More Clutch Homers Propel Red Sox

The Red Sox are playing the same way after the trade deadline as they did immediately before it. Clutch home runs, tight West Coast wins.

A night after perhaps their most dramatic victory of the season, Boston waited late again to take a lead, leaving Seattle as 2-1 winners on the back of two late homers and key situational pitching.

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Aaron Hill tied the game with an eighth-inning line-drive homer over the Sox bullpen in left and Mookie Betts led off the ninth inning with a blast to almost the same spot, the second straight night the Sox won a game with a ninth-inning long ball. Dustin Pedroia won Sunday's game in Anaheim with a two-out home run (and Xander Bogaerts followed with one of his own.)

The big hits made another strong start by Eduarado Rodriguez mean that much more. The lefthander, who had been rumored to be involved in potential moves with the Chicago White Sox for Chris Sale before the trade deadline earlier in the day, left in the seventh inning after allowing three hits and one run.

Robbie Ross Jr. came on in a tough situation in relief, hit the first batter to load the bases, then struck out consecutive Mariners to keep the deficit at 1-0. Junichi Tazawa got out of another jam in the eighth by striking out Nelson Cruz.

Closer Craig Kimbrel was effective in his first game back off the disabled list, shutting the door in the ninth.