Alex Cora has been very careful not to suggest these games have signaled the Red Sox' permanent turnaround. Smart move.
The Red Sox are heading to Chicago with their second series sweep of the season, taking all three games against the A's at Fenway Park. The latest win was a 7-3 victory, which wasn't really even that close. (Tyler Thornburg's mop-up duty ran into some more issues courtesy a pair of ninth-inning runs.)
But there were signs that this team might be heading in a dramatically more palatable direction than any prolonged stretch experienced in April.
Start with the pitching.
Eduardo Rodriguez's 4 2/3-inning start wasn't exactly the message-sender the Red Sox were banking on that, and yes Thornburg came away from the last two days having given up three runs in two innings. But other than those hiccups it was hard not to find some significant optimism.
Rick Porcello's eight-inning gem was the highlight. But what the likes of Hector Velazquez, Marcus Walden (3 IP, H), Brandon Workman, Colten Brewer and Heath Hembree did over eight innings -- giving up just two runs -- was the kind of effort that allows for runs to continue even with the starting staff down Nathan Eovaldi's arm.
Even with Thornburg's hiccups the Red Sox pitchers finished their 27 innings having allowed just one home run, totaling a 2.67 ERA and .186 batting average against. That will work.
The offense put up 21 runs over the three games, building a .840 OPS. That will also work, especially for a lineup that had managed three total runs over the weekend.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Mookie Betts continues to be the straw that stirs the drink, hitting .432 with a 1.277 OPS since the first game at Tropicana Field, with the Red Sox going 8-4 over that stretch.
Christian Vazquez has continued to pick his game up a notch, and Sandy Leon did his Sandy Leon stuff in Porcello's start (getting a hit, to boot). Michael Chavis hasn't slowed down, now hitting .314 with a OPS of 1.042. And Rafael Devers finished the homestand by going 12-for-30 (.400) with a .971 OPS.
They didn't commit a single error against Oakland while stealing four bags without getting thrown out once.
It's was a step in the right direction at a time the Red Sox really need to start picking up the pace.
"They’re buying in, trying to do anything possible to win," Cora said. "Just do your part and they know if you start doing the little things, good things are going to happen."