BOSTON — Justin Turner had three extra-base hits, two of them off Chris Sale to continue the Red Sox left-hander’s struggles at Fenway Park, and the Los Angeles Dodgers snapped a four-game losing streak with an 11-2 victory over Boston in a rematch of last year’s World Series.
Cody Bellinger moved into a tie for the major league lead with his 31st homer – one of four hit by the Dodgers, who had lost seven straight at Fenway, including Games 1 and 2 of the Series, after dropping the series opener on Friday night.
Sale (3-9) knows how they feel, going more than 12 months without winning a regular-season start in Boston.
Sale allowed five runs for the third straight outing – a career first – giving up seven hits, a walk and a hit batter to drop his record to 0-3 in 13 Fenway starts since his last win there on July 11, 2018. He gave up Turner’s leadoff homer in the third that made it 2-0, and then an RBI double to start the scoring in the Dodgers’ three-run fifth inning.
With a large and vocal Los Angeles contingent in the crowd, Ross Stripling (4-3) allowed one run – Xander Bogaerts’ 19th homer – on four hits while striking out seven to snap Boston’s five-game winning streak.
Bellinger, who turned 24 on Saturday, and A.J. Pollock hit back-to-back homers off knuckleballer Steven Wright in the seventh for the Dodgers, who lead the majors with 61 victories.
The next batter, Max Muncy, hit a line drive off Wright’s foot to knock him out of the game.
OLD FRIENDS
Ex-Red Sox pitcher Joe Kelly relieved Stripling to start the sixth with a 5-1 lead and gave up a flare single to Bogaerts that brought in one run. With two on, he threw an extremely high wild pitch to put runners on second and third, then worked a full count to Christian Vázquez.
Vázquez fouled off a pair of pitches before fanning on a 99 mph fastball to end the inning.
CATCHING FLAK
With Sale pitching to his regular catcher, Sandy León, Red Sox Manager Alex Cora put Vázquez at first base to keep his bat in the lineup. He had a tough time.
In the fourth inning, Corey Seager hit a sharp grounder to first and Vázquez wheeled to throw to second to get the lead runner. The relay from Bogaerts at shortstop came back to first, where second baseman Brock Holt was covering.
Vázquez, who was in the area but a step or more away from the bag, nabbed the throw, but needed a second before realizing he had to hustle to tag the base before Seager got there.
There was no damage done, but that wasn’t the case in the Dodgers’ four-run seventh. With Muncy on first, Seager hit a slow roller back to the mound for a 1-3 putout; Muncy headed to third, which was uncovered because of the shift.
Vázquez threw behind third baseman Rafael Devers as he raced to the bag, and the ball went into left field, allowing Muncy to score.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: First baseman Mitch Moreland (right quadriceps strain, June 8) was “a little bit tight,” Cora said, and did not play in his rehab assignment Friday. He’s now scheduled to make an appearance for Triple-A Pawtucket on Sunday. … Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (loose body, right elbow) is scheduled to pitch to live batters on Monday.
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