Xander Bogaerts, Danny Santana hit back-to-back homers to lead Red Sox over Phillies

With the Tampa Bay Rays hot on their trail, the Red Sox refuse to be caught.

Xander Bogaerts and Danny Santana hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning to give the Sox just enough to knock off the Phillies, 4-3, on Saturday night.

The Rays (28-19) won their ninth straight game as they’ve crept up behind the Red Sox in the American League East. But as close as they’ve come to catching them, the Sox (29-18) have found a way to keep the top spot for 43 consecutive days.

It was Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi who got the offense going on Saturday.

Eovaldi, 12-for-151 (.079) in his career at the dish, worked an eight-pitch walk with one out in the third inning that started a two-run rally. After Kiké Hernandez walked, Rafael Devers connected on his 14th double of the year to drive in Eovaldi for the first run of the game. Bogaerts later drove in Hernandez on a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

Eovaldi handed one back in the fourth, but Bogaerts and Santana went back-to-back off of Phillies righty Sam Coonrod in the sixth to extend the Red Sox’ lead.

Bogaerts, second in MLB to only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in WAR, hammered a 96-mph sinker to the opposite field for his 10th home run of the season.

Santana, who was just added to the roster Friday and homered in his first game, got a sinker near his ankles and golfed it over the center-field fence for what turned out to be the game-winning run.

The 30-year-old utility man started at first base on Friday and in center field on Saturday. He also stole second base in the game. He’s just the fifth player in Red Sox history to homer in each of his first two games with the team. The others: Darnell McDonald (2010), Sam Horn (1987), Lee Thomas (1964) and Jake Jones (1947).

The Red Sox ran into some trouble in the bottom of the seventh, when Phillips Valdez loaded the bases with only one out and the Sox clinging to a two-run lead.

But manager Alex Cora called on lefty Darwinzon Hernandez to handle Bryce Harper with the game on the line and Hernandez answered the bell, striking out Harper on three straight fastballs. Hernandez then plunked Rhys Hoskins to push in one run, but fanned Brad Miller on a 95-mph heater above the zone to clean up Valdez’s mess and preserve the lead.

Matt Barnes took care of business in the ninth inning, as usual. He picked up his 11th save in 12 chances this year, despite giving up a leadoff single to Ronald Torreyes.

Facing Andrew McCutchen, Barnes threw four straight high-90s heaters that painted the bottom, outside and top of the zone to strike out the former NL MVP. Jean Segura walked to bring up Bryce Harper with two on, one out. But Harper hit into a fielder’s choice and Barnes struck out Hoskins to end the game.

Some other takeaways:

1. Eovaldi finally allowed a home run. The hard-throwing righty had gone 55 innings this season before allowing his first homer, the longest stretch of anybody in baseball this year. Dating back to 2020, he completed 68 innings without allowing a long ball. He completed five innings for the ninth time in 10 starts this year. He’s now 5-2 with a 4.39 ERA.

2. The Red Sox have been a dynamite road team this year and continue to make it look easy against National League clubs. After sweeping the New York Mets at Citi Field earlier this year, they’re now 4-0 against NL teams. And they’re 16-6 on the road.

3. Marwin Gonzalez snapped an 0-for-15 with a pinch-hit single in the eighth.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3ub7EJZ