Betts, meanwhile, now shares the team lead in homers with David Ortiz at 26. On the shortlist of pitchers who could have potentially started the All-Star Game for the American League squad, the 31-year-old knuckleballer has been one of the season’s more surprising success stories.
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Mookie Betts blasted three home runs and had eight RBIs to help Rick Porcello remain undefeated at home this season as the Boston Red Sox rolled to a 16-2 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park.
Diamondbacks: RHP Zack Greinke (11-3, 3.67 ERA) looks to continue his solid run in the series finale on Sunday.
NATIONALS 9, BRAVES 1 (at Washington) – Bryce Harper hit an RBI double in his return to the lineup and Tanner Roark won his fourth straight start for Washington. Manager John Farrell said after the game that RHP Steven Wright (jammed pitching shoulder) would go on the DL and Hanley Ramirez on the bereavement list.
Boston Red Sox’s Mookie Betts, center, watches the flight of his three-run home run as Arizona Diamondbacks’ Tuffy Gosewisch, left, looks on in the fifth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, in Boston. That would make it 16 runs for Boston, a season-high for an Arizona opponent. They had won four of five. He tries to become the first Red Sox pitcher to begin a season 12-0 at home since Dave Ferriss started 1946 at 13-0.
Schoop homered off Santiago Casilla (2-4) with two outs after Manny Machado singled and Mark Trumbo walked.
“It just gets guys invigorated”, manager Chip Hale said that night in NY.
Betts also added a single and scored to finish 4-for-6 with four runs scored.
He’s the first Red Sox player with at least eight RBI in a game since Bill Mueller drove in nine runs while hitting a pair of grand slams and a solo shot in 2003. Arizona used seven pitchers in the blowout, including former Franklin Pierce lefty Steve Hathaway, who pitched a flawless sixth, getting Betts to fly out to end it.
Last month, Porcello, when asked if he might be crawling into the Cy Young picture, said: “I have no idea and honestly, I don’t care”.
With one out, Betts worked another 2-0 count and this time belted a slider, just clearing the Monster for a three-run blast and a 7-0 lead.
Wright missed his last start, scheduled for Thursday night.
“It makes you feel pretty good anytime your name’s said with his”. Bradley hit his off the Pesky Pole, and rookie Andrew Benintendi and Pedroia each drove in a run during the inning.
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The Red Sox now embark on a grueling 11-day, four-city road trip, starting with a make-up game in Cleveland Monday at 1 p.m. Boston SS Xander Bogaerts, who was 3-for-16 on the team’s homestand and is batting.159 (7-for-44) in August, was given a day off.
