Red Sox 7, A’s 0: Huge Nick Energy

The Red Sox kicked off a West Coast swing against the A’s, without Rafael Devers, on Monday. I had to stay up late to do this recap and I didn’t like it except that the Sox won easily and it was not close. Not much to do on this night.

Anyhow the first inning started with a Jarren Duran double and run scored against Paul Blackburn before a bottom half behind Brennan Bernardino, who gave up two baserunners before drawing a double play to send it to the top of the second, 1-0 Sox.

Adam Duvall hit a double to lead off the second and Triston Casas dumped in a lucky single before Connor Wong singled with one out to make it 2-0, Sox. MOOKIE WHO?!?! Yu Chang — the second-best RBI man in Taiwanese baseball history — hit into a double play to send it to bottom 2, where Bernardino stymied the A’s to send it to top 3.

Alex Verdugo ripped a one-out double against Blackburn for Justin Turner, who ripped one to left that was ultimately caught and the inning ended shortly after. Nick Pivetta came on and got a K on a nasty knuckle curve that looked really good on TV, then struggled, but got out of the inning without giving up a run.

Casas walked in the fourth but that was all that happened. I mean, other things happened (Wong striking out looking among them) but they didn’t net out in the end. Pivetta started out bottom four by striking out Ryan Noda, who Kevin Youkilis knows through the U of C(incinatti) diaspora. Bearcats forever, or something to that end. Kenyon Martin says hi while Pivetta strikes out the rest of the side to push it to the fifth.

Duran ripped a one out liner right to Blackburn but otherwise nothing happened for the Sox in the fifth. Pivetta kept it rolling — three up, three down to make it seven in a row. Justin Turner had a lovely double to right to start the sixth, then Masataka Yoshida hit a single to put runners on first and third for Duvall. A sac fly to right made it 3-0, which, yes, field goal. Yoshi stole second, Casas walked and two were aboard for Christian Arroyo. Blah blah blah and it was bases loaded for Wong — who laced it into left field to make it 5-0, Sox. MOOKIE WHO?!?!? again. A Yu Chang fielder’s choice made it 6-0, Blackburn was pulled, and garbage time was upon us sorry folks on the East Coast. Brent Rooker got Duran on a fly to left and it was Tears of the Kingdom O’Clock.

PIvetta rocked the shit through the end. He struck out 13 in relief, joining Randy Johnson as the only person to do that. The Sox scored another in the ninth to add the extra point. The final score was 7-0. The highlight of the game actually happened in Anaheim, against the Yankees. You know all this now. Good morning, Sri Lanka! Sox win!

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