The Boston Red Sox, or what they were Saturday — the Yellow Sox — shut out the Minnesota Twins Saturday as Tanner Houck pitched a scoreless 5.2 innings of work for Boston in his second start of the year.
Alex Verdugo and Xander Bogaerts got the Sox going early with two-run jacks, and that ended up being all that was needed. Houck tossed a nearly hitless outing allowing just two hits on four punchouts though he did yield three walks. He was pulled with two outs left in the sixth after walking Luis Arraez, and with his pitch count being at 89.
Houck received just five whiffs on 35 swings from Minnesota hitters, throwing 49 fastballs (30 four-seam, 19 two-seam/sinker) topping out at 96.2 miles per hour while averaging 95.5.
Matt Strahm finished the sixth and attained the first two outs of the seventh but gave up a two-out double and Garrett Whitlock came on to wrap up the inning. Whitlock proceeded to then throw a two-hit pair of innings to close out the affair.
Bogaerts, who’s been off to a slow start — entering the game 2-for-18 — got ahead 3-0 in the count and launched a 400-foot jack over the Green Monster. Verdugo’s homer was a little less notable due to his rather quick start, though it was a more impressive mark at 437 feet.
The two teams will meet again on Easter Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET as the Sox will be in yellow again before wrapping up the series in the finale Monday morning in the white Boston jerseys (not the normal home jerseys) on Marathon Monday at 11:00 p.m. ET.
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