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
Pivetta improves to 5-0: At the start of the season, Nick Pivetta was probably regarded as the team's No. 5 starter -- a back-end option, perhaps serving only as a placeholder until supplanted by someone else. But some five weeks into the season, Pivetta is 5-0 with a 3.19 ERA. He struggled some in the first inning, with consecutive two-out walks, a run-scoring single and a ton of foul balls, but made some adjustments thereafter, allowing just one more run over his final five innings of work. In the nine games that Pivetta has started since joining the big league club last September, the Sox are 8-1. "Mixing pitches, getting ahead of guys and a lot of weak contact today,'' said Pivetta of his recipe for success. The one mistake he made was a solo homer to Cedric Mullins in the fifth, but he was able to overcome that.
Offense provides enough: After averaging nine runs over the previous five games, the Sox' dipped with their production, relatively speaking. But they came up with big hits when they needed them and continued to see contributions from all over the lineup. Hunter Renfroe hit his third homer of the month and Bobby Dalbec had a hard-hit double to the left-center field gap. But the biggest hits came from Rafael Devers, who homered in the second to tie the game, then clubbed a two-run double in the sixth to put them ahead to stay. "That's what we're all about,'' said Alex Cora of the balanced attack. "Right now, we're feeling good about our lineup from top to bottom.''
Defense a factor: Sunday's win may have lacked the kind of spectacular play that Xander Bogaerts turned in the sixth inning Saturday to start an improbable 6-4-3 double play, but there were solid plays in the field that helped limit the Orioles offense throughout the game. Hunter Renfroe made two standout plays in the first inning alone -- leaping against the scoreboard to take extra bases away from Austin Hays and, later the same inning, came racing in to catch a sinking liner off the bat of Freddy Galvis, with two runners on base. In the ninth inning, with the Sox clinging to a one-run lead, Bobby Dalbec made a fine diving stop of a hot smash off the bat of Rio Ruiz, depriving the O's of a double and a chance to put the potential tying run in scoring position.
TURNING POINT
In talking about how important it is for Red Sox starters to begin going deeper than five innings on Saturday, Alex Cora said the Sox would benefit from more shutdown innings -- i.e., innings in which the starter has a quick inning immediately after the Red Sox score. Pivetta accomplished that twice Sunday -- in the bottom of the second, after the Red Sox tied it, and again, after the Sox pulled ahead with two in the sixth, he turned the Orioles back, allowing only a walk in the bottom of the inning.
TWO UP:
Marwin Gonzalez: Back at the top of the lineup as the Sox' temporary leadoff hitter, Gonzalez had three hits in five plate appearances.
Matt Barnes: Barnes converted his eighth save in eight opportunities. In his eight save chances, he's allowed two batters to reach base -- one on a hit, one on a walk
ONE DOWN:
Adam Ottavino: For the seventh time in 16 appearances, Ottavino put the first batter he faced on based. Not surprisingly, he allowed a run as a result in the eighth inning. Opponents have scored against Ottavino in six of his 16 outings.
QUOTE OF NOTE:
"We have a great rhythm going on. We're never out of baseball games. We're really good competitors and we compete when we need to.'' Nick Pivetta on the streaking Sox.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The visiting team has won all nine games in the meetings between the Red Sox and Orioles this season.
- Nick Pivetta is the fourth pitcher in franchise history to start his career with seven wins and no losses.
- The Sox are 9-1 when their starting pitcher goes six or more innings.
- Boston improved to 12-4 on the road.
