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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2022 2:21:03 GMT -5
Orioles @ Red Sox Friday, 27 May 2022 7pm @ Fenway Park
Bradish 1-3/ 5.74
Whitlock 1-1/3.59
Red Sox bring sizzling offense into series vs. Orioles FLM
While the Baltimore Orioles had a much-needed chance to rest up, the Boston Red Sox did more to suggest they have heated up.
Those developments came on the eve of the teams' series opener in Boston on Friday night.
The Red Sox have won seven of their past eight games. Among the highlights of that stretch was a huge offensive outburst on Thursday in a 16-7 road win against the Chicago White Sox. That result came two nights after Boston posted a season-high 16 runs against Chicago and was an ideal response to a loss between those high-scoring outings.
Boston second baseman Trevor Story has homered seven times in the past seven games, including a three-run shot on Thursday as part of a four-RBI night.
"Now, this is the player that we envisioned," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "Last year wasn't a great year for him offensively, but he found himself. He's working so hard. It's fun to watch."
Even so, Story might not be on the team's most impressive stretch considering J.D. Martinez leads the majors with a .380 average and is hitting at a .538 clip (28-for-52) over the past 13 games.
"This is the best I've seen him in four years," Cora said of Martinez. "The quality of the at-bats, the two-strike hits, going the other way. It has been impressive."
While Boston was piling up a season-high-tying 24 hits on Thursday, Baltimore had the day off.
The Orioles just completed a stretch of 19 games across 18 days, in part because a scheduled off day was used for a makeup game. In the past week, Baltimore has played three games that lasted 11 or more innings, beating the Tampa Bay Rays twice and falling to the New York Yankees once in those contests.
The five-game series in Boston includes a day-night doubleheader Saturday.
For the Orioles, who have won just four of their past 13 games, this marks the third consecutive series against an American League East rival -- after the matchups with Tampa Bay and New York. The Red Sox and Orioles occupy the bottom two positions in the division standings.
Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2019 draft who was called up for his big-league debut last weekend, notched his first multi-hit game with a pair of singles Wednesday night.
"Just trying to get more comfortable, and I feel like I've been able to do that," Rutschman said. "Just looking forward to mostly just settling in, helping the team win and looking forward to the next road series."
Second baseman Rougned Odor, who had a pair of game-winning RBIs in the Tampa Bay series, might be heating up. He has a 10-game hitting streak, matching his career long.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said some crucial pitching decisions are needed for the upcoming series. The ideal starting point would be a strong outing from rookie right-hander Kyle Bradish in the series opener.
Bradish (1-3, 5.74 ERA) is set for his sixth appearance, just his second on the road. His debut came against the Red Sox on April 29, when he gave up three runs, two earned, in six innings while absorbing a 3-1 loss.
Boston will go with right-hander Garrett Whitlock (1-1, 3.58), though he's normally used for short durations. He hasn't lasted more than five innings in his six starts and four relief outings this year.
His six previous appearances against Baltimore all came as a reliever last year, and he allowed one run across 11 innings, with 12 strikeouts and one walk. His first game in the majors came on April 4, 2021, vs. Baltimore, and he threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Orioles hold just a 6-16 road record. The Red Sox are 10-10 at home.
--Field Level Media
Orioles at Red Sox Friday, at 7:10 PM EST Cloudy According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 69° F with a 1% chance of rain and 14 MPH wind blowing out in Boston at 7:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2022 2:26:53 GMT -5
SP Probables Saturday May 28th- 1pm- Baumann 1-2/4.91 vs Eovaldi 1-2/4.10 7pm- Lyless 3-4/4.10 vs Winckowski (Debut)
Sunday May 29- 2.35pm- Zimmermann 2-2/3.78 vs Pivetta 3-4/4.25
Monday, May 30- 7pm- Wells 1-4/4.30 vs Hill 1-2/3.86
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2022 2:29:10 GMT -5
How to watch Orioles vs. Red Sox FREE on Apple TV+2:41 AM ADT Friday night’s game between the Orioles and Red Sox -- which will feature Baltimore top prospect Adley Rutschman making his Fenway Park debut against division-rival Boston -- will air exclusively on Apple TV+. It will not be available on your local cable provider or MLB.TV. But don’t worry, the game can be watched for free here. All you need is an Apple ID. A breakdown on how to watch the game is below. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. Watch Blue Jays-Angels at 9:38 p.m. ET For more information about how to access "Friday Night Baseball" on Apple TV+, visit the Apple Knowledge Base. How to Watch: No subscription is needed to watch "Friday Night Baseball" on Apple TV+. To access “Friday Night Baseball” games on Apple TV+, just follow these steps: Launch the Apple TV app and select the game directly from there, OR From the MLB.TV app, tap on Apple TV+ Game to be redirected to the Apple TV app (where available), OR Visit tv.apple.com/ and log in with or create an Apple ID. Frequently Asked Questions: Do I need to have an Apple account to watch the free games? Yes. You need to have an Apple ID. Your Apple ID is the account you use across all your Apple devices, including your iPhone. Learn how to create a new Apple ID here. How do I sign in to watch the free games on Apple TV+? Log in with your Apple ID. Learn how to watch Friday Night Baseball here. Do I need to enter payment information to watch the free games? No. Payment information is not required to watch. On what devices can I watch the games? See all the ways to watch Apple TV+ here. In which countries can I watch these games? Games on Apple TV+ will be available in the following locations in addition to the United States: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, Japan, Korea and Mexico. Notable Features: Design: If you use other Apple products, many of the Apple TV+ broadcast elements -- such as the starting lineup graphics -- will look familiar and consistent. The clean and simple design aesthetic features the company’s classic “SF Pro” typeface. Cameras: The broadcasts make use of a “Megalodon” camera, which produces extremely high-resolution shots, with a shallow depth of field. That creates a sharp