The Boston Red Sox Sunday, July 21, 2019 * The Boston Globe Red Sox reliever Josh Taylor comfortable pitching to his strengths Julian McWilliams When the Red Sox traded infielder Deven Marrero to the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, it was for a player to be named later. Nine days later, lefthander Josh Taylor was sent to the Sox and assigned to Double A Portland. His arrival to the organization did not gain much notice. Now Taylor has become an important member of the bullpen. He threw a scoreless inning in Saturday night’s 17-6 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Taylor has a 3.74 earned run average over 21 appearances and 21⅔ innings while striking out 28. The 26-year-old has allowed one run in his last nine games. What’s been the catalyst for him? “I’m just getting more comfortable with pitching to my strengths than trying to be perfect,” Taylor said Saturday. “I’m just going after hitters and trying to let them hit it versus trying to pitch around them. When you’re trying to pitch around them and not get hit that’s when you tend to make mistakes because you’re less aggressive with your pitches.” Said manager Alex Cora: “He’s been good. He’s been throwing the ball well. He’s a guy that has a big arm. He’s been learning how to pitch at this level. When we sent him down the last time we talked about certain things he needed to do. When he got back we knew he was going to be OK. There were certain times that we extended him because we were very limited in the bullpen.” He’s the only lefty in the bullpen, too, and Cora hasn’t been afraid to use him in high-leverage situations. “It’s shows the confidence they have on me,” Taylor said. “It helps me gain more confidence in my stuff. Being able to pitch in big situations and hand it off to the next guy it’s a step in the right direction. Moreland improves When Mitch Moreland went first-to-third in his rehab game Friday night at Pawtucket, Cora said he was nervous. Afterward, he was waiting for the moment Moreland might feel his right quad tighten up. That moment didn’t come for the Sox first baseman, which is a step in the right direction. “It was one of those mental hurdles you kind of have to jump and he felt good about it,” Cora said. Moreland played seven innings Saturday night, going 0 for 3. He’s 0 for 5 with a walk in two games. The plan is for Cora to sit down with Moreland and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski to decide what the next steps will be. Eovaldi set to go Nathan Eovaldi can only help this Sox bullpen. And with the team officially activating him for Saturday night’s contest, Cora believes he will do just that. “First of all, he wanted to contribute as soon as possible,” Cora said. “This is the way we feel he can do that. He’s in good spirits and he’s ready to go. It’s just a matter of going out there and performing.” Martinez ‘just off’ J.D. Martinez was hitting just .204 since July 2 after going 0 for 3 in Friday night’s loss. He had just one homer in that span and hadn’t been getting on base, sporting a .278 on-base percentage in that time frame. “He’s expanding,” Cora said. “He’s just expanding. He’s getting in some good hitter’s counts: 2-0, 3-1 and just swinging at pitches in the zone, but not exactly where he wants it. He’s very disciplined with his approach and his plan. It seems like lately he’s been just off.” From the start of the season through June 30, Martinez chased outside the zone 33.6 percent of the time. That number has jumped to 37.6 percent July 2 to July 19. Yet maybe Saturday’s game is what gets him going. Martinez was 3 for 5 with a walk and drove in two. His average on the season is back up to .288. Bogaerts leading way After his team’s embarrassing 11-2 loss to the Orioles on Friday, Xander Bogaerts called the showing unacceptable. After going 2 for 4 in Saturday’s win, he is hitting .314 with a .399 OBP. His OPS is up to .966 with 31 doubles and 21 homers. For as good as he’s been on the field, he’s been equally impressive in the clubhouse. “We made a huge commitment to him,” said Cora, referring to the six-year, $120 million contract extension agreed to in April. “He’s very responsible and he understands everything that’s going on with the organization. He got here in 2013 and he’s been great. The consistency not only on the field, but off the field is what impresses me. “Very smart guy with a presence and I’m glad that he’s taking that step because he’s going to be here for a while. He’s one of those guys that I’m going to rely on when I need to send a message.” Nunez released The Sox released Eduardo Nunez on Saturday after he was designated for assignment earlier in the week. Cora said he hopes Nunez can latch on somewhere else. “Hopefully, in the right situation,” Cora said. “He can help a team. He’s very helpful with the young players. He’s a winning player. Those are always needed.” . It was 97 degrees at first pitch Saturday night, the highest temperature for a Sox game since July 25, 2012, when it was 98 at Texas. Jackie Bradley Jr. powers Red Sox in rout of Orioles Julian McWilliams It doesn’t get any closer to home than Baltimore for Jackie Bradley Jr. Whenever the team plays at Camden Yards, his family makes the trip up from Prince George County, Va. You could hear his mother, Alfreda Hagans, beneath the press box after Bradley Jr. recorded his second hit of the game Friday. Despite the 11-2 loss, arguably the Sox’ worst of the season, it didn’t stop his mother’s voice from echoing throughout the stadium until the final out. Afterward, he posed for pictures with his two nephews and brother, who also made the 2-½ hour drive. Saturday, Jackie Bradley Sr. made the morning drive to see his son. Seated behind home plate, the elder Bradley watched his namesake record six RBIs by the fourth inning on a pair of three-run homers off Orioles’ Tom Eshelman, going 2 for 5 in a 17-6 Red Sox romp. It was Bradley’s fourth multi-homer game of his career and his first of the year. He picked the right time to do it. “It’s a lot of fun,” Bradley said of his performance with family in attendance. “It kind of reminds you of playing back in like high school ball. Family is always there and people that grew up with you. Not only was my family here, but I had people here from my high school that came out. It was pretty cool to be able to have a performance like that for them.” The Sox put up five runs in the second inning against Eshelman. Christian Vazquez singled, scoring J.D. Martinez. Then Bradley’s three-run homer later in the inning scored Vazquez and Andrew Benintendi. But there’s always one inning or pitch this season that turns a good outing into a bad one for Rick Porcello, who took the hill Saturday night. You saw it in his start against the Detroit Tigers recently. He was cruising, yielding just two runs in his first five innings, but in that sixth, he surrendered an additional four runs to bring his earned-run total to six on the day. He held what was supposed to be a comfortable lead Saturday, but in the third inning it imploded for the right-hander. Baltimore’s Trey Mancini doubled to score Richie Martin and Renato Nunez belted a three- run homer to pull the Orioles within one. Later on that inning, Chris Davis’ RBI single tied the game, 5-5. “I’m more than frustrated inside,” Porcello said. “I promise you, I’m doing everything I can physically and mentally to get it right and I just have to keep grinding. Trust me, I want the results more than anybody. They’re just not coming right now.” Yet the Sox’ offense, led by Bradley, proved too strong to let this one slip away. Mookie Betts hit a two- run homer in the top of the fourth inning that put the Sox back on top, 7-5. Then Martinez doubled to drive in a pair of runs, increasing the Sox lead to 9-5. Vazquez drove in another run. Then came Bradley again, who crushed his second homer of the evening and put the Sox ahead, 13-4. “We always talk about it,” Cora said. “It takes one swing. It’s always when he hits the ball to the opposite field. I’m glad he swung the bat the way he did today, and hopefully we can build from that one tomorrow.” Bradley Sr. was at a loss for words to describe his son’s performance. Sure, he’s seen him have them before in all the years he’s seen him play, but to do it on this stage — against the Orioles — was still a surreal moment.