All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Orioles, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Everybody hits -- including the bottom half: For most of the season, the Red Sox have been among the league leaders in most offensive categories -- and they've reached that position despite relying on four or five guys from the top of their lineup. But more recently, they're starting to get contributions up and down the order. Hunter Renfroe is averaging an RBI per game this month and had two hits and an RBI as part of the Sox' 14-hit attack. Also, Bobby Dalbec produced a big two-run single, giving him five RBI over the last two nights. And Marwin Gonzalez, who hit leadoff Friday but was dropped the seventh Saturday, had a double. If the Sox get production from all over their lineup, it's scary to think how dominant their offense might be. "It was a really good day offensively,'' said Alex Cora. "We're getting really good at-bats. That's what we need.''
Bogaerts shines: It was quite a night for shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who made several standout plays in the field, including leaping to grab a line drive and an incredible backhand stop of a hard smash to start a 6-4-3 double play in the sixth inning. But there was much more, too -- a three-hit night at the plate, including a two-run homer. Bogaerts now has seven homers this season -- all in the last 17 games. "Sometimes people get caught up in the numbers,'' said Alex Cora. "But overall, the whole package, if he's not the best shortstop in the big leagues, well, somebody needs to show me somebody else, to be honest with you. He's so steady with everything he does.''
Richards provides length: Before the game, Cora spoke about the need to push his starting pitchers a bit more and instead of settling for five-inning outings, expect them to go deeper in order to reduce the workload on the bullpen. Garrett Richards allowed solo runs in both the first and second, but had a lot of quick innings and at one point, from the second through the fifth, pitched to just two hitters over the minimum. He was determined to take his team deep into the game, and though he had a rocky sixth when he yielded two more runs, got them through seven on 98 pitches. "That was huge,'' Richards said. "To go out there and grab another (inning) at the end, that saves an arm. It kind of goes a long way. If you can do everything you can on your day to make that easier (to preserve the bullpen), it goes a long way. You see the repercussions one, two, sometimes three days down the line.''
TURNING POINT
After allowing a solo homer to Freddy Galvis in the bottom of the second, it looked like Richards could be in for a rough night. He had already spotted the O's a run in the first, then gave up another after the Sox had scored four for him in the top of the second. But something clicked for Richards after that, as he went on to retire 11 of the next 13 Baltimore hitters he faced, taking the Sox through seven innings.
TWO UP
Christian Vazquez: Vazquez scored two runs and had two run-scoring singles and has now knocked in runs in each of the last three games while extending his hitting streak to six games.
Alex Verdugo: After seeing his on-base streak snapped at 24 consecutive games in the series opener Friday, Verdugo started another one, collecting hits in each of his first three trips to the plate.
ONE DOWN
Austin Brice: Brought in for mop-up duty over the final two innings and backed by a seven-run lead, Brice managed to hit three batters and walk another while allowing two runs in the ninth and requiring help from Josh Taylor to get the game's final out.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"He's so good. He's so good. This guy's amazing.'' Alex Cora on shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Red Sox improved to eight games over .500 for the first time this season.
- All eight games between the Red Sox and Orioles this season have been won by the road team.
- The win was the 14th comeback victory of the season for the Sox.
- The Sox are averaging nine runs over their last five games and have reached double figures in runs in three of their last five games.