All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Angels, complete with BSJ analysis and insight.
HEADLINES
Power supplied from bottom: As far back as spring training. Alex Cora predicted that, while there would be strikeouts, the Red Sox would have the luxury of some quick-strike longball ability in the lower third of their lineup. Sure enough, Friday served as a textbook example of what he had forecast. In the second inning, Hunter Renfroe connected for a mammoth shot into the center field bleachers, scoring Rafael Devers in front of him. The Sox didn't score again until the seventh, but when it came, it was dramatic and impressive. After the Sox had surrendered the lead in the top of the inning, Bobby Dalbec went down a got a changeup at the bottom of the zone and walloped it into the Monster Seats, banging the ball off one of the signs in the back row. It was the second homer in as many nights for Dalbec, and it came off a lefty. He continues to have a tough time against right-handed pitching, but his homer couldn't have been better timed for the Sox.
Pivetta strong: Although he didn't factor in the decision, Nick Pivetta turned in one of his best outings of the season. Through the first six innings, the only run he allowed was on a solo homer by Shohei Ohtani, who flicked his bat and reached the Monster Seats in the sixth. Before that homer, Pivetta had retired the previous 11 Angels in a row, having allowed just two baserunners through the first five frames. He didn't allow a walk all night, and though he was lifted after yielding a leadoff single by Anthony Rendon in the seventh, was pleased with his performance. He credited his ability to attack the strike zone for his success. Pivetta has started eight games this season and the Sox are 7-1 in his starts.
TURNING POINT
The Sox had just re-taken the lead in the bottom of the seventh, but one run didn't seem like much with the top of the order due for the Angels. But Adam Ottavino attacked the LA lineup, getting David Fletcher on a groundout before getting Ohtani swinging and finishing up by getting Mike Trout on a called third strike. That was a dangerous part of the order, but Ottavino, whose performance has been up-and-down, had a dominant inning and kept the momentum on the Sox' side.
ONE UP
Hunter Renfroe: More and more, Renfroe is getting comfortable at the plate, and as Cora noted, isn't being pull happy. It's worth noting his homer in the second was to dead center and his single in the seventh was up the middle, too.
TWO DOWN
Matt Andriese: In the first month of the season, Andriese was superb out of the bullpen. But he's allowed eight runs in his last five appearances. Cora said fastball usage has been an issue.
Alex Verdugo: Somewhat quietly, Verdugo has hit a major slump. He was 0-for-4 Friday night, making him 0-for-14 overall. He's also hitting under .240 for the month.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"That was a cool Friday night at Fenway. There was a curtain call. The vibe was outstanding. The fans were into it. It was a great night.'' - Alex Cora.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* The win was the Red Sox' 16th come-from-behind victory of the season.
* The Sox have hit 21 homers in the last 14 games.
* Matt Barnes needed just 11 pitches to strike out the side in the ninth.
* Barnes has struck out 50.3 percent of the batters he's faced this season.
UP NEXT
The series continues at 4:10 p.m. with LHP Martin Perez (0-2, 4.01) vs. RHP Dylan Bundy (0-4, 5.03)