All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox doubleheader sweep of the Orioles on Saturday at Camden Yards, with BSJ insight and analysis:
Game 1: BOX SCORE
Game 2: BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Martinez enhances MVP case: When the MVP race comes down to teammates Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez — along with some other candidates — remember a night like Saturday that helps to illustrate the value of certain players. Tied 3-3 in the eighth inning, Boston was staring at a difficult scenario. Playing the third game in 24 hours, the Red Sox were running low on pitching and, with Craig Kimbrel saved to close, they were only left with really one arm (callup William Cuevas) and who-knows-how-many innings left to play. Then Martinez launched his second home run of the game — enhancing his MLB lead to 37 with 104 RBI — to give the Sox a 5-3 lead and the team could breathe a lot easier. "We were like, 'How are we going to get these outs here?'" Alex Cora said. "And then he puts a great swing, and he hit a homer. The guy is amazing."
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1028444503961755649
Doesn't hurt that Martinez made up for his miscue in the first inning that spotted the Orioles a 1-0 lead."
https://twitter.com/Orioles/status/1028430891482324992
Price, bullpen stellar in Game 1: After giving up 12 runs and needing six relievers to piece together 6.1 innings in a 19-12 victory on Friday night, and facing another bullpen game in the nightcap of Saturday's day-night doubleheader with Hector Velazquez scheduled to start — to say nothing of a 1:05 p.m. start on Sunday — the Red Sox desperately needed David Price to pitch well on Saturday afternoon, and he did just that. Price pitched six innings of five-hit ball and struck out a season-high 10 batters (against zero walks) to set the stage for Tyler Thornburg, Ryan Brasier and Matt Barnes to pitch three perfect innings of relief to get the Sox a much-needed, stress-free game in the bullpen.
TURNING POINT
Just Dingers, doing his thing when the bullpen needed to be rescued.
https://twitter.com/NESN/status/1028467734143795200
FOUR UP
Jackie Bradley Jr.: Homered twice in the first game, walked in the second to keep his OPS at .691, which is the highest it has been since April 21.
Eduardo Nunez: Homered in Game 1, tripled in Game 2 to get the Red Sox started.
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1028350790547787777
Xander Bogaerts: Went 3 for 4 with two runs scored in Game 1. "I'm very proud of him," Cora said. "There is a guy I wanted to push and get him back in that conversation of elite shortstops. I don't know if he's in that conversation, but I know we have an elite shortstop."
Bullpen: Combined in both games, the bullpen pitched 9.1 innings and allowed just two runs on five hits despite seven walks (all in the second game).
TWO DOWN
Craig Kimbrel: Recorded just his first save since June 29 but gave up a home run and has now allowed a run in five of his past six appearances (six earned runs). Previously, he had a string of 12 consecutive scoreless appearances.
Rafael Devers: Was 0 for 2 with two walks in the nightcap but he had two routine plays that would have resulted in throwing errors if it wasn't for Steve Pearce making spectacular plays at first base.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"This game is one of those that we can look back and say, 'Wow, that was a good one.'"
— Cora.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Red Sox are now 49 games over .500.
- They could lose their final 43 games and still finish over .500.
- An 84-78 record (.519 winning percentage) would currently finish ahead of nine other AL teams and trail only New York, Houston, Cleveland, Oakland and Seattle.
- Red Sox only need to go 22-21 to set the franchise record for season wins of 105 set in 1912.
- Red Sox are now 42-15 (.736) vs. the AL East. The best divisional record belongs to the 1998 Yankees (33-15, .688).
- The Red Sox didn't record a single strikeout in the nightcap until Cuevas' punchout to end the eighth inning.