Red Sox Notes: Tyler O’Neill Highlights Boston’s Win Vs. Blue Jays

Tyler O’Neill hit two home runs in his first two at-bats to help lift the Red Sox past the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-3, on Monday night at Rogers Centre.

“We know our potential out there,” O’Neill told Jamai Webster, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Anytime we got a bat in our hands, there’s a threat at the plate. One through nine we’re doing it. Threw 11 hits on the board again (Monday night). It’s always awesome to see the boys swinging.”

The Red Sox added two additional solo home runs from Rafael Devers and Ceddanne Rafaela, while Bobby Dalbec and Rob Refsnyder added the additional RBIs for Boston.

“That’s why we try too hard to keep (O’Neill) in the lineup. That’s on us to keep him healthy,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “He can impact the baseball and it’s a better lineup when he’s playing.”

Cora continued: “Right away he hits a homer. Raffy puts in a great at-bat and hits the ball the other way for (his home run). Rafaela is getting there. More patient, swinging at the right pitches. Overall a good one. We did some good things offensively, and hopefully, we can continue tomorrow.”

Here are more notes from Monday’s Red Sox-Blue Jays game:

— Nick Pivetta pitched seven innings for Boston, allowing three runs on nine hits while striking out four Toronto batters for his fourth win of the season.

“The guys got at-bats early, got me runs,” Pivetta said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I was able to settle in. Just focus on throwing strikes and executing pitches that (Connor) Wong was calling.”

— Wong extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single to left in the fourth inning.

— The Red Sox improved to 8-16 in series openers, 27-11 when scoring first, 27-15 when hitting at least one home run, 34-8 when scoring four or more runs and 20-15 on the road.

— The Red Sox continue their six-game road trip Tuesday night against the Blue Jays. First pitch from Rogers Centre is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game on NESN, following an hour of pregame coverage.