All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Yankees, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
ERod spins a gem: Last week, when Rodriguez gave up five runs -- three earned -- to Tampa Bay, Alex Cora insisted that he had seen the best stuff of the season from the lefty. Still, there were issues with execution and pitch usage that left the outing far from perfect. Rodriguez took another step in the right direction Sunday, giving the Sox six solid innings with the only blemish being a two-run homer by Aaron Judge in the lefty's final innings. It was more than good enough to give Rodriguez his first win since early May. He didn't allow a single walk and fanned eight and of the five hits he yielded -- the first four of which were singles. If Rodriguez has finally figured some things out, the timing couldn't be better for the Sox, with Garrett Richards seemingly lost in the post-foreign substance era and Martin Perez incapable of providing length.
Sox flex their muscles: The Red Sox belted four homers on the afternoon, including two before the Sunday crowd had settled into their seats. The first, from Kike Hernandez, gave the Sox a fast 1-0 lead and appeared to stun Gerrit Cole, and four batters later, a three-run bomb nearly halfway up the right field bleachers by Rafael Devers which gave the Sox a commanding 4-0 lead in the first inning. Just for good measure, J.D. Martinez took Cole deep to open the third, the third homer that Cole allowed on the day. Christian Vazquez supplied the last one in the eighth, providing a little bit of breathing room in the late innings. As a whole, the Red Sox don't live-and-die by the homer the way some teams do, but occasionally, the ability to stun opponents into submission with a barrage of homers can come in handy. For a Yankee team already reeling, having dropped the first two games of the series, were just that kind of opponent. And the fact that three of them were hit off Cole made it an ever bigger statement.
TURNING POINT
With a four-run jumpstart in the first inning, this one was never really in doubt. But there was an anxious moment or two in the seventh. A one-out walk to Miguel Andujar and a single from Clint Frazier gave the Yankees a hint of a rally. Garrett Whitlock was called upon to clean up the mess left by Darwinzon Hernandez and promptly walked pinch-hitter Gary Sanchez. With the Sox leading 6-2 at the time, that brought the potential tying run to the plate -- twice. But Whitlock locked it down by getting D.J. LeMahieu looking for the second out, then retired Aaron Judge on a pop foulout to first.
TWO UP
Kike Hernandez: On the very first pitch of the game, Hernandez launched a homer into the Monster Seats, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Later, he added a run-scoring double in the eighth.
Christian Vazquez: Vazquez is suddenly hot at the plate (7-for-13 in his last four games) and contributed two hits -- single and homer to go along with a sacrifice fly.
ONE DOWN
Darwinzon Hernandez: Overall, the numbers have been strong. But Hernandez has also issued 22 walks in 24.1 innings and couldn't close out the seventh without some help.
QUOTE OF NOTE:
"All around, probably the best series we've played the whole season.'' Alex Cora.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* The homer for Christian Vazquez was his first since May 19, dating back some 99 at-bats ago.
* The Red Sox improved to 16 games over .500 for the first time this season.
* The home run by Rafael Devers in the first inning was the third-hardest hit of his career.
* This marked the 6th time this season that the Red Sox have hit four or more homers in a game.
* The Sox have swept the Yankees in consecutive series for the first time since 2011.
UP NEXT: The Red Sox host the Kansas City Royals in the first of four Monday night at 7:10. The pitching matchup will feature RHP Garrett Richards (4-5, 4.64) vs. LHP Danny Duffy (4-3, 1.81) at 7:10 p.m.