Price earns career win No. 150 in sweep
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DETROIT -- The Red Sox go into the All-Star break on a four-game winning streak thanks to David Price’s 150th career win and the offense of Christian Vázquez and Xander Bogaerts.
Boston defeated the Tigers, 6-3, on Sunday to sweep the three-game weekend series and go into the break with a 49-41 record. The Red Sox are 5-1 in their last six games.
“To close it out the way we have the last six games the way we have, it’s just great,” Price said.
The lefty gave up a run and four hits in five innings, walking two and striking out six against the team he played for in the second half of the 2014 season and the first part of ‘15.
“That’s cool,” he said of the milestone. “Winning 15 games a year for 10 seasons, the back of my baseball card speaks for itself. I’m proud of it.”
Price allowed the one run in the first inning by walking leadoff man Victor Reyes and serving up Nicholas Castellanos’ run-scoring double.
“In the first inning he was missing a lot,” Bogaerts said. “He got better after that. He knows how to make adjustments.”
Those adjustments allowed Price to blank Detroit for the remainder of his stint.
“He’s been big since the second half of last year,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Price. “He’s been consistent throughout the process.”
Vazquez’s two-run homer in the second inning on an 0-2 pitch off Tigers opener Gregory Soto gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. It was his 14th of the season and gave him four RBIs in the last two games and a career-high 41 for 2019, third among American League catchers.
“He’s worked hard and is doing a real good job of staying on the ball,” Cora said of Vazquez. “He’s had a great first half.”
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Bogaerts’ two-out, two-run double highlighted a three-run fifth. The shortstop finished the first half with 65 RBIs (second-most in the American League), 29 doubles (tied with Castellanos for first in the AL) and 46 extra-base hits (tied for first in the AL with Matt Chapman of the Athletics).
After being named as an injury replacement last week, Bogaerts will join teammates Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez in Tuesday’s All-Star Game presented by Mastercard in Cleveland.
“Obviously, it’s an honor,” Bogaerts said. “I’m very honored that I can go and be among the best players in the world. Just going to try and enjoy it.”
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Despite finishing the first half on a high note, the Red Sox will eye improvement when they return from the All-Star break to face the Dodgers in a 2018 World Series rematch.
“We need to get better,” Cora said. “We start [the second half] against the Dodgers right off the bat Friday. We need to do better than this.”