The Boston Red Sox have slugged their way back to quality play on the field following a rough stretch out of the All-Star break.
That continued on Tuesday night in a 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals to clinch a third straight series victory.
The offense is the name of the game in recent weeks for the Red Sox with a deep, capable order. Before taking the field at Kauffman Stadium, Boston skipper Alex Cora highlighted Masataka Yoshida as a key bat that extends the lineup and makes Boston "elite" when he's producing.
After a four-hit night on Monday, Yoshida answered the call to back the praise.
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Yoshida clobbered a solo home run off of Kansas City starter and 2024 All-Star Seth Lugo before eventually delivering a game-deciding two-run single in the sixth inning. The Red Sox designated hitter posted another solid fight at the dish and impressed Cora again.
"Good swings, man," Cora told reporters, per NESN's postgame coverage. "There were two foul balls on fastballs today that he let it eat. The swing is a lot different. There's a lot of confidence controlling the zone. Hitting the ball all over the place. Like I said, this is the guy we envisioned when we signed him, right? He was this guy in Japan. He was this guy early in the season last year until he was a little bit banged up."
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Yoshida is hitting well over .300 since the All-Star break and is back to impacting the lineup on a more consistent basis. For as "gratifying" as this stretch has been, the Red Sox hitter knows there's more to come.
"One thing that I can say is I've tried to be more aggressive from the first pitch," Yoshida told reporters, per NESN's postgame coverage. "... I think I can be better than this."
Here are more notes from Tuesday's Red Sox-Royals game:
-- Since a 2-7 start coming out of the All-Star break, Boston has gone 6-2 with three consecutive series victories.
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-- The Red Sox boosted the sport's top offense in the second half that entered Tuesday's game with an MLB-best .921 team OPS since July 19.
-- Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen got four outs in the victory, marking the third time this season he recorded a save of more than three outs.
-- If necessary, the Red Sox hold postseason tiebreakers over the Royals and the Seattle Mariners after winning the season series against both clubs.
-- Red Sox right-hander Liam Hendriks threw a live batting practice session on the mound in Kansas City on Wednesday. The three-time All-Star mixed in fastballs and sliders while throwing to hitters for the first time in over a year after having Tommy John surgery late last season.
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The Red Sox hope to see him on the mound in game action during the 2024 season.
-- Cora also offered Red Sox injury updates on Vaughn Grissom and Chris Martin.
-- The Red Sox and Royals wrap up the series on Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
Featured image via William Purnell/USA TODAY Sports Images
