5 takeaways as surging Red Sox thump A’s, 10-3, capture 7th win in 8 games
Jarren Duran was everywhere once again.
COMMENTARY
Don’t look now, but the Red Sox have won seven of eight, are four games above .500, and are just two games behind the Yankees and Blue Jays for the final Wild Card spot.
Saturday’s resounding, 10-3 triumph over the lowly Athletics was another step in the right direction for a team playing some of its best baseball of the season. Sure, it came against an historically bad ball club, but it also showed what this Boston team is capable of when everything is clicking.
“We’re playing a good brand of baseball right now,” infielder Christian Arroyo said.” We just want to continue it.”
As the Red Sox (47-43) head into the All-Star break, following Sunday’s matinee against Oakland (25-66), it’s clear Boston is fully capable of making the playoffs. Will it happen? Who knows, but it certainly can happen.
This team isn’t quite as mighty or menacing as some others before it, and doesn’t have nearly as many household names, but the Red Sox are proving that they shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Here are five takeaways from Fenway Park:
They left zero doubt.
The Red Sox seized command early, scoring in each of the first six innings to build a sizable lead. It wasn’t much of a game at any point, and the outcome was never in question.
Justin Turner plated Jarren Duran on a booming single high off the Green Monster to make it 1-0. Alex Verdugo then launched one over Pesky’s Pole to extend the margin to 3-0 through 1.
Duran belted a two-run homer to left-center in the second, Connor Wong scored Triston Casas on a sacrifice fly in the third, then Rafael Devers drove in Masataka Yoshida on a double to left in the fourth. In the fifth, Duran knocked in Arroyo on a ground-rule double and came around himself on a single from Yoshida. The next inning, Casas cruised home on a double from Arroyo.
Boston took a 10-1 edge through six and was more or less in cruise control the entire way.
Jarren Duran did much of the heavy lifting.
Duran continued his torrid stretch with a sizzling 3-for-5 day at the plate.
The 26-year-old outfielder, who hit .215 in 2021 and .221 in 2022, has upped his average to .319 this season.
He’s currently amid a five-game hitting streak and is 13-for-21 (.619) in that span. In his last 21 games, he’s hitting .424 and has 15 extra-base hits. Not bad for a guy many fans have insisted isn’t an MLB-caliber hitter.
“I’m just trying to be that annoyance to the other team,” Duran said. “Just get on base and run, keep pressure on, and hopefully guys behind me can get a good pitch to hit.”
Duran also stole a base, becoming the first Red Sox player with 17 or more before the All-Star break since Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi in 2018.
He made a sweet grab in right-center field as well, covering some serious ground before leaping to corral the fly ball on the warning track.
“He’s playing with confidence right now,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “You can tell … The last 10 days, he’s been amazing. Probably one of the best players in the league. Just leading the charge.”
Duran is blossoming into exactly the player the Red Sox hoped he would be when they drafted him in 2018. Now it’s about consistency over the full season.
He had plenty of help.
It wasn’t just Duran who was mashing Saturday. The Red Sox were patient at the plate, used all parts of the field, and did damage in a variety of ways.
Arroyo added three hits, Yoshida, Verdugo, and Casas two, and Turner, Devers, and Wong one each. Yoshida has six consecutive multi-hit games, which is tied for the longest streak in the majors this year.
The Red Sox have now reached 10 or more hits in seven straight games – their longest streak since 2019 and the longest in the majors this season. It’s their 39th game with 10-plus hits, which is tied for the second-most in MLB.
Boston is batting .403 with runners in scoring position over the past five games.
The Red Sox are 38-6 this season when they score five or more runs. They’re taking advantage of below-average pitching and leaving no doubt on a nightly basis.
James Paxton did his part.
James Paxton, the reigning American League Pitcher of the Month, kept the momentum rolling with another solid outing – six innings, six hits, two earned runs, one walk, three strikeouts.
He allowed two solo shots – in the third and sixth – but that was all the damage. Paxton, reinstated from paternity leave Friday, was steady in his first start since June 30.
“We needed six today, and he did an amazing job,” Cora said.
He’s now allowed just eight earned runs in his last 37 innings. The lanky left-hander has been on such a hot streak that his solid outing actually raised his season ERA from 2.70 to 2.73.
The Red Sox will take that all day. His reliability has been one of the major reasons they are where they are at this point in the season.
“He’s been unbelievable,” Arroyo said. “That’s The Big Maple, right? He’s been really good throughout his career. Getting to see what he does every fifth day, when he starts, has been special. He’s elite. He’s a bulldog out there.”
Brandon Walter was solid in relief to earn his first career save and cement the win.
Their schedule lines up nicely.
OK, so that’s nice and all, but they’re doing it against bad teams, aren’t they? Well, yes, to some degree, but they also just swept the Blue Jays and took two of three from the first-place Rangers.
You play who’s on your schedule, and this series win over the A’s – their third-straight series win – is significant.
Boston is 38-32 against teams .500 or above and is currently pummeling below-average teams as well. Seven of its next 11 series, through Aug. 17, are against teams that entered Saturday with a record of .500 or lower.
Don’t be surprised if the Red Sox sneak into that third Wild Card spot shortly after the All-Star break. It’s a long season, but it’s becoming clear that this team has an opportunity to be better long-term than most expected.
“We don’t need anybody to put the spotlight on us,” Duran said. “We’ll just be keeping our heads down, working. Then, by the end, guys will be like, ‘Wow, I didn’t even see that happening.’ I like the way we’re working.”
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