The Boston Red Sox needed two things Wednesday night: A strong start from Eduardo Rodriguez, and most importantly, a win.
The Red Sox got both at Comerica Park on Wednesday as they snapped a five-game losing streak with a 4-1 verdict against the Detroit Tigers.
Boston came away with three home runs as J.D. Martinez hit the first one before Kiké Hernández and Jarren Duran went back-to-back to provide some fifth-inning separation.
Boston improves to 64-45 with the win while Detroit falls to 52-58.
Here's how it went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Long-awaited.
Boston's bats did enough while the pitching staff combined for just five hits allowed.
ON THE BUMP
-- Rodriguez did not allow a run while scattering two hits in five innings. He recorded a season-high 10 strikeouts while throwing 64 of his 99 pitches for strikes.
Rodriguez worked out of a jam in the first inning after allowing runners on the corners with one out. He struck out the side to get out of the frame unscathed. He struck out a pair of batters in the second and needed just 12 pitches to retire the side in order during the fourth.
-- Hirokazu Sawamura took the mound in the sixth and labored through it a bit. Sawamura allowed runners on first and second with one out, but struck out the last two batters of the inning.
-- Josh Taylor came on for the seventh and allowed a home run before getting pulled after 2/3 of an inning. He struck out two and allowed one hit.
-- Adam Ottavino retired the first batter he faced in the seventh and came back out for the eighth. He struck out two while allowing one hit in 1 1/3.
-- Matt Barnes earned the save in the ninth by retiring the side in order.
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
-- The Red Sox had runners at the corners with one out in the first inning after Hernández walked and Xander Bogaerts singled to right. Rafael Devers, though, grounded into a double play to end the threat.
-- J.D. Martinez got the scoring started in the second inning as he led off the frame with a solo shot that measured 410 feet to right-center. It gave Boston a 1-0 lead.
-- The Red Sox added to their lead in the fifth with back-to-back home runs from Hernández and Duran.
Hernández hit a two-run blast 426 feet to left field after Hunter Renfroe led off the inning with a double. Duran followed it up one batter later as he hit one just over the left-field fence, a 355-foot homer, to extend Boston's lead to 4-0.
-- Boston had a chance to extend its lead in the seventh inning after Hernández recorded a one-out triple, but Duran struck out looking for the second out and Devers hit a fly ball with runners at the corners.
-- The Red Sox compiled 11 hits as Hernández, Bogaerts and Alex Verdugo each had multiple.
TWEET OF THE GAME
We're cheering you on, Remy!
UP NEXT
Boston returns to face Detroit in the final game of the three-game set Thursday at 1:10 p.m. You can watch it live on NESN.
