There has been so much going on in the sports world around here this past week with a bunch of Celtics and Bruins games not to mention UMass men's hockey winning their first national championship in program history (huge congrats to the Minutemen!) plus a few great weather days for early April in New England were thrown in the mix, so you are all excused for not paying close attention to the Red Sox (6-3 overall, 3-0 away) thus far in 2021. After getting swept by the Orioles (4-5 overall, 0-3 home) in their opening series last weekend at Fenway Park, Boston bounced back to sweep a three-game set at home with Tampa Bay (4-5) and they already paid back the Orioles by completing a three-game sweep of them this weekend at Camden Yards. After spoiling Baltimore's home opener on Thursday 7-3, the Sox outlasted them 6-4 in 10 innings on Saturday night and then hit six home runs en route to a 14-9 high school football score this afternoon.
DH J.D. Martinez had a Covid-19 scare yesterday and was out of the lineup but it must have been a false positive or maybe contract tracing because he was back in there today and he had one of the best games of his storied career: 4-for-6 with 3 HRs, 4 RBIs and 4 runs scored. Third baseman Rafael Devers also had an awesome day at the plate with a pair of home runs (he's homered in his last three games) and five RBIs. Lastly, right fielder Alex Verdugo smacked an opposite field three-run bomb. It was 10-1 in the sixth inning so the final score makes this seem a little closer than it actually was in reality. Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (2-0) wasn't great but he went six full innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and three walks. I'm not going to freak out about Boston's bullpen giving up a bunch of runs since it was two of their worst guys-Austin Brice and Phillips Valdez-that combined to allow five earned runs in 1.2 innings.
Boston cranked out 17 hits with center fielder Kike Hernandez going 2-for-5 with two runs scored out of the leadoff position and shortstop Xander Bogaerts was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a run scored. After Baltimore looked so good in their first series against the Red Sox, they came crashing back to Earth in this one and played the role of American League East cellar dweller which is what most people expect out of them in 2021. There is a reason that you've never heard of Baltimore's starting pitcher Jorge Lopez (4 IP, 7 ER, 8 hits, 4 Ks, 1 BB), it's because he stinks. Verdugo got the party started with his homer (his 1st of the season) in the third inning. Martinez went back-to-back with him for his third homer of the season and a 4-0 lead.
Orioles third baseman Maikel Franco hit an RBI single in the fourth inning to get his team on the board. The Sox tacked on five runs in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Martinez, a three-run homer for Devers and Hernandez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. J.D. hit a solo shot in the sixth inning before Franco hit a three-run blast (his 1st homer of the season) of his own and first baseman Trey Mancini did the same in the next frame-his second HR of the season-which made it interesting for at least a few minutes. Raffy crushed a two-run homer in the eighth and Martinez completed his hat trick with a solo homer that pushed Boston's lead back to 13-7. He was the first guy on Boston to hit three homers in the same game since Mookie Betts in July 2019. The Red Sox scored one more run in that inning on a throwing error. The Orioles plated their pair of runs in the ninth inning on a ground out and a wild pitch.
The Red Sox are off to Minnesota for a four-game series of afternoon matinees with the Twins (5-4 overall, 1-2 home) beginning tomorrow afternoon (2:10, NESN) as Martin Perez (0-0) takes on former Yankee J.A. Happ (0-0). For some reason (frigid April nights in Minnesota?) all four games begin in the afternoon but knowing global warming, there will probably be a heat wave there this week. Nathan Eovaldi (1-0) opposes Kenta Maeda (1-0) on Tuesday afternoon (2:10, NESN) then Twins ace Jose Berrios (1-0) faces Eduardo Rodriguez (1-0) on Wednesday afternoon (2:10, NESN) before the series finale on Thursday afternoon (1:10, NESN): Garrett Richards (0-1) vs. Michael Pineda (1-0) which figures to be a high-scoring affair. I do not expect tons of people to start watching every Red Sox game (especially with such goofy start times during workdays) since they have gotten off to a promising start but at least they are giving us all a reason to at follow them in the background while we watch or do other things as well.
UPDATE 4/13/21: Yesterday's series opener between the Red Sox & Twins was postponed because of the riots in Minnesota following the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright (an unarmed black guy) by police. Today's game will proceed as scheduled and they'll have a doubleheader tomorrow.
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