AP Photo/Steve Helber
You want homers? The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox just gave you homers.
The Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Friday evening, 14-6, evening the ALDS matchup at a game apiece.
It was a wild contest that featured seven homers in total and a postseason-record five dingers for the Red Sox. Five different Boston batters had at least three hits amidst a 20-hit outburst.
It looked like the Rays, who jumped out to an early lead in Game 1, might be off to the races yet again after Jordan Luplow’s grand slam put them up 5-2 in the bottom of the first.
But Boston’s own barrage of deep balls, including J.D. Martinez’s three-run shot, quickly changed the math.
This was the sort of game that makes pitchers recoil in horror. Rays fans too. But for neutral observers and Red Sox supporters, Friday’s parade of home runs sure was fun.
Key Stats
J.D. Martinez, BOS: 4-for-5, one homer, three RBI
Tanner Houck, BOS: Five innings, two hits, one run, five strikeouts
Kike Hernandez, BOS: 5-for-6 with three runs, four RBI, one homer, three doubles
Jordan Luplow, TB: 1-for-1 with a grand slam
Shane Baz, TB: 2.1 innings, six hits, three runs, one walk, two strikeouts
Randy Arozarena, TB: 1-for-4, one run
Amidst The Offensive Onslaught, Tanner Houck Came Up Huge
Chris Sale didn’t have his best stuff on Friday and was chased out of the game after a four-hit, five-run first inning.
So the Red Sox turned to Houck to steady the ship and he did just that, providing the Red Sox with five fantastic innings that calmed some stormy waters.
MLB Stats @MLBStats
Tanner Houck is the 5th <a href=”https://twitter.com/RedSox?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@RedSox</a> pitcher to retire at least 27 batters in a row within a single season (reg + postseason) since at least 1961.<br><br>h/t: <a href=”https://twitter.com/EliasSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@EliasSports</a> <a href=”https://t.co/SZBJYFKOFK”>pic.twitter.com/SZBJYFKOFK</a>
Before Houck and the bullpen took over, the Rays had 10 runs through 10 innings in this series. Boston’s bullpen, led by Houck, just changed this series. Going down to Boston in an 0-2 hole would have been less than ideal.
The Moment Was Too Big For Shane Baz. It Won’t Always Be.
You could hardly blame Baz for struggling on Friday night. He’s only made three career starts, after all, all coming after Sept. 20 of this year. But so nasty is Baz’s stuff that the Rays still trusted him with a postseason start.
MLB Stats @MLBStats
The <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rays?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Rays</a> (Shane McClanahan and Shane Baz) are the second <a href=”https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@MLB</a> team ever to have rookies start Games 1 and 2 of a postseason series (2012 Athletics: Jarrod Parker and Tommy Milone). <a href=”https://t.co/D62FfqkzCE”>pic.twitter.com/D62FfqkzCE</a>
Baz sure appeared to have some jitters, letting five of the first six batters he faced to reach base. A double play to end the top of the first helped keep the damage to just two runs, but Xander Bogaerts’s solo shot in the top of the third earned him the hook.
There’s little question that the 22-year-old Baz has a bright future. He’s hardly the first player in MLB history to have a rough time in his postseason debut. And in his defense, none of the pitchers who followed him had much luck with Boston’s lineup, either. The short-leash approach to Baz didn’t work in Tampa’s favor.
From a pitching perspective, not much did.
What’s Next?
The series turns to Boston for Sunday’s Game 3 at 4:07 p.m. ET on the MLB Network. Nathan Eovaldi is set to take the mound for the Red Sox, while the Rays have yet to name their starter.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
