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| (Getty Images) |
At
some point, the dweebs in Bristol, Connecticut will have to start mentioning the name of
Mookie Betts on their telecasts. It will be unavoidable—as Betts continues to demonstrate that he is the best player in baseball this 2018 season. Mookie notched his MLB-leading 17th HR last night in
Boston's 6-2 win over the young, talented (formerly Boston) Braves.
Eduardo Rodriguez had a decent outing—but, again, his high pitch count (101) forced him out before he could finish six innings. The "domino" effect this created on the bullpen meant
Craig Kimbrel was forced to unnecessarily work the ninth. E-Rod went 5.2, giving up six hits and two earned runs—while waking three and striking out seven. The Red Sox powered out four home runs—Betts,
J.D. Martinez (his 16th),
Mitch Moreland (his 8th) and
Xander Bogaerts (his 7th). Mookie's two-run blast padded Boston's lead in the seventh and gave him 37 RBIs on the year. Boston's revamped line-up (minus the DFA'd
Hanley Ramirez), has three players who are slugging over .600 (Betts, Martinez, Moreland). Boston maintained its one-game lead in the AL East and will now play three successive day games.
