BOSTON --- Faced with 23 outs to record and a five-run deficit, the Red Sox bullpen went to work Thursday night at Fenway Park.
Seven different relievers came through the doors in deep right-center field. Each of those right-handers turned in scoreless work, allowing Boston’s offense a chance to mount a rally.
Red Sox hitters obliged by pounding out a season-high five home runs. Xander Bogaerts did the honors on the last, a majestic solo shot to the Monster Seats in [...]
BOSTON --- Faced with 23 outs to record and a five-run deficit, the Red Sox bullpen went to work Thursday night at Fenway Park.
Seven different relievers came through the doors in deep right-center field. Each of those right-handers turned in scoreless work, allowing Boston’s offense a chance to mount a rally.
Red Sox hitters obliged by pounding out a season-high five home runs. Xander Bogaerts did the honors on the last, a majestic solo shot to the Monster Seats in left center. That gave Boston an unlikely 7-6 victory over the Rangers and a split of the four-game series after dropping the first two.
Bogaerts ran into an 0-and-1 slider from Pete Fairbanks that hung out over the plate. The shortstop didn’t miss, reaching the back row of the stands high above Lansdowne Street. That snapped a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning and gave the Red Sox their 19th come-from-behind victory of the season.
Mike Shawaryn left the bases loaded in the fourth with an assist from Colten Brewer and Brandon Workman did the honors himself in the seventh. Matt Barnes stranded a man at third in the eighth and Josh Smith recorded just his fourth save in 293 professional appearances. Only Heath Hembree remained unused on a night where his mates combined to allow just four hits and strike out nine.
Aside from his flu-shortened start against the Astros on May 25, this was the most abbreviated outing turned in by David Price this season. He threw 49 pitches and was tagged for six earned runs, retiring just four of the 12 men he faced. Price was removed after a two-run single through the left side by Elvis Andrus gave the Rangers a 6-1 lead in the second.
The trouble started for Price from the game’s opening batter, as he plunked Shin-Soo Choo on a pitch that ran back off the plate inside. It was the first hit-by-pitch for Price this season, and he followed with a walk to Delino DeShields. Andrus lined an RBI single to center, Hunter Pence sent an RBI double off the top of the wall in deep right and Logan Forsythe ripped a two-out, two-run single to left to make it 4-0.
Shawaryn retired the first six men he faced and left a pair of base runners for Brewer, who induced an inning-ending pop to third from Asdrubal Cabrera. Workman came back from a 3-and-0 count to fan a swinging DeShields with a curveball down in the zone. Barnes struck out Danny Santana to escape his lone frame and Smith retired DeShields on a fly to center, stranding the go-ahead run at first.
J.D. Martinez drove a solo homer to right-center in the first, and the Red Sox started their rally in earnest in the bottom of the second. Bogaerts and Christian Vazquez both singled to left and Jackie Bradley Jr. sent a drive toward the flag pole in deep left-center. All six of his home runs have come since May 20, and this three-run shot made it a 6-4 game.
Two solo blasts eventually drew Boston even. Michael Chavis lifted a towering fly down the left-field line in the fourth, his first round-tripper in 72 at-bats. Rafael Devers ran into an 0-and-2 slider out over the plate from Texas starter Adrian Sampson and launched it 443 feet to dead center in the fifth.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
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