All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the A's, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Pivetta continues to dominate: Nick Pivetta barely resembles the pitcher the Red Sox saw in the first month of the season -- and for the Sox, that's a good thing. After beginning the season with four losses and a no-decision in his first five, Pivetta has executed a dramatic turnaround. Saturday was his fifth straight victory while also marking the sixth straight game he's given the Sox at least six innings. In his last six starts, during which he's 5-0 with a 1.32 ERA, he's allowed a total of seven earned runs, and while manager Alex Cora said the improvement is due to better fastball command, Pivetta gives more credit to his curveball, allowing him to change speed and eye levels of hitters. On several of his seven strikeouts in seven innings, Pivetta got swings and misses on a curveball diving out of the strike zone and bottoming out. He allowed just two hits, and to show how good his control has been, his two walks marked only the third time in his six-game stretch that he's allowed that many.
Sox have mastered tacking on: Early in the season, it seemed that several times a week, they would lose games in which they took early leads, but failed to add on as the game progressed. That's no longer an issue, now that the offense has been revitalized in the last month. Saturday, already comfortably ahead 4-0 in the eighth, the Sox kept pouring it on, batting around while sending 10 hitters to the plate and scoring four more runs. It marked the third straight game in which the Red Sox scored at least three runs from the seventh inning on. After the game, Cora said there was a hidden value to adding on late -- in addition to providing some breathing room for the Boston bullpen, it also forces the opponent to use additional relievers, thus weakening them for the next game. Perhaps that's a contributing factor to the Sox being on the verge of their second sweep of the year, while they've earned series wins (or ties) in five of the last six series.
Duran makes an impact: Outfielder Jarren Duran, with the team for the weekend as Jackie Bradley Jr. was placed on the paternity list, got a start in right field and contributed two hits. One was a line-drive single to the gap in left-center, showing that Duran is able to hit the ball hard on a line, and take it the other way, something he seemed incapable of doing last season when he had a couple of call-ups with the major league club. He also reached base in the eighth inning on a grounder to the left side, a chance for him to demonstrate his speed. When teams have to cut down to a maximum of 13 pitchers later this month, it will open a roster spot for an extra position player and games like Saturday, if he can continue to replicate them, will help make the case that Duran should be that player.
TURNING POINT
The Red Sox already had a 3-0 lead after jumping on Oakland starter Paul Blackburn, but weren't satisfied. In the fourth inning, a leadoff walk by Xander Bogaerts was followed by a hard double into the right field corner by Alex Verdugo, stretching the lead to 4-0. Given Pivetta was dominating the A's, those four runs were plenty enough.
TWO UP
Alex Verdugo: The outfielder had a three-hit game and knocked in two runs. He's been on base six times so far in the series and has lifted his average to .246.
Franchy Cordero: Cordero continues to have far better at-bats. He worked an eight-pitch walk in his first plate appearance and later produced a huge two-run single in the eighth inning.
ONE DOWN
J.D. Martinez: Though Martinez started the eighth with a hard-hit double, he was previously 0-for-4 and failed to come through with a number of RBI opportunities.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"I don't know, I'm just going out there and having fun -- playing baseball and repeating more of what I've been doing. I'm not trying to over-analyze it. I'm just trying to go out, compete and win baseball games. That's all I really care about and that's all I want to do. '' Nick Pivetta on the turnaround he's experienced from the first month of the season.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* The shutout was the third of the season for the Red Sox, who have also been shut out three times.
* A win Sunday would give the Red Sox their first series sweep on the road this season.
* Tanner Houck recorded his fifth straight scoreless appearance.
* Nick Pivetta has provided the Red Sox with at least six innings in each of his last six outings.
* Alex Verdugo extended his hitting streak to four straight games.
UP NEXT
As the Red Sox go for a sweep of the A's at the Coliseum, they'll send LHP Rich Hill ( 1-3, 4.85) out to face RHP Frankie Montas (2-5, 3.20) at 4:07 p.m.