The Boston Red Sox are heading into the 2018 All-Star break with plenty of momentum on their side.
The Red Sox took three out of four games from the Toronto Blue Jays as they won 5-2 on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park.
The game began in exciting fashion, with Xander Bogaerts starting the contest with a first-inning home run less than 24 hours after he ended Saturday’s tilt with a walk-off grand slam.
Brian Johnson pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on two hits while striking out five before letting the bullpen take over.
Bogaerts and Brock Holt drove in four of the team’s five runs, while Craig Kimbrel sealed the win with his 30th save of the season.
With the win, the Red Sox improve to 68-30, while the Blue Jays slip to 43-52.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Solid.
From the offense to the defense, the game was a total team effort as they head into the All-Star break on a high note.
ON THE BUMP
— Johnson cruised through the first two innings, but ran into some trouble in the third when he gave up a leadoff double to Randal Grichuk before Teoscar Hernandez sent a two-run home run into the Green Monster to tie the game at two.
Johnson got two outs in the fifth and gave up a walk before his afternoon was done.
— Brandon Workman relieved Johnson and ended the inning by getting Hernandez to strike out swinging, ending the threat of potential damage.
— Tyler Thornburg got the ball for the sixth and pitched a scoreless frame with a strikeout.
— Ryan Brasier worked his way out of a seventh-inning jam after he gave up back-to-back singles, but got Yangervis Solarte to ground into a double play to end Toronto’s threat.
— Heath Hembree took over in the eighth and got himself into a two-out bases-loaded jam, but got Dwight Smith Jr. to strike out to get out of the inning unscathed.
— Kimbrel closed out the game with a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Bogaerts picked up right where he left off in Saturday’s thrilling walk-off win when he put Boston ahead 1-0 with a solo shot over the Green Monster in the first.
— With runners on first and third, Boston added another run when Holt singled to left for the 2-0 lead.
— Boston would re-take a two-run lead in the fifth after Sandy Leon led the inning off with a double and scored when Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a double of his own. Bogaerts then grounded out to plate Bradley for the 4-2 advantage.
— Mitch Moreland led off the sixth with a walk before Steve Pearce was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with nobody out, paving the way for Holt to drive in the team’s fifth run with an RBI single to right.
— Holt and Leon led the way for Boston with two hits, while Bradley and Bogaerts each had one apiece.
— All other Red Sox batters went hitless.
TWEET OF THE GAME
In case you were wondering.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox kick off the second half of the season when they return to action Friday night after the 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star break. The team will travel to Detroit to take on Tigers with David Price expected to get the ball for Boston. First pitch from Comerica Park is set for 7:10 p.m. ET.
