In their final game before Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline, the Red Sox reminded their front office why buying is the way to go.

They scored 14 runs on 16 hits, including three home runs and a season-high eight doubles, in their 14-7 rout of the Seattle Mariners.

Against All-Star Logan Gilbert, no less. The Mariners ace had gone at least 6 ⅔ innings in each of his last three starts, and had allowed one earned run over his previous 13 ⅔ innings. But in Monday night’s series opener, he didn’t make it out of the third. Gilbert threw two perfect innings, and then, the Red Sox attacked, scoring seven runs, all with two outs.

It all started with Jarren Duran. Most runners would’ve found themselves in an inning-ending double play. Boston’s “angry lizard” leadoff man was safe on first, and the inning would only get better from there.

“The hustle play by Jarren, that changed the game,” Alex Cora said.

As Wilyer Abreu stood at the plate battling Gilbert, Duran stole his 23rd base. A wild pitch brought Wong home to score the first run and advance Duran to third. On the 12th pitch, Abreu singled, easily scoring Duran.

“Willy just stayed on him,” Cora said of Abreu. “Before the game Raffy (Devers) was talking about the approach, you know, because if you don’t stay with the fastball to left-center, this one is going to play, you’re going to chase, and I think the guys did an outstanding job using the big part of the field, and that was an awesome at-bat.”

As soon as Abreu’s lengthy battle reached its triumphant conclusion, Masataka Yoshida sent the first pitch he saw 425 feet to center.

Then, it was double time. Rafael Devers, Tyler O’Neill, and Dom Smith each landed on second. O’Neill and Smith drove in a run apiece, with Smith also knocking the Mariners starter out of the game.

The pitching change came little, too late. Wong – batting for the second time in the inning – greeted Mariners reliever Trent Thornton with the fourth consecutive double, scoring Smith for the seventh and final run.

All in all, the Red Sox sent 11 men to the plate, collected eight hits – tying their season-high for a single inning, and plated seven runs, the most in a frame since July 19, 2021 in Toronto. Gilbert threw 69 pitches (47 for strikes) and was charged with seven earned runs on eight hits, including a home run, zero walks, four strikeouts, and a wild pitch.

The Red Sox put up another three in the fourth, and two apiece in the fifth and six. Yoshida led the way, going 3-for-5 with two runs, a double, the homer, and four RBI. Duran, Abreu, and Smith contributed two knocks apiece. Romy Gonzalez pinch-hit for Devers, and homered on the first pitch he saw.

It also helped that the Red Sox received a deep start from Nick Pivetta. The right-hander gave Boston 6 ⅔ innings, and held the Mariners to three earned runs on six hits, including back-to-back solo homers by Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh, one walk, and struck out 10.

“Nick gave us enough,” Cora said. “For the next few games (the bullpen) should be okay.”

The Red Sox would be grateful for such a wide margin for error in the eighth. Trey Wingenter opened the frame with a strikeout and then loaded the bases on a pair of one-out singles and a walk. Four runs scored before Wingenter, recalled from Triple-A hours earlier in exchange for Greg Weissert, was able to get out of the inning. Bailey Horn pitched a scoreless ninth, and it was game over. (Though in actuality, “game over” had occurred somewhere between the third and fourth innings.)

It was, the Red Sox hope, the reset they badly needed after going 2-7 to begin the second half, a stretch overflowing with several dozen runners left in scoring position, blown leads and saves, and painful extra-inning losses.

“I was able to breathe,” Cora said. “Yeah, we kind of like, needed it, to be honest with you. The weekend, it was – yeah we lost the series, but it was like, every pitch it feels like, you know, meant a lot, you know? Probably bigger than what it really is, right? But it was very intense, and to be able to breathe a little bit today, was good for us.”