focus on the subject of the shot -- a cinematic look that adds to the drama of the moment. Integrated stats: If you’re a fan of baseball and numbers, “Friday Night Baseball” has introduced a new feature that will keep you entertained all game long. The integrated stats function -- displayed unobtrusively in the bottom right of the screen -- presents continually refreshed probability figures on a pitch-by-pitch basis. The metric in question rotates and constantly takes into account the specific game situation. For example, what is the probability of the batter producing an RBI when facing a 2-1 pitch with runners on first and second and one out? Tune tracker: Walk-up music is a way for hitters to show their taste and connect with fans, and “Friday Night Baseball” is kicking that experience up a notch for viewers at home. When a home-team batter comes to the plate for the first time in the game, an Apple Music pop-up in the lower right will identify his walk-up song. Fresh perspectives: The Apple TV+ broadcasts are placing an emphasis on having a new and diverse group of voices calling the games. One crew features Melanie Newman (play-by-play), Hannah Keyser (analyst) and Brooke Fletcher (reporter), along with former MLB outfielder Chris Young (analyst). The other crew consists of Stephen Nelson (play-by-play) and another former outfielder, Hunter Pence (analyst), alongside Katie Nolan (analyst) and Heidi Watney (reporter).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2022 2:34:31 GMT -5
Why Red Sox have 'never seen' J.D. like this1:43 AM ADT David Adler David Adler @_dadler J.D. Martinez is in the Goldilocks zone of hitting. He's squaring up the ball just right. With Rafael Devers, Trevor Story and the rest of the Red Sox offense firing around him -- Boston has been the best hitting team in baseball in May -- Martinez is hitting like vintage J.D. Martinez. Or maybe even better. Martinez is leading the MLB batting race, hitting .372 entering play Thursday. His 193 wRC+ makes him the third-best hitter in the Majors right now, behind only Mike Trout and Aaron Judge. In the final year of his contract before free agency, the 34-year-old looks as good as he ever has in Boston. Manager Alex Cora even said Thursday: "I've never seen him like this." The Statcast data shows why. Let's dive into it. No one in baseball is hitting more hard line drives and fly balls than Martinez. Nearly a third of the balls he's hit this season are both hard-hit (95-plus mph exit velocity) and in the launch angle sweet spot (8-32 degrees, which covers both line drives and fly balls). Highest hard-hit + sweet-spot rate, 2022 Min. 100 batted balls 1) J.D. Martinez (BOS): 32.0% 2) Aaron Judge (NYY): 29.8% 3) Bryce Harper (PHI): 28.3% 4) Freddie Freeman (LAD): 27.3% 5) Trey Mancini (BAL): 26.6% Hard-hit: 95+ mph exit velocity. Sweet-spot: 8-32 degree launch angle. Over one out of every five of his plate appearances (21.7%) has ended in hard-hit, sweet-spot contact, the highest rate in the Majors. Hard line drives are base hits. Hard fly balls are extra-base hits and home runs. If you are hitting both of those things in a large portion of your plate appearances, you are going to have great hitting stats. For Martinez this season, finding the sweet spot has been the key. His hard-hit rates have been very consistent under Statcast tracking, and his 45.6% mark in 2022 is in line with the rest. But he's had a big jump in sweet-spot contact -- to the very top of the league. While Martinez's sweet-spot rate usually sits around 40% -- which is very good already -- this year it's up to 51.5%. Over half his contact is either in the line drive range that's good for batting average, or the fly ball range that's good for slugging. Highest sweet-spot rate, 2022 Min. 100 batted balls 1) J.D. Martinez (BOS): 51.5% 2) Trey Mancini (BAL): 48.4% 3) Freddie Freeman (LAD): 47.6% 4) Alec Bohm (PHI): 44.4% 5) Nick Castellanos (PHI): 43.4% For Martinez, the sweet-spot contact right now is line drives. Lots and lots of line drives. That explains the .372 batting average. Line drives are always the type of contact most likely to be hits. Fly balls have to be hit hard enough to get over the outfielders, otherwise they're outs. League-wide this season, the batting average on line drives is .631; the batting average on fly balls is .254. Martinez is launching line drives 35.9% of the time this season (compared to 25.2% fly balls). That's the third-highest rate in the Majors. Highest line drive rate, 2022 Min. 100 batted balls 1)Alec Bohm (PHI): 36.8% 2) Bryce Harper (PHI): 36.7% 3) J.D. Martinez (BOS): 35.9% 4) Keibert Ruiz (WSH): 32.7% 5) Wander Franco (TB): 32.2% When he hits a line drive, Martinez is batting .784. The average exit velocity of Martinez's line drives is 97.1 mph. He has 29 line drive hits this season -- that's well over half of his 51 total hits. Only Harper (30) has more. And, as is his signature, Martinez is spraying those line drives all over the field, making him very difficult to defend. His spray chart is nearly even -- 31.1% of his contact has been pulled, 33.0% has been to straightaway center and 35.9% has been to the opposite field. Not a lot of hitters hit the ball to all fields like that. Martinez is one of only nine players this season with at least 100 balls in play who've hit over 30% of them to each direction, pull, straightaway and oppo. Hitters with over 30% of contact to pull/straightaway/oppo in 2022 J.D. Martinez, Red Sox Bo Bichette, Blue Jays Yuli Gurriel, Astros Nelson Cruz, Nationals Steven Kwan, Guardians Ryan McMahon, Rockies José Iglesias, Rockies Nicky Lopez, Royals Nathaniel Lowe, Rangers That makes him hard to shift, for example. Martinez has faced an infield shift on about one in five plate appearances this season. He's batting .556 against the shift. That's the best in baseball among hitters who've faced a comparable number of shifts. Six of his 15 hits against the shift have been to the right side of the field, and two more have been up the middle. Martinez has the ability to drive the ball to the pull side -- 17 of his 21 extra-base hits have gone to the left side of the field this season. He has the ability to knock base hits the other way -- 17 of his 30 singles have gone to the right side of the field. And no matter where he hits the ball, he's hitting it on a line. That's why he's one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball today.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2022 2:58:03 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Versatile Kiké Hernández improves prospects for Gold Glove by staking his claim at one position: center field By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated May 26, 2022, 8:52 p.m.
