KANSAS CITY -- With the way the Red Sox offense has put up numbers over the last five weeks, the opposition is left to wonder if an explosion is coming.
For the Royals, that boom sequence happened in the sixth inning on Tuesday night as Boston -- after being blanked for five innings -- used three extra-base hits for a three-run, go-ahead rally and rolled on to an 8-3 victory at Kauffman Stadium.
The big blow in the series opener was an opposite-field RBI triple by J.D. Martinez that put the Red Sox in prime position to tie the game. They did so on a sacrifice fly by Xander Bogaerts, and an RBI double by Brock Holt moments later put Boston on top to stay.
The Red Sox had several hard-hit balls in the early going against Royals starter Glenn Sparkman, but there was nothing on the scoreboard to show for it. But after a hard-hit ball by Mookie Betts got over the outstretched glove of Whit Merrifield to open the sixth for a double, the Sox were on their way.
“I know we didn’t score early, but that was like the hardest we’ve hit the ball all season,” manager Alex Cora said. “It wasn’t happening, but we kept putting good at-bats together and you saw the result.”
Martinez picked an ideal time to get his first triple of the season. His drive to deep right field landed on the padding at the top of the wall and rolled back into play.
“When I hit it, it was like, ‘Please get up.’ But I guess it didn’t get up enough,” Martinez said.
It became a moot point from a scoreboard perspective when Bogaerts put forth a patient at-bat against right-hander Scott Barlow, who had been a bright spot in the Royals’ bullpen earlier this season. Bogaerts came through with his sacrifice fly and Holt’s go-ahead double capped a flurry of good at-bats in the pivotal sixth inning.
“Everybody believes in this offense,” said Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who picked up the win while going 5 1/3 innings and allowing just two runs. “We know we’re going to score runs. That’s the way it is over here. [Pitchers] keep the game where it is and the hitters are going to come through.”
Martinez said the Red Sox were confident going to the sixth based on the way they had hit the ball through five innings of tough luck.
“We hit the ball hard,” Martinez said. “We were hitting the ball hard the whole time. It was like, ‘What’s going on? What else do we have to do?’”
The Red Sox (31-29) have now put together back-to-back wins following a four-game losing streak. Getting the series opener here allows Boston to think about building some serious momentum.
“That’s big,” Martinez said. “We’re behind [in the American League East standings], so we have to win as many of these as we can.”