into a 3-2 Philly advantage.

But from there Richards settled down, only allowing two singles and a walk in the third, fourth and fifth stanzas, all of which were scoreless.

— Yacksel Ríos was the first reliever used, pitching a hitless, scoreless sixth with a strikeout.

— Matt Andriese took over in the seventh and his struggles continued. He allowed a walk and two singles, surrendering two runs in the frame, which cut Boston’s lead to 11-5.

— Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a tidy, 1-2-3 eighth inning, striking out a pair.

— Brandon Workman put the finishing touches on the game with a clean ninth, striking out two.

IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Down 1-0 in the first, the Red Sox got immediate offense as Hernández hit his fifth leadoff homer of the season.

That wasn’t it in the first, as Phillies starter Vince Velasquez proceeded to walk Alex Verdugo, Martinez and Devers to load the bases with one out. Hunter Renfroe drove in a run by grounding into a force out, which allowed Verdugo to score and make it 2-1.

— Down again in the second, this time 3-2, Bobby Dalbec roped a one-out double to left. Verdugo later worked a two-out walk, which gave Martinez an opportunity to launch a three-run dinger into the bullpen.

— After scoring two in the first and three in the second, the Sox added four in the third.

Devers blasted a solo homer to straightaway center to lead off the inning, which made it 6-3 Boston.

Renfroe doubled, and two batters later Christian Vázquez hit an RBI single.

That prompted the Phillies to pull Velasquez, and his replacement, Enyel De Los Santos, gave up a single to Dalbec. Later in the inning with two down, Verdugo drove in a run with a single, then Martinez added another with a two-bagger.

It was 9-3 Sox by the time the inning ended.

— A Hernández ground rule double in the fifth brought in Vázquez, making it 10-3 Red Sox.

— Not that much insurance was needed, but a Vázquez single down the right field line in the sixth plated a run that furthered Boston’s lead to 11-3.

— Hernández, Verdugo, Martinez, Renfroe, Vázquez and Dalbec all had two hits.

— Xander Bogaerts and Devers had one hit each.

— Christian Arroyo went hitless.

TWEET OF THE GAME
Boston’s defense was sharp Friday, too.

UP NEXT
The Sox and Phils will play the middle contest of the three-game set Saturday. Martín Pérez is set to get the ball for Boston opposite Matt Moore. First pitch from Fenway Park will be at 4:10 p.m. ET on NESN, with pregame coverage beginning at 3 p.m.