All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the A's, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Hill bounces back: Veteran Rich Hill was coming off his worst start in years, having allowed six runs in just four innings. But Hill rebounded nicely, pitching into the seventh inning while allowing just one run. At one point, from the final hitter in the first through the end of the sixth, Hill retired 16 hitters in a row, deftly mixing his fastball with a big looping curveball and the occasional cutter to keep the A's off-balance. The A's pounded balls into the ground or hit pop-ups -- when they weren't being frozen by Hill's breaking ball (four of his five strikeouts were on called third strikes). When he allowed a leadoff single to Jed Lowrie in the seventh, that was it, but by then, Hill had more than done his job. He earned his first win in almost a month.
Franchy goes deep: In a 1-1 game in the sixth inning, Franchy Cordero provided the big blow - a 106 mph homer to left with two on. It was Cordero's third homer of the season and he now has 15 RBI over his last 14 games. Cordero earned a look at first base, taking at-bats away from a slumping Bobby Dalbec, but now, the Sox seem intent on having his bat in the lineup every day, whether it's at first or, as was the case Sunday, in the outfield. He's become a far more disciplined hitter, and with his raw power, has the ability to launch balls when he makes good swing decisions. Also, his emergence as a run producer serves to lengthen the lineup and give the Sox another offensive threat in the lower third of the batting order.
Journeyman get job done: The Boston bullpen has been an adventure at times this year, but increasingly, Alex Cora seems to be gaining confidence in both John Schreiber and Tyler Danish. Neither made the team out of spring training, but were promoted in April and have seized the opportunities. Both throw from a three-quarter arm slot, giving hitters a different look, and both have good running action on their fastballs. On Sunday, they combined to record six huge outs after Hill was taken out. The Sox are still a roll of the dice at times in the ninth inning, liable to go with any number of options depending on availability and matchups. But the fact that Schreiber and Danish can be entrusted in high-leverage spots is evidence that the Sox are getting at least a bit of structure in their bullpen.
TURNING POINT
In the seventh inning, after Hill was removed, Schreiber came on. He got the first two hitters he faced before allowing a hit on a comebacker that struck the pitcher and veered into right field. A walk to pinch-hitter Tony Kemp followed, loading the bases for the A's. But facing Oakland third baseman Kevin Smith, Schreiber went into attack mode, firing three strikes past Smith to close out the inning, strand three baserunners and get the Sox a bit closer to the end of the game.
TWO UP
Rafael Devers: Devers continues to be among the most productive and confounding hitters in the game. In the first, he went the other way with a run-scoring single to give the Sox a 1-0 lead three batters into the game. Then, in the eighth, he again went to the opposite field, hitting a homer just inside the foul pole to account for some late-inning insurance.
Tyler Danish: After Schreiber wiggled out of a bases-loaded mess, Danish came on for the eighth and, working around a two-out single, retired the A's without incident.
TWO DOWN
Trevor Story: After belting two doubles the day before, Story endured a rough afternoon at the plate, going hitless in four trips and striking out three times. He left three on base in the first.
Kike Hernandez: Hernandez had a first-inning single, but then produced three straight flyouts to center field, as his offensive game remains stuck in neutral one-third of the way through the season.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"We got ourselves in a bad spot, but we believe in the group. We know we have a good baseball team that has to keep working hard to accomplish what we want.'' - Alex Cora on his team reaching the .500 mark.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* The homer by Franchy Cordero came off a splitter by Frankie Montas, the first time all season that someone had homered on that pitch.
* The Red Sox outscored the A's 20-5 in the series.
* The sweep of the A's was the Red Sox' first series sweep on the road this season.
* Boston starters had a 0.47 ERA in the series against Oakland.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox move on to Anaheim for a four-game series with the slumping Angels. The Sox will send RHP Michael Wacha (3-1, 2.43) vs. TBA at 9:38 p.m.