It would be nice if the Red Sox could simply bludgeon opponents into submission every night, as they seemed to be threatening to do not long ago.
In the second week of May, the Sox offense came to life, and before you knew it, the team was launching homers left and right and managing to score seven, eight or nine runs every night.
Nice, but not sustainable.
Sure, there are times when a good hitting club can get on a sustained roll and for a time, no pitching staff can hold them down. But eventually, things are bound to quiet down offensively. Hot bats suddenly cool down, and runs are far harder to come by.
That's when teams have to find other ways to win. They have to rely on pitching, defense, and baserunning to take the place of all the extra-base hits that invariably dry up.
That's what the Red Sox have been doing of late. For the second time in three nights, the Red Sox posted a 1-0 win Wednesday night, and sure, it helped that they did so at the expense of the Los Angeles Angels, who can't get out of their own way en route to a franchise-record 14 consecutive losses. The Angels are currently a walking, talking Murphy's Law on the field -- you name it, and it will go wrong.
But give the Red Sox, credit, too. They've been getting great starting pitching, superb relief work, strong defense and smart baserunning. That's how two runs have somehow been cashed in for two victories in this series.
"The pitching's been great -- both sides: starting pitching and the bullpen have really been lock-down right now,'' said Bobby Dalbec."That's huge when we're not scoring five-plus (runs) a game.''
Monday's win was all about Michael Wacha's complete-game three-hitter. On Wednesday, with two regulars out of the lineup and an ad hoc infield consisting of Dalbec at third and Christian Vazquez at first, it took a little more teamwork.
Nathan Eovaldi labored through five innings, allowing six hits and battling a sore hip that reduced his velocity. But after Eovaldi left, having thrown 84 pitches in five innings, the bullpen contributed four scoreless innings, with four relievers chipping in.
In the field, Vazquez dug out a throw in the dirt to complete a key 6-4-3 double play in the seventh. It was the only double play turned by the Sox Wednesday night, but it couldn't have come at a bigger time, with Shohei Ohtani lurking on deck.
Red Sox relievers have provided 10 innings the last two nights, allowing just one run during that stretch. Alex Cora seemed to press all the right buttons for the second night in a row when it came to matchups, especially with Jake Diekman, who was charged with the lone bullpen run allowed in Tuesday's thriller. But Cora took note that Diekman overmatched Ohtani Tuesday and had him ready to face the two-way sensation in the seventh Wednesday.
Until Monday night, the Red Sox were a woeful 4-8 in one-run games. Since then, they've won three straight such games.
Earlier, the bullpen couldn't be counted upon to navigate a lineup in a tight contest. Now, they do it with precision. In the last two wins, Cora has turned to seven different relievers, with no margin for error. Only Diekman (Tuesday) allowed a run.
When pitching isn't a difference maker, the Sox have relied on other elements, like defense and baserunning. Alex Verdugo scored the only run in Monday's win and again in Wednesday's shutout, and both times, he did so from first base.
Defense? The Sox have committed just two errors in the six games they've won on the West Coast, and neither led to an unearned run being scored. Of course, errors -- of lack thereof -- only tell half the story; on a nightly basis, the Sox are coming up with big plays to take away hits or prevent an extra base from being taken.
On Wednesday, the highlights included Vazquez's improbable scoop on the back end of a double play, and Jackie Bradley Jr. roaming over to cut off a ball hit by Jo Adell and limiting him to a single. Contributions like those take on added importance when you're clinging to a 1-0 lead on the scoreboard.
The Red Sox might need to win a few more like this before the trip is over. Cora has plans to provide the regulars with some rest, to better preserve them long-term, and Kiké Hernandez's absence will mean some adjustments and additional playing time for some role players like Christian Arroyo and the recently arrived Jonathan Arauz.
No matter. In April, the Red Sox needed everything to go right at once to earn a win. In June, it's different. Suddenly, the Red Sox can win slugfests, pitchers' duels and every way in between.