BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Wilyer Abreu hit a three-run home run and SP Lucas Giolito pitched seven strong innings as the Red Sox ended a six-game losing streak by routing the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 15-1 Saturday.
Abreu’s home run came against Toronto starting pitcher Chris Bassitt in the bottom of the first inning. It was his 14th home run of the season.
Giolito (4-1) gave up one run (unearned) on six hits in seven innings. He struck out five.
Ceddanne Rafaela and Romy Gonzalez contributed two-run home runs for the Red Sox, who collected 18 hits in the victory.
Boston rookie Roman Anthony had the first three-hit game of his MLB career. Two of his three hits were doubles. Gonzalez also had three hits.
Abreu added an RBI double in the second inning, when Boston scored three times to take a 6-0 lead. The Red Sox also received a two-run single from Trevor Story in the inning.
Toronto scored in the third, when Addison Barger’s single drove in Myles Straw and cut Boston’s lead to 6-1.
The Red Sox tacked on three runs in their half of the third to increase their advantage to 9-1. The inning featured a bases-loaded walk to Abraham Toro, a sacrifice fly from Carlos Narvaez and a throwing error on catcher Alejandro Kirk that allowed Anthony to score.
Bassitt (7-4) allowed nine runs (eight earned) on eight hits in two innings.
After Nick Sogard’s RBI single drove in Story in the sixth, Rafaela’s ninth home run increased Boston’s lead to 12-1. Gonzalez produced his third homer of the season in the seventh, when Boston stretched its lead to 14-1.
The Red Sox wrapped up the scoring in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Toro that drove in Jarren Duran.
Boston entered Saturday’s matchup having scored four runs in its last three games.
–Field Level Media