Red Sox Notes: Boston’s ‘Chemistry’ Critical In Successful Road Trip
The Red Sox entered an unfavorable road trip which ended in a three-game trip to Tropicana Field, where Boston hadn’t won a series in five years.
With the injured list still occupied, the Red Sox entered Wednesday night’s series finale with a chance to sweep the Rays. Off to a slow, four-inning scoreless start at the plate, Boston relied on one another to log its fourth consecutive victory with an 8-5 win over Tampa Bay.
“We’ve been going through a great moment right now,” outfielder Wilyer Abreu said through Red Sox translator Carlos Benitez, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “You can see the chemistry in the clubhouse and we’re happy that we can take this great road trip.”
Abreu went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and belted his fifth home run of the year.
Despite playing catch-up with an American League foe, the Red Sox offense remained patient and efficient when it mattered most. The lineup finished 6-for-12 with runners in scoring position, sparking a contagious stretch of quality at-bats to slowly overtake Tampa Bay.
“We played well against them last week, we just didn’t win the games,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Two extra-inning games and we did a lot of good things throughout the road trip. We put the ball in play and it started in St. Louis.”
Cora added: “The value of putting the ball in play, it was huge today. And we’re gonna keep preaching that.”
Here are more notes from Wednesday night’s Red Sox-Rays game:
— Boston finished 4-2 on the road trip, split between trips to St. Louis and Tampa Bay, bringing the Red Sox within 6.5 games of the first-place Yankees.
— Red Sox speedy outfielder Jarren Duran, who went 1-for-5 in the batter’s box extended his hitting streak to eight games, still leading the team in base hits (55).
— Starting pitcher Brayan Bello, who surrendered three runs through six innings against the Rays, improved to a team-best 5-2 this season.
— Boston improved its road record to 16-11.
— The Red Sox will return home on Friday night, opening up a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park for a quick homestand. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET, and it will be streamed on Apple TV-plus.