All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Brewers, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
String of doubles leads the way: The Red Sox trailed 2-0 in the fifth with two outs when suddenly they began a doubles spree. Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez, Christian Vazquez and Alex Verdugo all contributed, belting four doubles in succession, to account for five runs in that inning. In the sixth, the parade of doubles continued, as Christian Arroyo and Jackie Bradley Jr. chipped in with two-base hits of their own. In all, dating back to a double from Martinez in the fourth inning, seven straight hits, over three innings, were all doubles. Perhaps that shouldn't be too surprising, since the Sox came into the game leading the majors in doubles with 225 on the season.
Winckowski ends drought: For the first 30 days of July, no Red Sox starting pitcher earned a victory, and the Red Sox seemed on the verge of becoming just the third team to go an entire month without a starter qualifying for a win, joining the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this year and the 1996 Detroit Tigers. But Winckowski changed that narrative, picking up the win. He allowed a two-run homer to former Sox outfielder Hunter Renfroe to give Milwaukee a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. But when the Sox rallied for five in the fifth, Winckowski was off the hook. He left after five, allowing only those two runs on seven hits. As usual, Winckowski didn't overpower anyone -- he had just one strikeout -- but it helped that the defense played well behind him, turning two inning-ending double plays.
The last goodbye?: With the trade deadline coming Tuesday and the Red Sox embarking on a seven-game road trip beginning Monday in Houston, it's possible that Sunday represented the last home game in the careers of pending free agents J.D. Martinez and Christian Vazquez -- among others. If that was the case, both went out on a high. Martinez, who had been slumping for the last week or so, delivered two doubles and knocked in a run. Vazquez also contributed a run-scoring double. Martinez was on deck in the bottom of the eighth with two outs for what surely would have been an emotional at-bat, but Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging for the third out, denying Martinez one more plate appearance.
TURNING POINT
The Red Sox were already trailing 2-0 in the top of the fifth and the Brewers had Willy Adames on second after a double. With first base open, they elected to give Rowdy Tellez his third intentional walk of the series. Another base hit would have stretched the Milwaukee lead to 3-0. But in the Boston dugout, someone noted that Adames had taken too big a lead off second, and signaled for a pickoff attempt to second. Winckowski turned and fired and the Sox got Adames in a rundown. The out fired up Winckowski as he left the field, and in the bottom of the same inning, the Red Sox began their doubles-fueled comeback.
TWO UP
Garrett Whitlock: Taking over for starter Josh Winckowski once the Sox had taken the lead, Whitlock turned in two scoreless innings to serve as a bridge to the back of the bullpen.
Christian Arroyo: Since being activated Saturday morning, Arroyo has reached base safely in seven of his eight plate appearances with a two-hit two-walk day Sunday following up Saturday's three-hit performance.
TWO DOWN
Bobby Dalbec: Dalbec has always been a streaky performer, and we've seen that within this week, too. After a few big games earlier in the week, he's turned cold again with his second consecutive 0-for-4 at the plate.
Yolmer Sanchez: Sanchez is here for his glove, but he's given the Red Sox next-to-nothing offensively, going hitless in four plate appearances to drop his batting average to .077 for the Sox.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"They're aware. They are....One thing's for sure, nothing has changed in terms of preparation and going about things the right way.'' Alex Cora, on a number of veterans on the roster who might be traded in the next two days.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* With a fifth-inning double, J.D. Martinez snapped an 0-for-25 slump at the plate.
* The eight doubles by the Red Sox were the most for the team since Aug. 11, 2021.
* Josh Winckowski became the first Sox starter to pick up a win since Rich Hill on June 26 in Cleveland.
* Christian Vazquez has reached base safely in seven of the last 10 games, hitting .390 in that span with a .943 OPS.
UP NEXT: The Red Sox take to the road for a seven-game trip, with the first stop in Houston, where the Sox will send RHP Nathan Eovaldi (4-3, 4.43) vs. RHP Luis Garcia (8-6, 3.61) at 8:10 p.m.