The Boston Red Sox completed a four-game sweep of the Texas Rangers on Sunday after scoring four runs in the first inning and holding on for a 5-2 victory at Fenway Park.
After five straight wins, the Red Sox improve to 67-68 on the season. The Rangers now have lost eight games in a row and drop to 58-75 on the campaign.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Triston Casas made his MLB debut for the Red Sox after being called up to Boston prior to the series finale. Casas, the organization’s No. 2 prospect, didn’t take long to make his presence felt with a pair of sound defensive plays in the first inning. Casas later made his best defensive play on a hard-hit ground ball by Adolis Garcia in the third inning, saving a run as the Rangers had a runner on second base.
Casas (1-for-4) recorded his first MLB hit in the fifth inning on an infield single to the shortstop. He made contact in all four of his at-bats, including a first-inning fly out to right which flirted with the right-field wall.
All in all, it was a solid debut for the 22-year-old. And Red Sox manager Alex Cora indicated it won’t be the last time fans see him with the 2018 first-round pick set to earn extended time for Boston. The Red Sox sent Bobby Dalbec down to Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding roster move with veteran Eric Hosmer remaining on the injured list, opening the door for a heavy dose of Casas.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Xander Bogaerts (3-for-4, two RBIs, run) recorded three hits to extend his multi-hit streak to eight games, the longest streak of his career. He also tied the MLB’s longest streak of two or more hits this season, per the team.
— Trevor Story (3-for-4, three RBIs, run) got the Red Sox off to an impressive start with his three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. Boston scored four runs on four hits in the frame. Story later stretched for a heads-up double in the fifth inning and flashed the leather with a beautiful catch on a line drive in the sixth. He finished one triple short of the cycle.
— Connor Wong had another good game both behind the plate and at the dish. Wong threw a runner out the speedy Leody Taveras trying to steal second in the sixth inning and also reached base three times on three walks.
WAGER WATCH
It was a tough loss for those who bet Over 9.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Red Sox and Rangers combined to score six runs in the first inning with the ball flying around on a beautiful day at Fenway. From there, the two teams combined for merely one run in the final six-plus innings. It also hurt a bit given the two clubs combined for 14 runners left on base.
ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox now will travel to Tampa Bay as they open up a three-game series against the Rays on Monday afternoon. You can watch the Labor Day contest with NESN 360 as first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET after an hour of pregame coverage.
