The Boston Red Sox finally earned their first win following the All-Star break by blanking the Colorado Rockies, 6-0, at Coors Field on Tuesday night.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Red Sox and improved their record to 54-36 while the lowly Rockies dropped to 37-65.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Red Sox lately have left slim leads in the hands of Boston’s thin bullpen, only to see those leads disappear and result in frustrating losses.
Well, the Red Sox made sure their bullpen wasn’t put under any stress following an extra-inning loss to the Rockies.
The Red Sox set the tone early, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning and adding two more runs in the second inning. Tyler O’Neill powered most of the offensive output — with some help from Rob Refsnyder and Rafael Devers — with two home runs, including one that felt like it was hit to the Rocky Mountains.
Cooper Criswell did more than his part on the mound, leaving just the final two innings for the Red Sox bullpen to close things out with a sizable lead.
It won’t always be like that for the ‘pen, but the Red Sox needed it given their struggles as of late and it also allowed them to reset their relievers going into the series finale.
STARS OF THE GAME
— O’Neill had his fourth two-home run game of the season. He hit a two-run round-tripper in the first inning before hitting a mammoth, 465-foot bomb that went over all seats in left field. O’Neill, who now has 20 homers on the season, finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs.
— Criswell gave the Red Sox seven shutout innings, which was a career-high. He scattered five hits and walked one while striking out four. The lanky right-hander threw 70 of his 105 pitches for strikes.
— Refsnyder, who went 2-for-5, continued to be kryptonite for left-handed pitchers. He smoked a two-run double off Rockies lefty Ty Blach in the top of the second to give the Red Sox a 5-0 lead.
ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox close out their six-game road trip and three-game series with the Rockies on Wednesday. First pitch from Coors Field is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET, and you can catch complete coverage of the game on NESN.