CHICAGO — Despite widespread acclaim as an excellent defensive player, Kiké Hernández has never been a Gold Glove finalist. His ability to move all over the field — at the expense of a single positional home — has made it difficult for him to gain recognition at any single position.
As a second baseman in 2020 and a centerfielder in 2021, Hernández ranked among MLB leaders in advanced defensive metrics such as Defensive Runs Saved (Fielding Bible) as well as Outs Above Average (Statcast). The Fielding Bible, in fact, recognized him as the top Multi-Position defender in 2020. But Rawlings, which organizes Gold Glove voting, doesn’t have a comparable prize.
How often does he think about what it would take to get a Gold Glove?
“Every day,” Hernández said before the finale of a three-game set vs. the White Sox Thursday night. “I’ve thought about that my whole career even before I had one spot. It’s just unfortunate that league hasn’t adjusted. Every team has a couple of guys that play multiple positions. Teams are valuing versatility, but the league doesn’t reward those guys when it comes to awards. I talked to Rawlings about it. They said they’d see what they could do with MLB about a multi-position Gold Glove. So we’ll see what happens.
“But,” he added, “this year, I don’t think I have a chance at the multi-position one.”
Indeed. For the first time in his career, all of Hernández’s starts this year have come at one position — center field.
As he did in 2021, Hernández is playing the position with aplomb, more than making up for a lack of elite speed with incredible anticipation that result in arguably the best outfield jumps in the game. He grades among the league leaders in DRS, OAA, and many other acronyms meant to connote defensive excellence.
For Hernández, there is satisfaction both in his own performance and the chance to partner with Jackie Bradley Jr., previously a Gold Glove-winning center fielder. Hernández marvels at Bradley’s reads and routes.
“He’s the cream of the crop. He’s got gold in his past for a reason,” said Hernández. “It’s a treat. It’s a pleasure to watch. I just admire the ease he has when he can get to every ball.”
Hernández isn’t the only one who is thrilled by his partnership with Bradley, who ranks second among right fielders with six defensive runs saved. . Sox pitchers likewise see the duo as one to celebrate.
“It’s awesome,” said reliever Matt Barnes. “They catch everything. I’ve been fortunate here for a lot of years to have an incredible outfield group that go and get everything. It makes our life a lot easier.”
Life has also become easier for Hernández. Despite a couple of late-game cameos at short — his favorite position — he relishes the arrival of an on-field home.
“I never thought I was going to be an everyday center fielder in the big leagues until I was,” he said. “It’s been fun.” Long-term guests
The Red Sox will play a five-game, four-day series against the Orioles over Memorial Day weekend that includes a doubleheader on Saturday. The five-game series is the third for the Red Sox in the last 20 years, with the previous ones coming in 2020 (Blue Jays) and 2006 (Yankees).
While beating up the Orioles has been a popular undertaking in the A.L. East since 2018, Cora suggested the days the division being defined by how thoroughly each contender steamrolled the overmatched Orioles may be a thing of the past.
“They’re playing good baseball,” said manager Alex Cora, noting that the O’s nearly upended the Sox’ playoff hopes late last September by winning a series in Baltimore. “It’s different now with the pitching they have.”
Cora is intrigued to get a first-hand look at recent callup Adley Rutschman, the top-ranked prospect in the game.
“There’s a presence behind the plate,” said Cora Plenty of pitching
While MLB had been planning on capping pitching staff sizes at 13 on May 30, the league has delayed that reduction from its current limit of 14 pitchers until at least June 20. With teams concerned about pitcher workload after the rushed entry into the season following the lockout that lasted until mid-March, clubs are nearly certain to continue to carry the extra pitcher.
Such a decision can have career-altering ripple effects. In the case of the Sox, versatile utilityman Ryan Fitzgerald seemed like a prime candidate for a callup from Triple-A Worcester once teams were required to carry 13 position players. Now, however, the prospect of a big league debut and a spot on the 40-man roster — which comes with a considerable raise — may have been kicked down the road Build up begins
Chris Sale was slated to throw a 25-pitch bullpen on Thursday, with another scheduled for next week and the possibility of a live batting practice session to follow it. The Sox believe Sale can build up towards competitive situations relatively quickly because none of his injuries have been arm-related. As of now, according to a team source, the expectation remains that Sale will return as a starter . . . Prior to Thursday’s game against the Red Sox, the White Sox placed righthander Joe Kelly on the 15-day injured list with a hamstring injury . . . The Red Sox were expecting to return to Boston from Chicago at approximately 4 a.m. on Friday morning.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2022 3:08:40 GMT -5
J.D. Martinez’s .380 average leads MLB after 3-hit game: ‘It’s the best I’ve seen him,’ says Red Sox manager Alex Cora Updated: May. 27, 2022, 1:03 a.m. | Published: May. 27, 2022, 1:02 a.m.
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
CHICAGO -- Alex Cora has seen plenty of good stretches from J.D. Martinez since taking over as Red Sox manager in 2018. But nothing compares to the streak Boston’s designated hitter has recently been on.
After going 3-for-5 with two runs and a walk in Thursday’s blowout win, Martinez leads baseball with a .380 batting average, good for 17 points higher than Tim Anderson, who is in second place at .363. Martinez is hitting an outrageous .443 with a 1.155 OPS in May. And while the DH has hit just five homers on the year, he came into the day leading the American League in doubles (16). Enter your email address here to receive the Fenway Rundown email newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday.
Cora has been amazed by Martinez’s recent performance.
“I’ve never seen him this way,” Cora said before the game. “This is the best I’ve seen him in four years. The quality of the at-bats, two-strike hits, going the other way. It has been impressive.
“It seems like everything he hits right now, he’s hitting right on the barrel,” Cora added. “Using the whole field. Honestly, the best I’ve seen him.”
