The Boston Red Sox avoided a series sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers with a 7-2 victory at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Sox improved to 51-52 on the season while the Brewers fell to 57-45.
Check out the box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
When the Red Sox put it all together, they're a playoff-caliber baseball team.
Boston was granted its first start by a winning pitcher in July as Josh Winckowski allowed two runs on seven hits in five innings. His effort was complemented by a few key defensive plays -- for a Red Sox team which has lacked fundamental defense of late. Arguably the biggest of such plays came on an inning-ending double play in the fourth before Winckowski later picked off Willy Adames to end the fifth. Boston also turned a double play in the opening frame.
And with the defense keeping the Red Sox in it early, the offense then did its part with a five-run fifth inning to erase a 2-0 deficit. Boston scored five runs on four consecutive doubles and one Milwaukee error. In fact, eight of Boston's 11 hits were doubles with Jackie Bradley Jr. later hitting a RBI ground-rule double in the bottom of the sixth to give the Red Sox a 6-2 advantage.
Meanwhile Red Sox manager Alex Cora showed just how important the contest was by getting Garrett Whitlock in for the sixth and seventh frames. Boston extended its lead to 7-2 with Whitlock, who allowed two hits in two innings, on the mound. He turned the ball over to Austin Davis for the eighth and Josh Schreiber for the ninth.
All told, the Red Sox put together a complete effort Sunday afternoon -- and in doing so might have given chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom something to consider with the MLB trade deadline just about 48 hours away.
STARS OF THE GAME
-- J.D. Martinez put together a handful of great plate appearances in front of a supportive Fenway Park crowd. Boston's designated hitter (2-for-4) led off the fourth inning with a double to deep center and then smacked another one for an RBI in the fifth.
-- Xander Bogaerts came through with a game-tying, two-run double down the left field line during the fifth-inning breakout. Bogaerts finished with two RBIs and one run scored as he went 2-for-5 at the plate.
-- Brewers outfielder Hunter Renfroe, formerly of the Red Sox, put together another impressive showing for the second consecutive game. Renfroe finished 4-for-4 with two RBIs on a two-run shot in the second inning.
WAGER WATCH
Winckowski put together a much-needed start for the Red Sox, earning the club its first win by a starter in July. For those who took Winckowski's outs-recorded prop, though, it might have been a bad beat. The Red Sox right-hander recorded 15 outs (five innings) with his prop set at over/under 15.5 outs on DraftKings Sportsbook.
ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox now will travel to Houston as they open up a three-game series against the Astros on Monday night. First pitch is set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Boston will be back on NESN on Tuesday against the Astros with first pitch scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET, and you can watch it with NESN 360 after an hour of pregame coverage.
