Kyle Schwarber made the anticipation worth it.
Unable to play for a couple weeks after landing with Boston due to hamstring and groin injuries, Schwarber didn't make his Red Sox debut until Friday. He went hitless but his at-bats were professional. However it was Sunday, his second game for Boston, that he showed his pop.
The veteran slugger drilled a pair of doubles, including one off the wall, in the Red Sox's 6-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
"To get the first hit out of the way, first two, I can kind of relax now and get back to baseball," Schwarber said after the game over Zoom.
Schwarber's bat obviously is the biggest thing the Red Sox brought him in for. But he's not going to pigeonhole himself into just being a hitter.
"I'm a big believer in trying to do something each and every day to help the team win -- if it's in the batter's box, out on defense or in the clubhouse," Schwarber said. "Anything like that, anything I can do ... that's great. That's what I want to do every day. I don't like to go out there and say I'm going to do this or that, I just want to try to come in and help the team."
Having Schwarber allowed the Red Sox to really eliminate any holes in their lineup. He hit sixth, while Hunter Renfroe moved up to second and Alex Verdugo was hitting eighth.
Up until Friday, Schwarber hadn't played in a game since July 2nd, and didn't even go on a rehab assignment because of rain. That he was making hard contact in just his second game back is an encouraging sign of what could be to come.
Here are some other notes from Sunday's Red Sox-Orioles game:
-- Eduardo Rodriguez seems like he is starting to round into form.
The southpaw had one of his better outings of the season, allowing one run, which wasn't earned, over six innings off three hits. He walked three and struck out six.
It has been a bumpy campaign for Rodriguez, but his last three starts all have been good. In his last six turns through the rotation, Rodriguez is 3-1 with a 3.08 ERA.
"He did a tremendous job," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "The walks put him in a bad spot in certain situations, but the fastball played again and he gave us six strong innings."
-- Getting Rodriguez right is kind of the last piece of the puzzle for building the Red Sox rotation. Barring injuries or poor performance, it looks like the Red Sox are going to war with Rodriguez, Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Tanner Houck and Nick Pivetta as their rotation.
Lately that has been working, as Sox starters over the last nine games have posted a 4-1 record with a 2.39 ERA and .197 opponent's batting average. They've stuck out 61 and walked just 11 over 49 innings.
Those are numbers the Red Sox will live with, especially if the offense performs up to its abilities.
-- The Red Sox had a few relievers they wanted to get some work in, and the results varied.
Adam Ottavino hadn't pitched in a week, and he was erratic up until leaving the game because he got drilled by a line drive. Garrett Whitlock -- who hadn't pitched since Tuesday -- took over for Ottavino and looked good.
Whitlock escaped the jam left by Ottavino, then struck out the side in the eighth.
Matt Barnes, who got a few days off amid some struggles, pitched the ninth inning. He allowed a double and single, but didn't surrender a run and closed the door.
-- On the COVID-19 front, the Red Sox are getting some good news.
Cora indicated that bench coach Will Venable and first base coach Tom Goodwin are both expected to join the team in New York. Venable had tested positive for the coronavirus when the team was in Toronto, and Goodwin was considered a close contact. Both have had to remain at the hotel in Canada since.
Reliever Josh Taylor was placed on the COVID-19 related injured list prior to Sunday's game, but Cora said his situation is similar to that of Matt Barnes and J.D. Martinez, and that he feels good about the possibility of him getting cleared for Tuesday.
