BSJ Game Report: Red Sox 7, Athletics 0 - Pivetta powers strong night for pitching as Boston keeps rolling

All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Athletics, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

Sox stay hot on road trip: The late-night Red Sox continued on their roll with their third win in four games since coming out of the All-Star break after blowing past Oakland, 7-0, in Monday's series opener. Boston has won 11 of 13. Nick Pivetta, Brennan Bernardino and Chris Martin executed a near-flawless bullpen game, combining for a one-hit shutout. Boston improves to 51-44, now sitting 1.5 games out of a wild card spot. 

Pivetta dominates out of the bullpen: Nick Pivetta threw six strong innings out the bullpen, striking out 13 and walking two without giving up a single hit. He was flat-out dominant, setting a franchise record for strikeouts in a relief appearance and tying the fifth-highest total in MLB history. 

"[Connor] Wong did a really good job, keeping me in the zone. He had a great gameplan, we connected really well, and we were able to just finish guys," Pivetta told reporters. "I just go out there and I execute what I need to execute on. I just get ahead of guys, compete in the zone, use my stuff in the zone and then expand the zone after that."

Wong leads the way at the plate: The Red Sox got hitting throughout the lineup, but Wong had the best day at the plate for Boston, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run. Wong scored Adam Duvall with an RBI single in the second before blowing the game open with a two-RBI double in the sixth. 

TURNING POINT

Top of the sixth: After scoring runs in each of the first two innings, Boston went quiet from the third through fifth before knocking in four in the sixth inning. An Adam Duvall sacrifice fly got the scoring started in the inning before Wong's rocket down the line in left tacked on two more. Christian Arroyo scored on a Yu Chang groundout for the Sox' fourth run of the inning to make it 7-0.  

FIVE UP

Nick Pivetta: Only five of the 20 batters Pivetta faced managed to put the ball in play. All of his pitches were effective, especially his fastball and sweeper. Had 17 called strikes and whiffs on his fastball, per Baseball Savant, and three of the four swings he got on his sweeper were whiffs. Had 18 whiffs in total. Continues to get the job done as a reliever. He now has a 2.31 ERA as a reliever this season and has held opponents to a .091 average since May 30, according to J.P. Long (@SoxNotes on Twitter).

Brennan Bernardino: Did his job as the opener, striking out two and surrendering the lone hit in two innings of work. Was pretty efficient, too, throwing 13 of 20 pitches for strikes. Continues his strong run in the opener role of late.

Connor Wong: Strongest day at the plate of anyone in Boston's lineup, doing it in the eight hole, too. Helped put the game out of reach in the sixth inning, and was steady behind the dish as the pitching staff excelled throughout the night. Has hits in three straight.

"We were on the same page the whole night," Wong told reporters of the rapport between him and Pivetta. "He just could throw everything for a strike. ... I think you can just feel it. The way the ball comes out of his hand. I mean, when I'm catching it, I can feel it, how explosive it is. So that's when I know [he has it]."

Alex Cora told reporters, "The guys in the bottom of the lineup helping out, that's huge. ... He called a great game behind the plate. I think offensively, when that happens, we become very dangerous because he's setting the table for the big boys. Then, they cash in."

Justin Turner: Extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a double to right field after Seth Brown couldn't make the diving grab. Added a run and a pair of RBI, opening the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the first before a bases-loaded force out in the ninth to help finish it off.

Triston Casas: Continues to get on base. Like Turner, wasn't flashy tonight, but got the job done, going 1-for-2 with a run and a pair of walks. 

ONE DOWN

Yu Chang: Nit-picky. Chang was the only guy in the lineup to not record a hit against the hapless A's, finishing 0-for-4 with a strikeout. Had the RBI in the sixth, though.

NOTABLE 

Pivetta's 13 Ks as a deliver were the most without allowing a hit since the mound was set to its current distance in 1893, according to Elias Sports. He is one of three Red Sox relievers to strike out at least 10 without giving up a hit.

The 18 strikeouts for the pitching staff tonight is tied for the most in a game in baseball this season. 

Turner is 20-for-49 (.408) during his hitting streak. 

No Rafael Devers (off day), no problem for the Red Sox. Devers was 6-for-13 with five extra-base hits, five runs and three RBI since the break. 

QUOTE OF NOTE

"Like I've said, at one point, he needs to start," Cora said of Pivetta. "We're going to play 14 or 15 games in a row, but for now, this structure has been a structure we like. [Bernardino] has been amazing, getting those first three outs, then [Pivetta] takes it from there. A lot of people were worried when he got 'demoted' to the bullpen because he wants to be a starter and he has the potential to become a starter, but he took it the other way. He's like, 'You know what? I'm going to contribute and I'm going to help this team. Whatever role you give me, I'm going to go out there and perform.' So far, so good."

UP NEXT

Second of the three-game set will be Tuesday at 9:40 p.m. ET in Oakland. Boston has not yet named a starter. RHP Luis Medina (2-7, 6.34) will start for the A’s.