Martinez impressed Red Sox brass by showing up to camp in improved shape, and Cora attributes that to the fact that he did not spend the winter rehabbing an injury like he had in previous years. In April, he hit .278 with a single homer and dealt with adductor tightness toward the end of the month. Since returning to the lineup on a full-time basis May 1, Martinez has anchored Boston’s offensive turnaround with hits in 20 of 21 games. Only four of his 39 May hits have gone for home runs, which is unusual for one of baseball’s premier power hitters.
“Sometimes he feels like when he doesn’t slug, we don’t win,” Cora said. “But right now he’s taking what they give him. He’s staying inside the ball, driving the ball to right field.
“He’ll start getting the ball in the air at one point,” the manager added. “Especially at home, when it gets warm, he can drive the ball to right-center and get hits.”
Martinez’s 2021 numbers are a bit deceiving. He finished with a very respectable .286 average, 28 home runs and .867 OPS, but slowed down significantly after a torrid April. From May 2 on, he hit just .271 with 19 homers. That came after a disastrous shortened 2020 season in which Martinez hit .213 with seven homers in 54 games.
Martinez still uses his 2020 showing as motivation, though Cora said Thursday that the slugger simply wasn’ ready to play when the season began in late July. Martinez himself has admitted in the past that the quick lead-up to the pandemic-delayed season caught him off guard. Two years later, Cora likes to joke about what happened.
“‘You were awful. You were really bad,’” Cora said he told Martinez. “It was hard to see him.”
Cora said Martinez is always locked in with his approach and routine but struggles when his mechanics are off. For the last few weeks, everything has been working in sync, Cora said, leading to Martinez reaching “another level.”
“If you’re young on this team and you want to follow somebody, that’s the guy you follow,” Cora said. “There’s no cards. There’s no Netflix. It’s just, ‘Who do we face next and what are we going to do to try to beat him?’”
“Very pleased with the approach, very pleased with the results,” Cora said. “Hopefully, we can keep rolling.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2022 3:10:24 GMT -5
Trevor Story says torrid stretch for Red Sox reminds him of first week of career in 2016: ‘Times like this are rare’ Published: May. 27, 2022, 3:00 a.m.
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
CHICAGO -- Trevor Story has felt this way before. Long before he signed a $140 million contract with the Red Sox a couple months ago, he broke into the majors with a stretch nearly as impressive as the one he has put together in the last 10 days.
Story, who has hit nine homers and driven in 25 runs in his last 14 games, started his career with a similarly torrid stretch. In the first week of the 2016 season, the then-Rockies rookie homered seven times in his first six games, including twice on Opening Day and six times in Colorado’s first four contests. The last six weeks have reminded Story of that week six years ago.
“It definitely feels like there’s more runners this time around, which is great,” Story said after driving in four runs in Boston’s 16-7 win Thursday night. “Obviously, you want to come up big in those situations. It’s happening at the right time.
“Times like this are rare,” he added. “That’s really the only other stretch that’s pretty similar to this. Great feelings thinking about that time.”
Through May 8, Story was hitting just .194 with zero homers, a .545 OPS and 35 strikeouts in 105 plate appearances. After a two-hit performance May 10 in Atlanta, he launched his first Red Sox homer the next day then went nuclear on the team’s recent homestand with six homers in seven games. Over three days in Chicago, he homered twice more (on Tuesday and Thursday) and is now one blast behind Rafael Devers for the team lead. His 37 RBIs lead the Red Sox and rank third in all of baseball. And 32 of them have come in May.
“Every time I go to hit, there’s one or two guys on, so that’s a credit to everyone giving me a chance and an opportunity to drive them in,” Story said.
Story has not been the only hot Red Sox hitter in recent weeks. J.D. Martinez has hit .443 in May and is now leading baseball with a .380 average. Rafael Devers (1.142 OPS) has also been excellent in May while Christian Vázquez, Kiké Hernández, Jackie Bradley Jr., Franchy Cordero and others have shown signs of heating up. Boston scored 33 runs in three games against the White Sox and Story was a big reason why.
“It’s cool to see,” said manager Alex Cora. “A few weeks ago, everybody was getting on him because he was struggling. This is the player we envisioned.”
Both Story and Martinez are in the middle of historic offensive runs that have fueled the Red Sox’ offense in recent weeks. After ranking near the bottom of the league in every offensive category at the end of April, Boston’s lineup now ranks in the top 10 in batting average (3rd, .255), hits (3rd, 387), OPS (9th, .721) and doubles (1st, 100). Martinez and Story have been at the forefront of that turnaround.
“Unbelievable,” said Alex Verdugo. “Raffy (Devers) says it best. When you’re hot, you’re hot. It’s that simple. We’ve got a couple guys who are unconscious right now and it’s fun to watch.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2022 11:38:40 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 11m J.D. Martinez is amidst a remarkable run, a 13-game stretch where he's hitting .539/.590/.769. You try to find a frame of reference, and then ... see that Barry Bonds, over 13 games in 2004, hit .640/.813/1.680 with 23 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 8 homers.
Also in the 13-game stretch looks: In Aug/Sept 2016, Dustin Pedroia hit .546/.574/.582 with 3 Ks in 61 PAs. He was still near the peak of his offensive abilities -- not in anything approaching rapid age-based decline -- about 1.5 baseball months before his knee was destroyed.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2022 11:48:24 GMT -5
Orioles-Red Sox series preview: Five games against a suddenly-hot team await
Since May 10, the Red Sox are 11-4. So much for hoping for their demise. By Mark Brown May 27, 2022, 10:00am EDT
In a different era of 21st century Orioles history, we all got hyped up for another switch-hitting catcher mega-prospect, Matt Wieters. A Camden Chat commenter whose name I don’t recall said something that stuck with me: “He shall lead us to the Promised Land, a.k.a. slightly ahead of the Blue Jays.” It was always fitting for that earlier dark age of the Orioles, that the best thing a fan could imagine was not being in last place. Only in the fourth season of Wieters’s career did the Orioles emerge from the basement.
