All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 9-1 victory over the Orioles, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Eovaldi finishes strong: It surely wasn't the year that Nathan Eovaldi had envisioned. In the middle of August, he got rocked for eight runs in a disastrous start against the Yankees and not long after, he was shelved for three weeks with a calf pull. But on the whole, Eovaldi pitched pretty well, posting a 3.72 ERA. And he closed out his season in style with six shutout innings Wednesday against Baltimore — striking out eight. Even better, he allowed just one run in his final three starts after coming off the IL, covering 14 innings, carrying some momentum into the offseason. "It definitely had its ups and downs,'' said Eovaldi when reflecting back on this season. "I felt like I finished strong. Coming off the injury, I used that time to figure out my splitter. Coming back, it was there and it definitely showed for me.'' Ron Roenicke said Eovaldi took a bigger step forward in recognizing that it isn't essential to operate at maximum effort with every pitch. By dialing it down some, Eovaldi had far better command with the zone, made fewer mistakes and had the lowest walk rate of his career.
Verdugo cited as team MVP: It might have been a hugely disappointing season for Boston, but the team's poor record can hardly be attributed to Alex Verdugo. He was a superb defender in both corner outfield spots, ran the bases aggressively and adapted to an unfamiliar role as the team's leadoff hitter. Along the way, he seemed to be on-base almost constantly (OBP: .383). Wednesday night was no different as Verdugo reached base twice and scored both times. Before the game, Roenicke was asked who his pick was for team MVP, and while he initially indicated he didn't like making such pronouncements, he agreed that Verdugo was the logical choice. Given that he's among the league league leaders in a host of offensive categories and, according to FanGraphs, Verdugo is tied for fifth among all MLB outfielders with eight defensive runs saved.
Home has not been happy: The Red Sox will close out the home half of their schedule Thursday night, and in one way, the end can't come soon enough. From 2016-18, the Red Sox ran up a 152-91 home record, good for a .626 winning percentage, tying them for the league's best in that span. But starting last year, things turned south at Fenway, with the Sox going 38-41. This year has been worse, with the team going 11-19. In fact, since last Aug. 20, the Red Sox are 15-30, and are a miserable 2-11-1 (2-6-1 in 2020) in home series.
TURNING POINT
In the six-run third, the Red Sox were already out to a 5-0 head start and had chased starter Dean Kremer. But for good measure, the Sox kept adding on and when Rafael Devers snapped an 0-for-10 skid by lining a double into right, scoring two more runs, the Sox were firmly in control at 8-0 and never looked back.
TWO UP
Jeffrey Springs: It wasn't exactly a high-leverage spot, but Springs attacked hitters, tossing an inning and two-thirds of scoreless relief to finish things up — with four of the five outs coming by strikeout.
Kevin Plawecki: The backup catcher continues to shine when he gets a chance. He banged out three hits (including a triple) and knocked in two runs.
ONE DOWN
Mike Kickham: Taking over for Eovaldi in the seventh inning, Kickham allowed a homer to the first batter he faced, then later walked consecutive hitters despite having a seven-run lead.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"He's a pleasure to be around, a pleasure to watch work and prepare and I'm glad we got him back out there for a few more at the end.'' Ron Roenicke on Nathan Eovaldi.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Jackie Bradley Jr. picked up the outfield's 17 assist of the season, the most for any team in either league.
- Kevin Plawecki has 10 RBI in his last 11 starts.
- Alex Verdugo extended his hitting streak to 10 games, his second 10-game streak of the season.
- Michael Chavis has knocked in seven runs in his last three games.