Red Sox rally with 13-run inning after Bregman (right quad tightness) exits

BOSTON -- There was some concern brewing in the home dugout at Fenway Park when Alex Bregman, the most consistent player in what has been an inconsistent season for the Red Sox, had to exit the game in the bottom of the fifth inning with right quad tightness.

An inning later, the Red Sox covered for their teammate, producing a stirring five-run rally propelled by a three-run homer by Rafael Devers en route to an eventual 19-5 romp over the Orioles in Friday’s Game 1 of a scheduled day-night doubleheader. Game 2 was postponed due to inclement weather, and the two teams will now play a doubleheader Saturday instead.

Devers added a grand slam when Boston teed off for a 13-run rally with O’s position player Emmanuel Rivera pitching in the bottom of the eighth. That capped a 4-for-6 day for Devers that included a career high of eight RBIs.

By the end of the game, the Red Sox and Bregman weren’t sure if the injury was just a minor nuisance, or something that will require a move to the 10-day injured list.

“No idea yet,” said Bregman. “Obviously, it's just day to day. I feel like we'll know a lot more tomorrow after sleeping and seeing how it presents in the morning. But all my strength is still there right now, which is good so far. So it's just kind of a day-to-day thing at this point and kind of see when I wake up tomorrow how it feels.”

Bregman turned hard between first and second and stopped when he felt the quad grab. When he retreated to first, he immediately signaled for time and motioned to the dugout that he needed to come out of the game.

Bregman was moving gingerly as he walked back to the dugout.

“I had a left quad [injury] in 2021, and it was way worse,” Bregman said of an injury that kept him out of action for over two months. “So we'll see. We'll see what tomorrow brings. But actually, [it’s] positive from what I initially thought.”

In his first season with the Red Sox, Bregman has slashed .299/.385/.553 with 17 doubles, 11 homers and 35 RBIs in 51 games and 197 at-bats.

The Red Sox have already been short-handed in the infield as first baseman Triston Casas went down for the season with a ruptured left patellar tendon on May 2.

If a trip to the IL is necessary for Bregman, it could create an opportunity for the Red Sox to call up No. 2 prospect Marcelo Mayer for his Major League debut. With Kristian Campbell working out prior to games at first base, there has already been speculation that Mayer could be up soon to play second base. The left-handed hitter is a natural shortstop, but has been playing regularly at second base of late, and got time at the hot corner in Spring Training and for Triple-A Worcester this season.

The Red Sox, after a slow start with the bats, surged following Bregman’s exit from Friday’s game.

In that game-turning sixth, back-to-back RBI singles by Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran gave the Red Sox their first lead of the game at 3-2.

Up stepped Devers, who mauled a three-run homer into Boston’s bullpen in right-center at an exit velocity of 108.1 mph and a Statcast-projected distance of 408 feet. The 11th homer of the season for Devers came on a slider against Orioles lefty reliever Gregory Soto.

“That was awesome,” said Bregman. “It made sitting on the training table a little bit happier, just watching them swing the bats like that, pick me up like that.”

Nobody could have forecasted what was to come in the eighth, when Rivera came on and got walloped. For Devers, it was his second grand slam in five games, and the seventh of his career.

Boston’s star slugger, who got off to a tough start to the season, has reclaimed his status as an elite hitter, slashing .299/.415/.557 with 12 homers and 47 RBIs.

“Everybody is surprised about what he’s doing, but that’s who he is,” said Red Sox righty Brayan Bello, who gave up two runs in four innings. “Everybody was also surprised he got off to a slow start in the first five or six games, but we know the type of hitter that he is, the type of player that he is and the numbers he can put up.”