Field Level Media
Jul 29, 2020
Mitch Moreland's eighth-inning infield RBI single Wednesday night snapped a tie and jump-started a three-run outburst for the visiting Boston Red Sox, who hung on to beat the New York Mets, 6-5.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Red Sox, who dropped both games of a two-game set against the Mets in Boston on Monday and Tuesday.
Kevin Pillar led off the eighth against Justin Wilson (0-1) with a single to left field that squirted out of the glove of a diving J.D. Davis. Pinch-hitter Xander Bogaerts drew a four-pitch walk before Pillar and pinch-runner Jonathan Arauz each advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Andrew Benintendi. J.D. Martinez was intentionally walked to load the bases and Rafael Devers then struck out before third baseman Jeff McNeil failed to barehand a slow roller to third by Moreland.
Christian Vazquez followed with a two-run single to right.
Heath Hembree (1-0), who struck Davis out to end the seventh, earned the win.
Brandon Workman earned his first save, but not before he nearly blew the lead in the ninth. Workman issued walks to Brandon Nimmo and McNeil to start the inning before allowing a bloop single to reigning big league home run king Pete Alonso, who had his first four-hit game of the season.
After Michael Conforto struck out looking, Davis hit a hard grounder to third. Devers preserved the lead with a diving stop but could not throw out Davis as Nimmo scored.
Workman then struck out Yoenis Cespedes and got Robinson Cano to line out to shortstop Jose Peraza in shallow center to leave the bases loaded. The Mets stranded 11 overall.
Moreland also accounted for the Red Sox's first two runs in the fourth, when he laced an RBI double to score Devers before racing home from third on a wild pitch by Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom. Vazquez hit a game-tying homer in the seventh.
Dominic Smith hit into an RBI fielder's choice in the first, Andres Gimenez had an RBI triple in the sixth and Nimmo (fifth inning) and Cespedes (eighth) each homered for the Mets.
deGrom, the reigning two-time National League Cy Young Award winner, allowed two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out four over six innings. The RBI double by Moreland snapped deGrom's scoreless innings streak at 32 1/3 innings, one inning shy of the team record held by R.A. Dickey.
Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi allowed two runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out four over five innings.
--Field Level Media