Chris Sale set the tone in his return from the injured list to help lift the Boston Red Sox to a 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park on Friday night.
The Red Sox improved their record to 61-55 while the Tigers dropped to 52-64.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
For weeks now, the Red Sox have waited for reinforcements to get healthy and make their way back from the IL. Sale is the first of three coveted arms to return and he provided the exact boost the Red Sox were after.
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Sale, who pitched for the first time since June 1 due to a shoulder injury, turned in a dominant outing. He retired the first 14 batters he faced before his only real blemish came in the form of a solo home run by Kerry Carpenter.
The veteran left-hander made quick and efficient work of the Tigers, tossing 42 of his 58 pitchers for strikes to surpass the four-inning mark Alex Cora expected Sale to go. Sale added to his abundant success by generating plenty of swings and misses, too.
It was an overall impressive performance from Sale, and one the Red Sox are going to need more of over the final two months of the season with Boston fighting for an American League wild-card spot.
What the Red Sox envisioned with their stars getting healthy and playing a leading role in wins certainly is starting to come into focus.
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STARS OF THE GAME
— Sale ended up pitching 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs — one of which came across the plate once he had exited the game — on one hit, no walks and one hit batsman. He also recorded seven strikeouts.
— Triston Casas stayed hot at the plate by blasting a three-run home run off Tigers lefty starter Tarik Skubal in the bottom of the fourth inning. The left-handed slugger now has 10 homers since the All-Star break and finished the game 1-for-3 with a walk.
— Chris Murphy was sensational out of the bullpen, tossing three scoreless innings to secure the save and put the finishing touches on a combined two-hitter for the Red Sox. The left-hander allowed no hits, two walks and struck out four.
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WAGER WATCH
Trevor Story had his best showing since his return, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base. FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Story registering a multi-hit performance at +210. A $100 wager on this prop bet would have netted a total of $310.
ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox and Tigers are back at it Saturday with Boston looking to stretch its winning streak to four games. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
Featured image via Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports Images
