There were some big stories coming into this game. There’s Raffy hitting dingers. There are continued eyes on Bryce Harper, of course, who is freshly back from accelerated rehab for Tommy John surgery. Then there are the dueling banjoes of the Sox’ impressive 7-game win streak, mirrored on the other side by the Phillies’ 5-game losing streak, an albatross around their collective neck.
Well, the Sox blew it open in a five-run fourth inning and didn’t look back. Rob Refsnyder and Alex Verdugo got on base back-to-back (the first Sox baserunners of the night, in fact).