Here we are 13 years later in the early days of Adley Rutschman’s career. Perhaps he too can lead us to the Promised Land, which in this case would be slightly ahead of the Red Sox, currently occupying fourth place in the American League East. We can only hope it is earlier than his fourth big league season that the Orioles climb higher than last.
Both of these teams are a double-digit number of games out of first. Though the Orioles were ahead of Boston for a little while, the Red Sox recently won seven of eight to get some separation. They’re now 3.5 games ahead of the Orioles, to the annoyance of everyone who hoped the early season struggles were a sign that the Sox would stink this season. Like a horror movie villain, they just don’t stay down.
What’s the deal with this Red Sox squad? Maybe it’s some bad luck that is starting to reverse itself. Maybe they’re just playing better. As of now, Boston has the best batting average (.255) in the American League, and third-best OPS (.720). The Orioles are down in 12th with a .225 average, and 13th with a .639 OPS. Those are big gaps.
Three very hot hitters have helped to fuel the Red Sox ongoing rise. J.D. Martinez (.380/.430/.599) and Rafael Devers (.335/.366/.600) are performing in a way where you’d be impressed no matter what year it is. With 2022 and the apparently deadened baseballs, that stands out even more. The .837 OPS of Xander Bogaerts isn’t much less impressive. Recently, April struggler Trevor Story is getting his act together too, now sitting at a .776 OPS for the season.
These guys also have an annoyingly good starting rotation. Out of their five pitchers who’ve made the most starts, the worst ERA of the group is the 4.25 belonging to Nick Pivetta. That’s a below-average number in 2022, but not by much. Unlike the Orioles, the Red Sox have a pitcher who’s really been excelling: Michael Wacha now has a 2.86 ERA in seven starts. The good news for the Orioles is Wacha pitched on Thursday and likely won’t factor in this five-game set over the next four days. Game 1: Friday, May 27, 7:10 ET
Starting pitchers: Kyle Bradish (5 GS, 5.74 ERA / 5.05 FIP) vs. Garrett Whitlock (10 G/6 GS, 3.58 ERA / 3.29 FIP)
DraftKings odds: Orioles to win is a +160 bet, or Orioles +1.5 runs at -125
Note: This game will be televised exclusively on Apple TV+ and will not air on MASN or NESN.
In the most recent Rule 5 draft that took place, Garrett Whitlock was the guy I hoped the Orioles would take. Unfortunately, the Red Sox fluked into stinking just a little bit worse than the Orioles in the shortened 2020 season and they picked one spot ahead of the Orioles. They stole Whitlock from the Yankees. He was an elite reliever last season and now they’re also trying the Tyler Wells “convert him to a starting pitcher” path.
In Whitlock’s six starts to date, he’s yet to go past five innings, and has a 4.70 ERA. It would be good if the Orioles can jump on him early and raid the Boston bullpen in the first of the five games in four days. Red Sox relievers have been pretty good though. While the team has four pitchers who’ve pitched in at least eight games and have an ERA over 6, three of those guys have been banished to the minors. Replacing your bad players with better ones: What a concept.
Bradish made his MLB debut against this Boston team on April 29, allowing two earned runs over six innings. The Orioles still lost the game because they only scored one run. So, you know. Bradish needs to equal that effort and the offense needs to do better. Stranger things have happened. Game 2: Saturday, May 28, 12:10 ET
Starting pitchers: TBA vs. Nathan Eovaldi (9 GS, 4.10 ERA / 5.52 FIP)
We know that Jordan Lyles is starting one of the Saturday games, but not which one. It’s apparently his choice, as the veteran. I’m guessing the nightcap, which will leave this afternoon game as a mystery. Manager Brandon Hyde said the pitcher will “probably” be coming from Norfolk to serve as the doubleheader’s extra roster player. Tides 40-man pitchers Mike Baumann and Zac Lowther each pitched on Thursday; D.L. Hall is clearly not getting called up here.
Maybe it will end up being Denyi Reyes, who’s been pitching as a starter in the minors this year. His one big league outing had two scoreless innings of relief. Facing the currently-hot Boston lineup will be a bigger test. I understand if you are still dreaming that this might be Grayson Rodriguez. Beau Sulser, brother of Cole, is still on the Orioles roster though he’s yet to pitch for the team. He figures to be lined up for some bulk relief some time in this doubleheader.
Eovaldi has allowed 15 home runs in 48.1 innings this year, which is really kind of impressive given the general conditions of offense across the league. The Orioles, who still have only 35 home runs as a team (12th in the AL) have a number of players who could really stand to collect here, including Rutschman, still in search of his first big league dinger. Game 3: Saturday, May 28, 6:10 ET
Starting pitchers: Jordan Lyles? (9 GS, 4.10 ERA / 4.18 FIP) vs. TBA
When the Orioles signed Lyles, I wasn’t impressed. He had the worst ERA of any qualifying starting pitcher in the AL last year, after all, and the main positive of his signing was supposed to be that he’d eat innings. I am wired to expect this to not work out. Here we are nine starts into his career and Lyles is pitching acceptably. His 4.10 ERA in 2022 is actually a touch below league-average, but that’s still OK. And he’s averaging close to six innings per start, with two starts of at least seven innings in May. I can live with this.
Eyeing the Red Sox Triple-A stats as well as their 40-man roster, my wild guess is the starter for this doubleheader will be right-handed pitcher Connor Seabold. He’s made one big league start before, a two runs in three innings effort for an MLB debut last year, and is currently sporting a 2.45 ERA through seven starts this Triple-A season. Game 4: Sunday, May 29, 1:35 ET
Starting pitchers: Bruce Zimmermann (9 GS, 3.78 ERA / 4.44 FIP) vs. Nick Pivetta (9 GS, 4.25 ERA / 3.88 FIP)
Zimmermann’s last two starts, both of which ended up being against the Yankees, have increased his ERA by more than a full run. He hasn’t faced the Red Sox yet this season. We can hope his recent struggles were Yankee-related rather than general struggles, although as noted, there are a number of dangerous hitters in this Boston lineup. Baltimore’s own Bruce has been a nice story so far, but nine starts isn’t even a third of a full season’s workload. The O’s could use him continuing to be a nice story.
