Field Level Media
Jun 6, 2018
Eduardo Rodriguez pitched 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball, Andrew Benintendi and Christian Vazquez each knocked solo home runs and the host Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 7-1 on Wednesday night.
Rodriguez bettered his record to 7-1, giving up five hits, walking one and striking out five. Four relievers combined for 3 1/3 shutout innings to close out the win.
Benintendi, Vazquez and Xander Bogaerts all finished with a pair of RBIs as the Red Sox collected their fourth consecutive victory. Bogaerts went 3-for-4 as Boston improved its record to a major league-leading 43-19.
Jose Iglesias hit an RBI single for the Tigers, who lost Tuesday's series opener 6-0 and have dropped four of five. Detroit starter Blaine Hardy (2-1) allowed five runs on eight hits with no walks and two strikeouts in six innings.
Iglesias' second-inning single gave Detroit a 1-0 lead.
A four-run third capped by Bogaerts' two-run double put the Red Sox up 4-1. Vazquez's RBI double tied the game at 1-1, and Benintendi's ensuing two-bagger made it a 2-1 game and put a pair in scoring position for Bogaerts.
Benintendi's estimated 405-foot blast into the Red Sox's bullpen in right field came in the fifth. It was the 10th homer of the year for Benintendi, who has hit nine since May 1. Vazquez crushed his second homer of the season to left in the seventh.
Victor Martinez walked to load the bases with two outs in the Tigers' seventh, but James McCann grounded out to shortstop to end the threat.
Sam Travis' RBI single in the eighth capped the scoring.
Play was stopped briefly during the top of the seventh inning when Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire complained to the umpires about a large number of fans throughout the ballpark who had turned on the lights on their cell phones.
Twenty-four-year-old left-hander Jalen Beeks makes his major league debut for Boston in Thursday's finale opposite Tigers southpaw Matthew Boyd (3-4, 3.23 ERA). Beeks is 3-3 with a 2.56 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 10 starts with Triple-A Pawtucket in 2018.
--Field Level Media