The Boston Red Sox won each of their games against the Minnesota Twins during Wednesday's doubleheader at Target Field.
Boston, with the two victories, has now won nine straight games. And they've done so in a number of different ways.
That was on display Wednesday, too. First, it was the pitching of Nathan Eovaldi and great defense which led the Red Sox to a 3-2 afternoon victory. A few hours later, Boston was putting the finishing touches on a 7-1 evening win due to the starting pitching of Eduardo Rodriguez and the offense, which compiled a six-run fifth inning.
"We did a god job. Overall, a great day for the Red Sox," an enthusiastic Alex Cora said on a postgame conference call. "That's a good baseball team and to win both games, win the series, it makes it special. We know we have a good baseball team and we have to keep working on it, and we have to keep getting better, but days like today, they’re very gratifying."
They're gratifying, as Cora expressed, due to a full complement of players doing their part.
"You saw it defensively, offensively, running the bases, Eduardo pitching well, Nate pitching well, (Eduard Bazardo) getting his first big league appearance, (Garrett) Whitlock doing his thing, (Matt) Barnes. Overall, a great day for us," Cora said.
It was a great day for Cora, too.
The Red Sox manager picked up career win No. 200 after the afternoon game. Cora had a great reaction to what the accolade meant, and was extremely grateful that the organization has given him the chance.
And it was an especially great doubleheader for Alex Verdugo. The Red Sox outfielder, who played all three positions in the grass, was a combined 5-for-8 at the plate with three RBIs and two runs scored. And on top of that, he made a stellar, game-saving catch to help Boston hold on for the first win of the day.
Cora and the entire Red Sox roster will look to keep their momentum going Thursday when they look for the sweep against the Twins. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET.
