5 takeaways as Kyle Schwarber doubles twice, Red Sox sweeps the Orioles

“Day one, talk about being nervous, nervous, everything like that,” Schwarber said. “… To eliminate the first hit, the first two, I kind of relax now and it’s back to baseball. Very happy to be here, what an opportunity to have and what a great group of guys. “

What this means

The Rays lost to the Twins, so the Red Sox are back three games behind in the AL East standings. The victory also kept the Yankees from falling back 2.5 games after beating the White Sox. The three-game series in New York – which begins Tuesday with a double game at Yankee Stadium – looms large.

Schwarber was asked about his participation in the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry for the first time.

“Both teams go out there and rectify it every time, it’s something you look forward to as a ball player,” Schwarber said. “I’m delighted to be on the Red Sox side and to go out there and take on this challenge.”

Take away food

1. Eduardo Rodriguez ended his afternoon having recorded six strikeouts in six innings, in which he allowed a run despite walking three batters.

“He did a great job,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “The walks put him in a bad spot in some situations, but the fastball played. I don’t know about the command where we were, I’m going to have to watch the video, but the fastpitch still played and he gave us six solid innings.

After being pulled, Rodriguez could be seen arguing with Cora in the dugout.

“He wanted to go,” Cora said. “… I respect that he wants to compete, but where we were relievers and knowing what was going to happen, we needed guys to go out there and touch the rubber.

“I appreciated that he wanted to keep competing, but in the end we have to do what’s best for the team. He’ll get the ball back on Saturday and the way he throws the ball, he’ll be fine.

Rodriguez has confirmed he wants to keep throwing.

“I like to be competitive all the time,” he said. “No matter how many locations I have, I want to go.”

2. Adam Ottavino caught a line on the shoulder early in the seventh inning and was forced out of the game, replaced by Garrett Whitlock. Cora said Ottavino was “a little sore, nothing structural”.

“We’ll see how he feels tonight, how he feels tomorrow and see if he’s available for Tuesday,” Cora said.

Josh Taylor, meanwhile, was put on COVID-19 IL before the game. Cora said Taylor was tested on Sunday and expressed confidence the reliever will join the team in New York.

“We’re pretty sure how he feels and where we are with testing and stuff, he’ll be with us on Tuesday,” Cora said.

3. After replacing Ottavino, Whitlock was brilliant – he knocked out the first two hitters he faced in the seventh, then put the side out in the eighth.

Cora has been asked about the potential use of Whitlock more frequently.

“I think if we start using it more frequently in certain situations it could give us a big end in four games a week,” Cora said. “It’s that balance. We have to be smart about it, but at the same time we know where we are and the value of having 27 [outs] gets bigger and bigger, and he is a big part of it.

4. After sending Martín Perez and Garrett Richards to the bullpen last week, the Red Sox’s new starting rotation includes Chris Sale, Tanner Houck, Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta and Rodriguez.

“We feel like we have a full pitching team,” Cora said. “Also with Garrett and Martin in the box, we’re going to be counting on them in certain situations. We think every five days we have a good guy on the mound, and also in the pen we’re going to be set up to use different guys. We feel better with our pitching staff.

5. The Red Sox selected Travis Shaw from the Brewers waiver on Sunday, adding a slugger who has struggled with the plate over the past year.

For Cora, the acquisition was a time he hoped he would never face as a manager.

“I finally feel old,” Cora said with a smile. “I played with his father [All-Star closer Jeff Shaw] – Travis running around the LA clubhouse. So I was actually at one point, I was like, “I hope that doesn’t happen, that I have to deal with a teammate’s child.”

“It happened. When I found out I was like ‘Wow.’ You feel old.

Still, Cora loves Shaw as a person and as a player.

“He’s a good boy, a good guy,” Cora said. “We are going to use it in the right way. I think that gives us more weapons to maneuver for 9 innings. We can pinch the blow, we can do the peloton, we can do a lot of things with him.

The Red Sox face the Yankees twice on Tuesday, at 1:05 p.m. and 7:05 p.m.