All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 8-1 win over the Twins, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Wacha makes it work: Michael Wacha turned in his second straight strong start for the Red Sox. In his debut earlier in the week in Detroit, he allowed just one run on two hits over 4.1 innings, and Sunday was even better as he got through the fifth inning, yielding just two hits while keeping the Twins off the board. Wacha worked quickly, kept up the brisk pace and attacked the hitters, allowing just two walks while fanning five. Wacha changed his pitch mix last September while with Tampa Bay and began emphasizing different pitches, and he's carried that through this year. He was supported by some strong defense behind him and benefited from an aggressive approach, needing just eight pitches, for instance, to get through the first inning.
Eighth-inning eruption: For the first seven innings, the Red Sox had just two runs on four hits to show for their effort and clung to a 2-1 lead. But in the bottom of the eighth, that changed in a hurry. The Sox soon collected four straight hits and seven in the span of eight at-bats to produce six insurance runs and blow the game wide open. Sending 10 batters to the plate that inning, the Sox had seven hits and a sacrifice fly against the Twins bullpen. "That's what we pride ourselves on -- having our plan and sticking to it,'' said Trevor Story, who had a big two-run single in the middle of the inning. "Early on, we didn't do a great job, but as the game went on, we did a better job of hitting (the pitches) we should and that big inning happened. That's kind of how it goes.''
Houck ineligible for Toronto: Tanner Houck, who got the win in Saturday's victory, confirmed to the Boston Globe that he remains unvaccinated and thus, will not be eligible to play in Toronto when the Red Sox travel there next week for a four-game series. Citing his belief that getting vaccinated is "a personal choice,'' Houck confirmed his status. The Canadian government has mandated that visitors must be vaccinated. MLB will place players who aren't vaccinated on an ineligible list for games played in Toronto, during which time players will not be paid and won't accrue service time. Manager Alex Cora said the Sox are planning some adjustments to their rotation to cover for Houck's absence. He also said that he expected there would be others on the roster who won't be eligible, though he didn't say how many or whom.
TURNING POINT
In the fourth inning of a scoreless game, Jorge Polanco drew a one-out walk, bringing Max Kepler to the plate. The Red Sox shifted around on the lefty-hitting Kepler, Wacha got a ground ball up the middle, which resulted in a somewhat unorthodox 6-5-3 double play, with Xander Bogaerts flipping the feed to Rafael Devers at second base, who threw to first to complete the inning-ending double play and preserve the scoreless tie.
TWO UP
Jake Diekman: When the game was still a one-run affair, Diekman drew a tough assignment -- facing the top third of the Twins order in the eighth inning. He was dominant, getting a groundout and two strikeouts to preserve the one-run margin before the Sox blew it open in the bottom of the inning.
Xander Bogaerts: The hitting slump which dogged Bogaerts for the first week is now officially a thing of the past. He followed up Saturday's homer with a three-hit game and knocked in a run.
TWO DOWN
Ryan Brasier: Of the four Red Sox relievers who worked, Brasier was the only one who wasn't effective. He faced five hitters and allowed two singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly and was charged with the only run the Twins scored.
Kevin Plawecki: Getting the start behind the plate, Plawecki was the only member of the starting lineup to go without a hit, though he did contribute a sacrifice fly in the big six-run eighth inning.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"That was a good offensive effort. Even if it was a 2-1 game as a final, I was very pleased with the at-bats today. It seems like we're getting close to who we are.'' Alex Cora.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* Trevor Story has now hit safely in five straight games.
* Alex Verdugo has knocked in at least one run in each of the last four games.
* The double in the sixth inning was the 300th of J.D. Martinez's career.
* After scoring just 12 runs in their first four games, the Red Sox have since scored 30 in the last five.
* Since 2013, Xander Bogaerts has 105 games of three or more hits. In the American League in that span, only Houston's Jose Altuve (144) has more.
UP NEXT: The teams conclude their four-game, wraparound series with the traditional Patriots Day game at 11:05. The pitching matchup will feature LHP Rich Hill (0-0, 6.23) vs. RHP Dylan Bundy (1-0, 0.00)