Thursday, August 30, 2018

"Seven Come Eleven": Red Sox Explode Late To Rout Marlins, 14-6, Lead 7.5

(Getty Images)
It didn't look good as the Red Sox began the bottom of the seventh inning last night. Not only did they trail the pathetic Marlins 5-3, but their new "ace" David Price was both ineffective and out of the game injured. But it wasn't anything a little 11-run outburst couldn't cure. Boston strung together five straight hits to start the seventh—on its way to an eleven-run frame and an eventual 14-6 rout of the Fish. It's almost too complicated to list the offensive achievements on this storied seventh (the most runs scored by Boston in one inning since 2009). For starters, five different players had multiple hits in the inning. And overall, five players had more than one RBI on the night (Mookie Betts 3; Ian Kinsler 2; Eduardo Nunez 2; Blake Swihart 2; Jackie Bradley, Jr. 2). Once Price departed after three innings (with a left wrist contusion from a line shot back to the box), the bullpen was better than it has been of late—as four pitchers gave up three earned runs over six innings. The win—coupled with an Empire loss—pushed the AL East lead up to 7.5 games. Boston now heads back on the road—starting with the White Sox in Chicago tonight.