The Red Sox continued their three-game interleague series against the Philadelphia Phillies with a 7-4 win on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park. The triumph extended Boston’s win streak to eight games and also clinched a third straight series win.
The Red Sox, handing the Phillies their sixth straight loss, improved to 21-14, while Philadelphia fell to 15-19 on the season.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Red Sox offense did what they do best — chase the opposing starting pitcher from the game before the end of the fourth inning.
Philadelphia pitcher Bailey Falter had retired the first nine batters he faced, but with Boston trailing 1-0, Rob Refsynder stepped into the batter’s box to face Falter for the second time, and it would end with the Red Sox getting the best of the southpaw.
After a 32-pitch inning and five runs scored off six hits, Falter relinquished pitching duties to Luis Ortiz to record the final out of the fourth.
Boston’s offense connected for four doubles among the 10 hits off Philadelphia’s pitching. Across the mound, Red Sox pitching gave up 10 hits but only allowed four runs, two of which were solo home runs.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Rafael Devers continued his clutch hitting for the Red Sox when the third baseman connected on a 91 MPH fastball for a double, driving in two runs to give Boston the 2-1 lead. Devers finished the game going 3-for-5 from the plate, with 2 RBIs and a run scored.
— Refsnyder, who started off the Red Sox’s massive fourth inning with a single, drove in two runs in the sixth with a double down the left field line. Refsnyder, 2-for-5 off Philly pitching, returned to the lineup with Masataka Yoshida having a scheduled day off.
— Bryce Harper launched his first home run in just his fourth game since returning from Tommy John surgery. The solo shot in the fifth brought the Phillies within two runs, trailing 5-3. Harper finished the game 2-for-5 from the plate.
WAGER WATCH
For the second straight game, the Red Sox were held without launching a home run. However, FanDuel Sportsdeck set the odds of Reese McGuire hitting one out of the park at +1200. Had the Boston catcher connected for the long ball, bettors that waged $100 would have netted a $1,300 payout.
ON DECK AT NESN
Seeking the series sweep, the Red Sox wrap up the interleague play with the Phillies on Sunday afternoon. First pitch from Citizens Bank Park is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET. You can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
