The Boston Red Sox offense kept rolling in Texas as they took down the Rangers, 11-6, at Globe Life Field on Friday night.
The Red Sox improved to 58-50 with the win while the reigning World Series champion Rangers dropped to 52-58.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Globe Life Field hosted MLB's Home Run Derby last month. Well, it felt like the Red Sox and Rangers brought back the event in the series opener.
Story continues below advertisement
Both teams had no issue launching baseballs into the stands as the Texas Rangers smacked four homers off Red Sox starting pitcher Kutter Crawford -- he was lucky three of them were solo shots. Boston hit three round-trippers in the game.
But even with the Rangers slugging a couple more blasts than the Red Sox, they couldn't keep up with Boston's red-hot offense. The Red Sox collected 16 hits and just wore out Rangers pitching by constantly putting traffic on the bases.
Texas held a 3-2 lead after three innings, but the Red Sox mustered their best response in the top of the fourth by scoring four times in the frame. And they kept adding on from there with a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth.
While much of the attention has been paid to Boston's bullpen situation, the Red Sox offense is arguably performing their best all season. They have scored six-plus runs in 10 out of 13 games since the All-Star break.
Story continues below advertisement
STARS OF THE GAME
-- Wilyer Abreu powered the Red Sox offense with a 3-for-5 effort, including belting a two-run home run to right field off José Ureña in the top of the second. It was Abreu's 10th homer of the season. Abreu also drove in Rafael Devers with a single in the top of the fourth for his third RBI of the night.
-- Nick Sogard made his major league debut with the Red Sox and contributed to the offensive showing. He lined a single to right field to drive in two runs and cap the four-run fourth inning. It was the second baseman's only hit of the game.
-- Corey Seager had Crawford's number as he went 3-for-3 in the loss with two solo home runs. He's now up to 21 round-trippers on the campaign.
Story continues below advertisement
ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox will send Tanner Houck to the mound Saturday at Globe Life Field as they continue their series with the Rangers. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
Featured image via Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports Images
