SEATTLE (AP) — J.D. Martinez was apparently tired of the good-natured joking he was receiving about his long home run drought.
One swing reminded everyone of the power Martinez possesses.
Martinez homered for the first time in nearly a month, Bobby Dalbec snapped a tie with a solo shot and the Boston Red Sox won for the eighth time in nine games, beating the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Friday night.
“We know he’s gonna start hitting the ball in the air and the ball is gonna go and he’s gonna become the hitter that we always see,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “This version of J.D. is still really good. On base percentage, grinding at bats, getting on base has been great.”
Boston opened the final leg of its West Coast swing with a bounce-back victory after seeing its seven-game win streak snapped a day earlier.
Martinez homered for the first time since May 17, hitting a solo blast off Seattle starter Marco Gonzales to give Boston a 2-0 lead. It was Martinez’s sixth home run.
“My swing and my bat angle has been the common denominator,” Martinez said. “So I’ve had success but I haven’t been able to lift the ball. It’s just been grinding on that.”
After the Mariners pulled even at 2-all, Dalbec opened the seventh inning with his fourth home run off Seattle reliever Andrés Muñoz (1-3). Muñoz had allowed one run over his previous six outings.
“He’s a very young pitcher and not many professional innings under his belt before this year and he’s learning,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “We see some nights where it’s just electric, unhittable and other nights that command is just a little bit off, and those are the nights it’s a little bit of challenge for him.”
Jake Diekman (2-0), one of five Boston relievers, earned the…
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