All you need to know about the Red Sox' win over the White Sox, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Sox rebound at the plate: Limited to just three runs Sunday in a doubleheader loss, the Red Sox' prospects for Monday's holiday matinee might not have been strong, especially with White Sox righty Lucas Giolito on the mound. But the Red Sox made quick work of Giolito, chasing him in the second inning before he could record a single out. The Sox pounced on Giolito for six runs in the first inning as the first six Red Sox hitters of the afternoon each reached base with a hit. Included in that group was Kiké Hernández, who homered to lead off the inning. Before the first inning was over, the Red Sox had sent 11 men to the plate and Giolito had thrown a staggering 46 pitches. As part of the 17-hit attack, three players had three hits each and three others had two hits. Oddly, despite the hit total, the Sox had just four extra-base hits -- homers from Hernandez, Alex Verdugo and J.D. Martinez and a double from Hernandez. But then, this one was decided early and was a laugher the rest of the way, resulting in the White Sox using not one but two position players to pitch in the final two innings of the game.
No long losing streaks to date: After dropping the first three games on the schedule in most ignominious fashion to the Orioles, the Red Sox have since stayed out of a losing streak. After their nine-game winning streak was snapped in the road trip finale in Minnesota, the Sox returned home and won the first game of their current homestand. Then, after taking it on the chin twice Sunday with the doubleheader sweep by the White Sox, the Red Sox rebounded immediately. Back in 2018, when the Red Sox set a franchise record 108 games, the team didn't lose more than three games for the entire regular season. It's too early to know if the Red Sox can achieve that same level of consistency in 2021, but their response to the couple of challenges they've faced in the first few weeks suggests that this team is similarly equipped to forget about the previous day's results -- win or lose -- and focus on the next game. That philosophy served them well three seasons ago; a repeat of that approach would go a long way in making this season successful, too.
TURNING POINT
It may have appeared to be a small thing at the time, but after the Red Sox sent 11 hitters to the plate and scored six runs, Nathan Eovaldi had to sit in the dugout for a long time as the Sox' portion of the inning lasted nearly 30 minutes. To keep loose, Eovaldi did some throwing in one of the batting cages situated behind the Red Sox dugout. When it was his turn to pitch the top of the second inning, Eovaldi didn't mess around -- he again attacked the strike zone and retired the White Sox in order, striking out the side and needing just 11 pitches to do so.
TWO UP
Kiké Hernández: Of the four extra-base hits the Red Sox had, Hernandez had two of them -- a first-inning homer and a seventh-inning double. He also made two fine play at second, twice robbing Jake Lamb of base hits -- first, grabbing a ball behind the second base bag and firing to first for the final out in the fourth and again in the sixth, when he made a leaping stab of a two-out liner.
Garrett Whitlock: Whitlock hasn't been used much of late, but his fourth appearance was another good one, as he gave the Sox 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, retiring all eight hitters he faced, two by strikeouts.
ONE DOWN
Bobby Dalbec: He was the only member of the starting lineup to go without a hit, though he did work a 14-pitch walk in the first inning, further driving up Giolito's pitch count.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"The line kept moving. Probably the best inning of the short season -- line drive after line drive, quality at-bat after quality at-bat against a good pitcher, one of the best in the league. It was fun to see.'' Alex Cora on the Red Sox' six-run first.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- J.D. Martinez hit his sixth homer of the year; he had seven in all of 2020.
- Hunter Renfroe has five RBI in his last six games.
- The six runs in the first inning matched the Red Sox' high for a single inning and were the most in the first inning since July 25, 2019 against the Yankees.
- The Sox reached double figures in runs scored for the third time in the first 17 games played.