Pivetta has been the worst Red Sox starting pitcher so far, and as you can see from his ERA/FIP numbers he hasn’t even been that bad. I’m kind of envious of this. Last time the Orioles saw him, he gave up three runs in 4.1 innings. In four starts since then, he’s gotten his act together, allowing a total of five runs across 28 innings, including a complete game two-hitter against the Astros. Game 5: Monday, May 30, 7:10 ET
Starting pitchers: Tyler Wells (9 GS, 4.30 ERA / 4.09 FIP) vs. Rich “The Blister” Hill (8 GS, 3.86 ERA / 4.09 FIP)
Wells is losing the ERA race to Whitlock among the former Rule 5 picks now serving as starting pitchers, but if you were paying attention only to Whitlock’s ERA as a starter, then you know that Wells is actually winning that more specific race. Either one could get bombed this series to flip that around. Unfortunately, with how the Red Sox have been playing lately, that’s probably more likely to be Wells.
My custom is to always refer to the 42-year-old lefty Hill as “The Blister” because one time when I think he was with the Dodgers, he missed a few starts due to blister issues. Reporters asked him what he’d done to try to deal with the blister, and he said he’d even tried peeing on his own hands. Piss Hands would be a little crass to me, so The Blister it is.
Hill has seen the Orioles once this year, a four inning start in April where he held them to one hit while not allowing any runs. He has only gone past five innings in one of his eight starts this season.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2022 11:49:29 GMT -5
Red Sox vs. Orioles Series Preview
Looking at this weekend’s busy slate at Fenway. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins May 27, 2022, 2:01pm EDT 1 Comment iley/Getty Images SB Nation Blog
Camden Chat The opponent in one sentence
The Orioles are certainly still not to the point where we can call them a contender, but their bullpen has been impressive and they’re starting to get some of their young talent up to the majors, meaning the light at the end of the tunnel is at least in sight. Record
18-27 Head-to-head record
Red Sox 1, Orioles 2 Trend
Neutral. The Orioles were looking very really feisty early in the month before a long losing streak brought them back to Earth, but they’ve evened out since then. Most recently they lost two of three to the Yankees, but looking a bit further back they have won four of their last seven. Pitching Matchups
5/27: Garrett Whitlock vs. Kyle Bradish, 7:10 PM ET (Apple TV+)
When he first joined the rotation, Whitlock certainly looked like he was up for the switch and that the lone barrier was going to be how quickly he’d be able to get stretched out and what the end result of that process would be. His last couple of outings have been shaky, though. His command has been off of late, and over his last three starts he’s pitched to an ugly 8.18 ERA over just 11 innings (fewer than four innings per start, for all my math heads out there), with 11 strikeouts and six walks. One thing that has stood out has been his pace in this role. In the bullpen, he worked quickly and confidently, but as a starter the pace is much more deliberate. I’d like to see him get back to working more quickly even if he can’t work quite as quickly as he did in relief.
Bradish is a former fourth round pick who has emerged as one of Baltimore’s better pitching prospects. The righty is currently getting his first taste of the majors, having made five starts with the O’s this season. He’s been solid at missing bats and has an above-average walk rate, but he’s towards the bottom of the league in just about every contact quality metric and it’s resulted in six homers in 26 2⁄3 innings. Given the way the Red Sox are swinging the bats right now, this looks like a good matchup for them to keep these good times rolling. Bradish will mostly lean on his fastball and slider while mixing in occasional changeups and curveballs.
5/28: Nathan Eovaldi vs. TBD, 12:10 PM ET (MLB Network for out-of-market)
This has been a bizarre season for Eovaldi, and we’re deep enough into the year that we have to wonder if this is just the pitcher we can expect moving forward. He’s certainly not bad, and for the most part has kept the team in every game he’s pitched. Striking out 26 percent of his opponents with a four percent walk rate, he’s been phenomenal at controlling the zone. But he can’t keep the ball in the park. Eovaldi has already allowed a staggering 15 home runs, tying his total from all of 2021. In nine starts, he’s only gone one without allowing a long ball. The good news? That outing was against Baltimore.
This is a scheduled doubleheader, a result of trying to squeeze in 162 games after the lockout, and the Orioles have not announced their starters for either game. We should expect to see Jordan Lyles for one of the games, though. It just may not be this one. But Lyles was a free agent signing from this past winter, and he’s been... fine. The righty has been basically average across the board, leading to a 4.10 ERA and 4.18 FIP, which is basically, well, average. Lyles will feature a low-90s fastball along with a slider, sinker, changeup, and curveball.
5/28: TBD vs. TBD, 6:10 PM ET
Officially the Red Sox have the starter for this second game as TBD, but we know it’s going to be prospect Josh Winckowski. The headliner in the return for Andrew Benintendi, the righty has had an impressive year at Triple-A Worcester and is being rewarded with his major-league debut this weekend. In seven starts and 31 2⁄3 innings with Worcester this year, he’s pitched to a 3.13 ERA with 34 strikeouts and only six walks. He’s coming off a tough outing in which he allowed five runs, but he was red hot before that. I’d look for him to have a relatively short leash here and will probably just go three or four innings, (assuming Eovaldi doesn’t get knocked out early, at least). But it’s always exciting to see one of the top prospects getting his first chance.
Frankly, I really don’t know what the plan here is for the non-Lyles game for Baltimore, and I don’t think it’s very productive to just take a wild guess.
5/29: Nick Pivetta vs. Bruce Zimmermann, 1:35 PM ET
While Eovaldi has been looking to find his footing and turn back into that consistent ace-quality pitcher the Red Sox need atop their rotation, they’ve been getting other pitchers to step up in his stead. Lately, that’s been Pivetta. He is among the hottest pitchers in all of baseball at the moment, sitting with a 1.61 ERA over his last four starts, striking out 25 and walking only three over 28 innings. Things really started turning around five starts ago too, and that came against the Orioles. That wasn’t a great outing in a vacuum, but he finally figured out his control issues here. Now he gets a chance to show them what his best self looks like.
