Red Sox Wrap: Boston Uses Small Ball To Beat Pitiful Athletics

The Boston Red Sox grabbed their sixth win in their last seven games Friday, capturing a 7-3 victory over the pitiful Oakland Athletics at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox improved to 46-43 on the season with the win, while the A’s fell to 25-65.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Who needs exit velocity?

The Red Sox sure didn’t in this one, racking up seven runs by the way of some small ball. Things got started with a five-run second inning, as Boston singled five times in the frame while mixing in one walk to put a ton of pressure on Oakland opener Sam Long and long guy Luis Medina.

Boston batted around in the inning, building enough of a lead to essentially seal the victory.

They weren’t done there, however, as the seventh inning provided an opportunity for Adam Duvall to break his slump by beating out a ground ball to score a run, with Alex Verdugo tacking on another with an opposite-field single.

Big day for beating the throw. pic.twitter.com/ILUNzZDRha

— NESN (@NESN) July 8, 2023

If they weren’t playing the league-worst Athletics, nine singles might not have been enough for the Red Sox. We’re sure Boston will take what they can get, though.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Nick Pivetta was superb out of the bullpen yet again, striking out eight across five innings pitched. He allowed just two earned runs on four hits.

— Brennan Bernardino has been quite the find for Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. The 31-year-old opened the game with two scoreless innings, dropping his ERA to 2.51 on the season.

— Justin Turner won’t stop hitting. He had two singles on the night to extend his hitting streak to seven games.

WAGER WATCH
Athletics first baseman Seth Brown hit a home run to make things interesting in the seventh inning. DraftKings Sportsbook gave him +450 odds to hit one out, with the 30-year-old netting $550 payouts for $100 bettors.

ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox and A’s will continue their three-game set Saturday at Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.