The Red Sox picked up right where they left off out of the All-Star break.
BOSTON -- There was no team in baseball entering the All-Star break than the Boston Red Sox, who ended the unofficial first half having won 14 of their last 16 games, clawing their way back from the basement of the American League to just half a game out of the final wild card position. Clearly, the break didn't curb Boston's momentum as they cruised to a 10-0 win over the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays to extend their winning streak to 10.
Offense comes alive
After finishing the first half with one of the worst offenses at home in baseball, the Red Sox offense came out of the gates firing in the second half, scoring 10 runs against a Tampa Bay pitching staff that entered Friday's doubleheader with the ninth-ranked ERA in the sport at 3.81.
Boston jumped all over Tampa starter Griffin Jax, beginning in the second inning, when third baseman Caleb Durbin and designated hitter Masataka Yoshida led off the frame with a single and a double, immediately setting the Boston offense up to do damage.
With men on second and third, Jax struck out first baseman Romy Gonzalez for the first out of the inning, before left fielder Jarren Duran hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Durbin, giving the Red Sox an early 1-0 lead. With Yoshida still on second, the struggling Carlos Narvaez stepped to the plate, delivering an RBI single to extend the lead to two, 2-0.
The Boston offense added a third run in the bottom of the fourth inning as Yoshida wrapped the first pitch he saw perfectly around Pesky's Pole for a solo home run, extending the lead to three, 3-0. However, the Red Sox were able to break things open in a big way in the home half of the sixth, scoring six runs, opening up the lead to a whopping nine runs, 9-0.
Narvaez added insult to injury in the bottom of the seventh, launching a home run 412 feet over the Green Monster and onto Landsdowne Street, to give the Red Sox their 10th run, tying their season-high in runs scored in a game at Fenway Park.
Back in the playoff picture
It has been a remarkable turnaround for Boston, which, with the win, now sit at 47-48 and tied with the Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins for the final playoff spot in the American League.
The Red Sox will look to get back to .500 for the first time since March 28 in game two of Friday's doubleheader against the Rays. Eduardo Rivera (0-0, 0.00 ERA) gets the start for Boston opposite Mason Englert (0-2, 3.82 ERA) for Tampa Bay. First pitch from Fenway Park set for 7:10 p.m. ET.
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