Zimmermann got his first extended taste of major-league hitting last season, and things didn’t go very well. The key for a rebuilding team is to see growth, though, and the lefty is showing some. He still hasn’t been great, to be clear, but his control is much improved which has helped lead him to league-average results. There are still some home run issues here, and the strikeout stuff is more fine than good, but he’s better than the pitcher we saw a few times in the second half a year ago.
5/30: Rich Hill vs. Tyler Wells, 7:10 PM ET
The final game of this long series will feature Rich Hill, who has frankly been much better than I expected this season. The veteran is not going to go deep into games, but he’s shown that he can hold lineups down for the most part and let their offense do their thing. The last time out that didn’t work out as well as the offense didn’t give him much support, meaning a three-run homer was enough to take a loss. But for the most part, we can expect four or five good innings out of him before handing off to Tanner Houck for two or three good innings from there.
Wells is another pitcher who got his first taste of the majors last season, though he was doing so out of the bullpen before transitioning to the rotation this season. The shift has led to a startlingly big drop in his strikeout rate. That drop is always expected to a certain extent, of course, but a drop from 29 percent to 16 percent stands out in a different way. Even so, his very good control has allowed him to pitch to roughly league-average results and peripherals. He typically goes only five innings per start, but he’s also only allowed more than three runs in an outing once this year, and it was in his first start of the year. Wells will feature a fastball, changeup, slider, and curveball.
Old Friends
Chris Owings has been a journeyman throughout his career, and had a quick pitstop with the Red Sox in 2019. He’s now serving a bench role for Baltimore. Notable Position Players
Adley Rutschman just came up to the majors as the top prospect in the game, and is the face of this Orioles rebuild. Picked number one overall in 2019, Baltimore hopes he can lead their franchise for at least the next decade as a great two-way catcher. The early returns have been fine, but it’s only been five games, so he’ll nearly double his major-league experience by the end of this series.
Cedric Mullins was a surprise borderline MVP candidate last season, but he’s had some trouble finding that power again and has just been a league-average bat so far this year.
Austin Hays has instead been the best player on the Orioles and is an underrated part of their future. He’s been good across the board this year and has put up a 130 wRC+.
Anthony Santander had a down year in 2021 after a breakout 2020, but he’s back to being an above-average bat in the middle of this lineup, largely on the back of far and way the best plate discipline he’s shown in his career.
Trey Mancini is another player showing a bit less power than expected — the Orioles moving their left field fence back is evident in a lot of these numbers — but a good ability to make contact has still left him above-average overall.
Ryan Mountcastle hasn’t been able to make up for the lack of power like some of his teammates, as his plate discipline makes that power more important than it may be for some others.
Rougned Odor kills the Yankees, which is always fun, but otherwise is a free swinger who good pitchers should be able to handle more in most of his at bats.
Ramón Urías plays solid defense up the middle, but offensively doesn’t contribute a whole lot.
Jorge Mateo has been the worst regular hitter in this lineup, with a 60 wRC+ on the season. Bullpen Snapshop
Jorge López leads the way in a bullpen that has been shockingly good and comes in with the fourth best ERA in baseball. A lot of López’ success has come from not yet allowing a home run, but his ERA is 1.29.
Félix Bautista is probably the most intimidating reliever in this bullpen, as he misses a ton of bats and has some really impressive stuff, though he can get into trouble with command lapses from time to time.
Dillon Tate is not really the prototypical reliever as he doesn’t generate a ton of strikeouts, but his great command has led to terrific results so far this season. Weather Forecast
The weather mostly looks good for this Memorial Day weekend at Fenway, but the doubleheader on Saturday could be one that is affected by rain. It doesn’t look like a total washout, but there is at least some rain potential in the forecast basically throughout the day, so at least some delays could be in play.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2022 11:52:53 GMT -5
Game 45: Orioles at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated May 27, 2022, 2 hours ago The Red Sox bats were back at it Thursday night, pounding out 19 hits in a 16-7 win over the White Sox. With the win, the Red Sox claimed two of three in Chicago for their fourth straight series win. They’ve won 10 of their last 13 to improve to 21-23 on the year. They’ll look to continue their winning ways when they return home for a five-game series with the Orioles this weekend. Garrett Whitlock will be on the mound for the Sox for Friday night’s opener. Here is a preview. Lineups ORIOLES (18-27): 1. Cedric Mullins (L) CF 2. Trey Mancini (R) DH 3. Anthony Santander (S) LF 4. Austin Hays (R) RF 5. Adley Rutschman (S) C 6. Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B 7. Rougned Odor (L) 2B 8. Ramon Urias (R) 3B 9. Jorge Mateo (R) SS Pitching: RHP Kyle Bradish (1-3, 5.74 ERA) RED SOX (21-23): 1. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 4. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 5. Alex Verdugo (L) LF 6. Trevor Story (R) 2B 7. Franchy Cordero (L) 1B 8. Christian Vazquez (R) C 9. Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) RF Pitching: RHP Garrett Whitlock (1-1, 3.58 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: Apple TV+, WEEI-FM 93.7 Orioles vs. Whitlock: Austin Hays 1-2, Trey Mancini 0-3, Ryan Mountcastle 1-4, Cedric Mullins 1-4, Rougned Odor 0-1, Anthony Santander 1-3, Ramón Urías 0-1 Red Sox vs. Bradish: Christian Arroyo 1-2, Xander Bogaerts 0-2, Jackie Bradley Jr. 1-2, Franchy Cordero 0-2, Rafael Devers 1-3, Kiké Hernández 1-3, Trevor Story 0-3, Alex Verdugo 0-3, Christian Vázquez 1-2 Stat of the day: J.D. Martinez leads the majors with a .380 average and is hitting .538 (28-for-52) over the past 13 games. Related: J.D. Martinez knows what it's like to have the answers to the test Notes: In six appearances against the Orioles, Whitlock allowed one run in 11 innings, with 12 strikeouts and one walk. ... The Sox have scored 112 runs (7.5 per game) over their last 15 games. ... Story’s 32 RBI in May are the most by a Red Sox in any month since Rafael Devers drove in 34 in July 2019. ... Orioles second baseman Rougned Odor has a 10-game hitting streak, matching his career long. ... Bradish is set for his sixth appearance, just his second on the road. His debut came against the Red Sox on April 29, when he gave up three runs, two earned, in six innings in a 3-1 loss. Song of the Day - J Geils Band- Freeze Framewww.youtube.com/watch?v=wHo43B6nu60
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2022 13:56:02 GMT -5
Why isn’t Friday’s Red Sox-Orioles game on TV? Here’s how to watch free on Apple TV+ Published: May. 27, 2022, 2:10 p.m.
