Article Author:
Reuters
Everything about the Boston Red Sox comes together. After he scored at least eight runs in an 8-3 win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday for the first time in 32 games, the Red Sox decided to sweep the Pirates his three games on Thursday night. Aim.
By going all out on both sides of the ball, Boston took his third straight win, five of six.
Red Sox right fielder Alex Verdugo is batting 11.447 (38-17). He has run in his last 11 games after going 3-for-3 on Wednesday. } Verdugo also has nine extra-base hits and seven walks. On Wednesday, teammate Christian Arroyo recorded his three RBIs, matching Verdugo's three.
Boston's starting pitchers are also solid. Including his two-run ball in five innings off his Hill on Wednesday, the Red Sox are in his sixth straight game with a starter giving up three or fewer runs in at least five innings. .
On Thursday, the Red Sox will have to freshen up as scheduled starter Nathan Eovaldi deals with a sore trapezius muscle.
Josh Winckowski (5-5, 4.69 ERA) will start instead. The rookie right-hander started the game scoreless in five innings against the Orioles on August 11 in Baltimore, but in five 2/3 innings he scored three runs.
Boston manager Alex Cora said Hill's five-inning long pitch was enough to prepare his staff for Thursday. Winkowski will face the Pirates for the first time.
"We are going all out with [Winkowski]. It's a regular start for him," Cora said. "(John) Shriver has a day, (Matt) Barnes is free. …We feel good.
Winkowski piggybacked Hill on Wednesday before Eovaldi was scratched.
"I feel like I can pitch [on Thursday], but I'm playing it safe," Eovaldi said. His next start is scheduled for Tuesday against the Blue Jays in Toronto. "I felt it coming out of my last start. I don't know exactly when—Day 2, Day 3.
The Red Sox will be out of the final wild card position in the American League on Thursday. Entering the game four games behind
"I know it's a little bit far, but I'm very close," said Verdugo. "We're just looking for one open spot." His JT Brubaker (2-10, 4.45 ERA) in Pittsburgh kicks off the series finale. The right-hander has allowed three or fewer earned runs in five of his six starts since his last win on June 30.
Brubaker's trend of steady starts continued last week, as he held the Diamondbacks to two runs on three hits in Arizona, where he struck out six in five innings. Both runs scored in the fourth inning.
"In his first three innings, I think he had a very good tempo and pushed the opponent down," said manager Derek Shelton. "He gave up a solo home run (to Emmanuel Rivera) to start the fourth, but he seemed to be a little out of rhythm." It was the first Red in his Sox game of his career.
Overall, Brubaker was a bright spot for the bottom-placed team in National League Central.
The Pirates will look to finish the series with a more consistent offensive effort and avoid his seven-game losing streak for the second time in less than a month. After Brian Reynolds hit his two-run homer in Wednesday's game, the Pirates held him to one hit through his ninth inning. "We got out of our zone throughout the game and had the Boston pitcher dictate what to swing instead of staying in his zone hitting," Shelton said.
– Field Level Media
