The Boston Red Sox extended their win streak to three and exploded in the seventh inning for an 8-5 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Friday night at Fenway Park.
The win moved the Red Sox moved to 78-59 on the season, while the Indians fell to 67-65 with the loss.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Kyle Schwarber was the trade acquisition no one really saw coming.
Sure, the addition of his bat was nice, but many believed he didn’t exactly address the needs of the Red Sox. It’s safe to say he’s fitting in just fine, and proved as much Friday night when he led off the game with a solo home run, then came up clutch once again in the seventh in a 3-3 game with a two-RBI double. It gave Boston a 5-3 lead. He finished the night going 2-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs.
Schwarber has been patient at the plate, working counts and getting timely hits — especially when it matters. Plus, he’s been able to play first base, the outfield and fill in as the designated hitter. Versatile and clutch? We love to see it.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Nate Eovaldi went 6 1/3 innings and gave up three earned runs on six hits, issued two walks and struck out nine. He did give up the game-tying home run in the seventh, but the right-hander worked efficiently and seemed to have a lot working for him.
His nine strikeouts also marked the fourth time he did so in a game, which is a new career-high for Eovaldi.
— Hunter Renfroe, who returned from bereavement leave after the death of his father, has not missed a beat. The outfielder added some much-needed insurance with a three-run bomb in the seventh to break the game open 8-3.
Renfroe went 1-for-4 with a run and three RBIs.
— Jonathan Araúz all of a sudden seems like the guy to beat. The infielder, who was recalled during the COVID-19 outbreak, hit a home run against the Indians last week, and continued the tradition Friday with a solo shot to put Boston up 3-1 in the fourth.
He ended his night going 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
— We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Garrett Whitlock, who once again came in during a high-leverage situation and prevented the Indians from doing more damage in the eighth than just the one run. He needed to get one out, and that’s exactly what he did to protect the lead and get out of the jam.
Whitlock was trusted to close out the game, and did just that despite giving up a run in the ninth.
WAGER WATCH
DraftKings Sportsbook had Eovaldi hitting 6.5 strikeouts at -115, so if you bet $115 he’d hit the over, you’d walk away $100 richer, and you would have found out pretty quick considering Eovaldi had seven strikeouts through the first four innings.
ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox continue their series against the Indians on Saturday afternoon. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET, and you can watch it live on NESN.
