Alex Cora returned, and the Red Sox got back in the win column.
For one night at least, the Red Sox turned the page on a string of excruciating losses they’ve suffered over the last week. With their manager back in the dugout, they were all smiles as Michael Wacha impressed with another strong start and the offense had another good night in a 7-1 win over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak, and the Red Sox can earn a split of their four-game series against the Jays with Garrett Whitlock on the mound Thursday afternoon.
Bogaerts leads the way
No one on the Red Sox is more accountable when things go sour than Xander Bogaerts. He showed it again after Tuesday’s painful extra-innings loss. A night later, he once again exemplified why he’s the de facto captain of this club.
Bogaerts came through again with his second consecutive three-hit game, going 4-for-4 with a walk and scoring the Red Sox’ first two runs. He set the tone in the first inning, when he fouled a ball off his ankle and went down for a few moments before singling. When Rafael Devers hit a double to the gap in the next at-bat, Bogaerts hustled from first to home without hesitation for the game’s first run.
Bogaerts started another rally in the sixth, when he hit a leadoff single and came around to score as the Red Sox retook the lead with a two-run inning.
Remember Bogaerts’ short slump after he injured his hamstring on Opening Day? That’s well in the past. The shortstop now has an impressive seven three-hit games, the most ever by a Red Sox player in the first 19 games of a season, and he’s batting a team-high .397.
Bogaerts’ big night led another encouraging night for the Red Sox’ offense, which recorded a season-high 13 hits, including two-hit efforts from Devers and J.D. Martinez. Martinez and Kiké Hernandez each hit doubles in the ninth as the Sox pulled away for a comfortable victory.
Bullpen bounces back
A night after he blew a three-run ninth-inning lead, Cora wasted no time in going back to Jake Diekman on Wednesday night, using the lefty to preserve another lead in the seventh. Diekman repaid his manager’s faith. He induced a fly out from Matt Chapman before issuing a walk to Santiago Espinal, but bounced back to strike out Tyler Heineman. Cora then took him out for Hirokazu Sawamura, but the quick outing should go a long way in boosting Diekman’s confidence.
Sawamura allowed a single to George Springer to make Bo Bichette the go-ahead run at the plate, but struck out the Jays shortstop swinging on a 96-mph fastball.
John Schreiber – called up earlier this week – retired the Jays 1-2-3 in the eighth before Tyler Danish finished the job in the ninth.
Wacha strong again
Michael Wacha might be the most pleasant surprise of the Red Sox so far this season, and he put the finishing touches on a dazzling April with his strongest start yet on Wednesday.
The veteran right-hander produced his longest outing of his first four starts, going six strong innings against Toronto’s potent lineup, giving up one run on four hits with five strikeouts. The one run he allowed wasn’t even really his fault, either. Tyler Heineman and George Springer led the third off with singles before Trevor Story had difficulty with a transfer on back-to-back plays that could have been double plays, allowing the Jays to score the game-tying run.
Wacha had little trouble with the rest of his outing as he set down the Jays with 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth, finishing his night with a swinging strikeout of Raimel Tapia, which earned him a big hug from Cora in the dugout. In four starts to begin the season, Wacha has a 1.77 ERA and looks like a steal as the Red Sox’ No. 4 starter.
Wacha’s outing continued a theme of strong starting pitching during this road trip. In six games, Red Sox starters have produced a 2.05 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 30 2/3 innings.
