All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 3-0 win over the Angels, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
That's more like it for Sale: In what unquestionably his best outing since he struck out 17 Colorado Rockies in May, Chris Sale looked his old self, allowing just two hits over eight shutout innings while racking up three strikeouts. It was a far cry from his last two starts in which he allowed 14 runs in a combined nine innings. Both Sale and Alex Cora said the start was the result of teamwork leading up to the game and noted a few adjustments were made. "We spent a lot of time this week looking at some things,'' explained Sale. "(Brian Bannister) kind of broke it down for me yesterday, with zones and tunnels and where all of my damage was coming from and kind of getting back to doing some things with my arm path that helped my pitches and get some extension.'' Sale worked quickly, reached back for extra velocity when necessary -- hitting a season-high 98 mph in the seventh inning -- and commanding both of his secondary pitches. The test, of course, will be to sustain this and take it into his next start and going forward. "You never want to say that you've figured it all out,'' he said. "But it's a step in the right direction.''
History in the strikeouts: Beyond the eighth shutout innings, Sale's 13 strikeouts took him over the 200-strikeout plateau for the third straight season in Boston and seventh straight overall. He's the only active pitcher in the game with 200 or more strikeouts in seven straight seasons, though Washington's Max Scherzer is likely to soon join him with 189 strikeouts already. He's one of eight A.L. pitchers -- and 15 pitchers overall -- to have seven different 200 or more strikeout seasons and joins Roger Clemens and Walter Johnson as the only two in the A.L. to do it seven years in a row. "It's special,'' said Sale. "I appreciate it. Obviously, with how this season has unfolded personally, I wish it was something else. But I appreciate all my teammates, all my catchers and my pitching coaches along the way who helped me reach that goal. It's cool. But you've got to just keep fighting. We've got something bigger ahead of us.''
Travis delivers at the plate: Sam Travis continues to wield a hot bat for the Sox. He had a big two-run homer in the second inning that provided Sale and the Sox with all the runs they would need. In the 20 games since he was last recalled from Pawtucket, he's hitting .288 with four homers and nine RBI to go along with a .916 OPS. "It's good to be able to contribute when called upon,'' said Travis. "You've got to stay ready.'' With Steve Pearce still on the IL and Michael Chavis sharing second base duties with Brock Holt, Travis has provided theSox with a run-producing bat against lefty pitching. In 121 big league at-bats against lefties, Travis is hitting .279 in his career and this season and all four of his homers this season have come against lefty throwers.
TURNING POINT: With the Sox leading 2-0 in the fifth, the margin wasn't very big, even considering how well Sale was throwing. But for added emphasis, Sandy Leon hit the first pitch he saw and hit out for his fourth homer of the season, stretching the lead to 3-0. "That was awesome, seeing our catchers go out and swing the stick,'' Sale said. "We know how much time they put into working for us and to see them get some satisfaction (at the plate) is always fun.''
TWO UP:
Sandy Leon: In addition to guiding Sale through his eight shutout innings, Leon contributed a solo homer in the fifth inning to help the cause.
Brandon Workman: He earned the save with a 1-2-3 ninth. Of his 53 appearances this year, 45 have been scoreless.
ONE DOWN:
Rafael Devers: The third baseman continues to slump with no hits in four plate appearances, including two strikeouts. He has just five hits and one walk in the month of August. He'll be given a night off Saturday.
QUOTE OF NOTE:
"Honestly, when we got to the clubhouse, I was like: 'What do we do now? We have so much time.''' Alex Cora on the unusually brisk pace to the game which lasted just 2:14.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The shutout was the sixth for the Red Sox this season and the first since July 18 vs. Toronto.
- The Sox are 31-18 when hitting multiple homers this season.
- J.D. Martinez is batting .404 against lefty pitching this season.
- Over the last 18 games, Andrew Benintendi is hitting .395.