All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Rangers complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Momentum building: It may have only been a win against a team with a losing record, but there was plenty of significance to the victory for the Red Sox. For one thing, regardless of what happens Sunday, it gave the Red Sox a series win, something they hadn't achieved since mid-April, in the second series of the year in Detroit. Also, coming as it did after Friday's win, the victory gave the Sox consecutive wins for the first time since April 16-17, when they took two in a row from the Minnesota Twins at Fenway. Finally, both the hit total (14) and the run total (11) represented season-highs for the club. In the four games on the current road trip, the Red Sox have scored 30 runs -- or the same number they had scored in their previous 11 games before the trip began.
Hill returns: Saturday's outing was the first for lefty Rich Hill in nine days thanks to a positive COVID test, but you wouldn't know it from watching him handle the Texas lineup. After being nicked for an unearned run in the bottom of the first, Hill proceeded to toss five scoreless innings thereafter, during which he allowed just three hits, including one that was essentially a swinging bunt. He retired eight of nine as he finished in the sixth. It was a mild surprise to see him come back out for the seventh inning, and in retrospect, that may have been asking too much of him, as he allowed three straight hits to open the inning before being lifted. But he didn't walk anyone, generated a lot of weak contact and ultimately earned his first win of the season.
Bottom of the order comes through: The final few spots in the lineup have been a black hole for the Red Sox for most of the season, but not Saturday night. Together, the final four hitters -- Franchy Cordero, Christian Vazquez, Bobby Dalbec and Jackie Bradley Jr. -- combined to go 8-for-18 with four RBI and seven runs scored. Cordero, who worked a walk and reached base three times, looks like a completely different hitter than a year ago, using far more discipline at the plate and controlling his swing more. Dalbec, too, has made some adjustments with his early work and was right on a couple of breaking pitches earlier to produce a run-scoring single and later, a double into the left-field corner. It's highly unlikely the Sox are going to get that same sort of production at the bottom of the order on a regular basis, but for one night, it offered some balance to the attack and suggested that a few of the struggling players had found some answers.
TURNING POINT
After exchanging runs with the Rangers in the first inning, the Red Sox turned things loose in the second inning, sending eight men to the plate and scoring four times to stretch the lead to 5-1. They never looked back after that. Two seemingly small things -- a well-placed bunt from Jackie Bradley Jr. pushed two runners over and a sacrifice fly from slumping Kike Hernandez -- helped propel the inning forward and a two-run homer from Rafael Devers helped seal things.
TWO UP
Red Sox bullpen: Taking over for Hill in the bottom of the seventh, three Red Sox relievers -- Hirokazu Sawamura, Matt Barnes and Jake Diekman -- combined to throw three scoreless innings and allowed just one baserunner -- a walk. With the Sox in possession of a big lead, these were far from high-leverage innings, but the trio threw strikes and finished things out.
Rafael Devers: Devers put on a clinic by swatting a changeup off the left-field foul pole for a two-run homer and also had a booming double in the eighth inning.
ONE DOWN
Trevor Story: He was the only member of the starting lineup who didn't have at least one hit and he also committed an error that led to an unearned run for the Rangers in the bottom of the first
QUOTE OF NOTE
"It feels good. I haven't been playing much lately, so I've been taking a lot of swings and doing some early work. I'm just trying to swing through it and I felt like I made some good strides the last few days, and today felt pretty good.'' Bobby Dalbec, who had two hits, two runs and one RBI.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* J.D. Martinez extended his hitting streak to 15 games and has reached base in 31 straight, dating back to the end of last season.
* Trevor Story saw his RBI streak come to an end at three games.
* Rafael Devers extended his hitting streak to eight straight and has now reached base in 18 straight.
* Bobby Dalbec's two-hit game was his third of the season.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Rangers wrap up the series Sunday afternoon at 2:35 p.m. The Sox will use their bullpen for this game with LHP Austin Davis (0-0, 2.70) while the Rangers will start former Sox lefty Martin Perez (1-2, 2.10)