This is how Dave Dombrowski and Alex Cora drew it up over the winter: Mookie Betts homers, David Price dominates, and the rest of the Red Sox follow their lead.
That was the case on Tuesday night in an easy victory over the reeling Angels. Betts homered leading off the game, Price allowed just one run over six innings while striking out seven, and the Red Sox drilled four homers in a 9-1 victory.
This one was over early. Betts led off the game with his 20th home run on the first pitch for the first of his career into the Fenway bullpen.
“Finally, huh? That was cool," Cora said. "That’s his first hit of the season on the first pitch in the first inning. For him to hit it out of the ballpark, I mean, he brings so much to the table with the body of the at-bats. But it’s good to see him getting a fastball and driving it the other way. Teams pay attention to stuff like that, and you see him doing that now, it’s kind of like, whoa. He’s swinging at the first pitch, and he’s driving the ball. It’s always good. It’s always good, and I’m happy he did it.”
The Red Sox very quickly chased Angels starter John Lamb, who allowed six hits and five runs in just 1 2/3 innings. The big blow was a two-run double off the bat of Jackie Bradley during a four-run second that kick-started another encouraging offensive outing for the Gold Glove-caliber center fielder. One game after going 3-for-3, Bradley went 3-for-4 with a home run, his fifth, raising his average to .199.
The Red Sox also got home runs from catcher Christian Vazquez (3) and J.D. Martinez (24).
Price took over from there, providing momentum for his next start, which is scheduled for Sunday night in New York against the Yankees. Other than a home run by former teammate Chris Young, Price went basically untouched. He threw 60 of his 99 pitches for strikes.
The win improved the Red Sox to 53-27 (.663), which leaves them on a 107-win pace. Unfortunately, the Yankees won in Philadelphia, leaving them on pace for 109 victories.