Red Sox Notes: ‘Total Team Effort’ Leads Shorthanded Squad To Series Sweep

Alex Cora and the Boston Red Sox depart PNC Park satisfied with the results of their three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. And not just because the Red Sox earned a sweep of the Pirates after the 6-1 result Sunday afternoon, though that obviously helps.

But also because of how Boston fought through a handful of devastating injuries in the series, the most recent being to Triston Casas, who was placed on the 10-day injured list before Sunday’s game.

“It was a total team effort,” Cora told reporters after the win, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “We know where we’re at roster-wise right now.”

Rafael Devers and Tyler O’Neill also did not play in Pittsburgh meaning Sunday’s win came without three of Boston’s biggest bats.

“The boys did a good job,” Cora said. “That felt good in the sense that we used everybody. We set the lineup in a certain way and it actually worked.”

Cora added: “The base-running was solid, the defense we’ve been able to slow it down a little bit, and obviously the pitching. That’s been the constant, we were really good on the mound. … If we do that, we’re going to be better, but we still have work to do.”

Red Sox Wrap: Shorthanded Offense Does Enough For Series Sweep

Apr 21, 2024

Here are more notes from Red Sox-Pirates:

— Wilyer Abreu continued to produce for the Red Sox offense. Abreu (3-for-5, two RBIs run) has reached base in 10 consecutive games. He stroked an RBI single in the third inning, scored a run in the fifth after a lead-off double and added run-scoring knocks in the sixth and eighth (error) to extended Boston’s lead.

“We’ve been talking about him for while. It was a good one,” Cora said. “Early on, because of the way we’re constructed, it was hard to get him at-bats. But he will play. He did a good job against a tough lefty, too. He hung in there with him (Martin Perez), hit the ball hard.”

Abreu added a standout defensive play in left field, too.

“He’s a good defender,” Cora said. “We’ve moved him to left field because of the dimensions (at PNC Park) and he played great. Very happy for him, gaining confidence.”

— Josh Winckowski served as the Red Sox opener, and kept the momentum going for Boston’s starting staff. The right-hander allowed one earned run on three hits in 3 1/3 innings and threw 29 of his 46 pitches for strikes.

“First inning they hit the ball hard, but after that he settled down,” Cora said “His stuff was good.”

Cora said Winckowski “most likely” will remain in the starting rotation for the time being. Winckowski likely will be called to start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.

— Boston starting pitchers continue to lead the majors with a 1.73 ERA, per Red Sox senior manager of media relations and baseball information J.P. Long. Red Sox starters have combined for a 0.68 era in their last five starts (two runs in 26 1/3 innings).

— Cora specifically noted the return of Rob Refsnyder, who made his season debut in the series opener and played all three contests (4-for-13, four runs, three RBI, two walks).

“Having Ref back meant a lot in the lineup, in the clubhouse, defensively,” Cora said. “He did an outstanding job.”

— The Red Sox now are 10-3 on the road.

— Speaking with reporters before the game Sunday, Casas said he was flying back to Boston to undergo more testing. Casas said he was in a lot of pain and discomfort due to his left rib injury. Cora admitted he was “concerned” about Casas.

— The Red Sox will travel to Cleveland and open a three-game series against the Guardians on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. ET, and you can watch it live on NESN after an hour of pregame coverage.

Cleveland won three out of four against Boston last week.

“We saw it in the last series. We didn’t make plays, they took advantage of that. But we gonna have (Rafael Devers) offensively, gonna have Tyler (O’Neil) offensively so it should be a little different,” Cora said.

Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello are expected to pitch the series opener and series finale, respectively. Cora and company don’t yet know who will pitch the middle game Wednesday.