Red Sox Notes: Offense Breaks Out With 16-Hit Performance Vs. Twins

Coming into Thursday afternoon’s game, the Boston Red Sox were hitting just .163 with runners in scoring position over their previous two weeks.

The Red Sox struggled to put up runs in their previous two games against the Minnesota Twins, scoring a combined three runs. But they avoided the sweep at Target Field when the offense exploded for 16 hits in a 9-2 victory.

“(The) offense swung the bats late in the game,” starting pitcher Rick Porcello said after the game, as seen on NESN’s Red Sox postgame coverage.

Porcello certainly was right. Boston had three consecutive three-run innings and scored in six of the nine frames Thursday en route to its 50th victory on the season.

“It was fun to see, good at-bats,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after the game, as seen on NESN. “It was a good (road trip).”

Six of Boston’s nine starting batters had two hits in the game. Mookie Betts led the way, going 3-for-6 with a home run a day after going 2-for-4.

Here are some other notes from Thursday’s Red Sox-Twins game:

— The 16 hits Boston strung together was a new season-high for the team.

— The offense went 5-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

— Porcello improved to 9-3 on the season, tying him with Eduardo Rodriguez the for most wins on the team.

“His tempo was outstanding,” Cora said after the game. “He was under control … He’ll give you everything he has.”

The righty displayed impressive control throughout his outing, allowing just one hit and utilizing all his pitches, while the offense gave him plenty of run support to work with.

— The Red Sox are 19-5 in day game series finales this season and 15-3 on getaway days.

— The Sox, New York Yankees and Houston Astros now all have 50 wins. This is the earliest point in the season that three teams have reached the 50-win mark in Major League Baseball history.