By Nick O'Malley | nomalley@masslive.com
For the second time this season, the Boston Red Sox won’t be playing on any conventional TV channels. That’s because Boston’s game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 27 will be part of another Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV+.
Friday Night Baseball is a weekly feature that’s part of a new streaming deal with Apple TV+, which makes select games each week exclusive to the streaming platform. That means the game won’t be on NESN, ESPN, TNT, MLB Network, FOX or any other conventional TV channel.
Instead, the game is only available via streaming. That’s right, it’s the first Friday Night Baseball game of the season on Apple TV+.
How to watch the Red Sox-Orioles game: Here’s the direct link you need to watch the Red Sox-Orioles game.
The only way to watch Friday night’s game will be via the Apple TV+ app, which you can watch on phones, streaming devices, smart TVs and computers. Fortunately, fans can watch the game for free. All viewers need to do is sign in with an Apple ID (or sign up for an Apple ID) to watch the game. No credit card info is needed to watch the game.
Apple TV+ joined the sports streaming world this season with a major broadcasting deal with Major League Baseball that includes a weekly Friday Night Baseball broadcast exclusively on the app’s platform. The deal was promoted as a step forward for MLB to try and reach a younger audience. However, it does represent another hoop to jump through for existing fans who just want to sit down and watch the game.
This is the second of two streaming-exclusive games scheduled for the Red Sox so far. More games could be coming, as the league has only scheduled Friday Night Baseball games through the end of June.
Fans can find more info on how to watch MLB games on Apple TV+ here.
How to watch Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles (Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV+)
What time does the game start? Where can I watch it on TV? - Friday night’s game will start at 7:10 p.m. EST. nationally for viewers in the U.S. However, the game will not be broadcast on conventional TV channels. Apple TV+ has exclusive broadcast rights, the game will not be broadcast on NESN. Instead, the game will be exclusively available via Apple TV+, which can be accessed via the Apple TV+ app on smart TVs and streaming devices. You can find the exact link to the Red Sox-White Sox game here.
Fans can find more info on how to watch MLB games on Apple TV+ here.
Live stream options: Apple TV+ - Friday night’s game will air exclusively via Apple TV+. However, fans can still watch it for free. Viewers can catch the game without a subscription with the Apple TV+ app on smart TVs and streaming devices. Fans will need to login with an Apple ID, but will not have to pay for a subscription.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2022 17:11:51 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 3h Whitlock back on the mound tonight, he's been very leaky over the middle of the plate in his little 3-game skid.
In those 3 games, batters have only swung and missed on his fastballs 8% of the time, previously it was 19%. Has to get his FB back up in the zone.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2022 17:12:41 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 2h Since May 10th
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 27, 2022 17:15:55 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox’s Josh Winckowski (from Andrew Benintendi trade) to make MLB debut Saturday; ‘He wants to be great’ Published: May. 27, 2022, 6:11 p.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Red Sox pitching prospect Josh Winckowski is here at Fenway Park and will start the second game of Boston’s doubleheader against the Orioles on Saturday.
“He wants to be great. And it should be fun,” manager Alex Cora said.
Winckowski was one of five players the Red Sox acquired in the Andrew Benintendi three-team trade Feb. 10, 2021. Benintendi went to the Royals and Winckowski came to Boston from the Mets in the deal.
Winckowski — who throws a four-seam fastball, two-seamer, slider, cutter and changeup — does want to be great. He told MassLive.com last year he often logs on to Twitter after his minor league games to watch the top pitching highlights from that day in Major League Baseball. The 23-year-old righty especially enjoys watching (almost studying) how Mets’ Jacob deGrom and Yankees’ Gerrit Cole use their upper-90s four-seam fastballs to attack hitters.
“So I’m kind of always chasing,” he said back then. “Until I can match deGrom and Gerrit Cole stuff-for-stuff, I’ll always be working.”
Winckowski said Friday he’ll have about eight or nine family members and friends here watching him. His mother, grandparents, brother and girlfriend will be among those in attendance for his big league debut.
“It was a pretty awesome moment,” Winckowski said about finding out he would start Saturday. “I figured this was somewhat of a possibility but for it to finally happen obviously was pretty surreal. So I’m really excited.”
Winckowski has added a cutter that he worked on during the offseason and started to throw at the end of 2021.
“That kind of puts me at five pitches technically with the two fastballs,” Winckowski said. “So it’s also been a little bit hard to get all of them in. I’ve kind of found either I’m throwing that or the changeup one game. The sinker and slider I throw every game. And then the cutter some games and the changeup some games. It’s been a little hard to get in but when I have thrown it, I have felt pretty good with it. It’s mainly to attack lefties just so they can’t sit on my sinker away. And so far it’s done what it’s needed to do.”
Winckowski has a 3.13 ERA, 2.80 FIP, 0.85 WHIP and .183 batting average against in seven starts for Triple-A Worcester this season. He has 34 strikeouts and six walks in 31 ⅔ innings.
“Walks and strikeouts are usually what I look for,” Winckowski said. “It’s what you can control the most. I think both of those are in places I’m pretty happy with.”
He said the best piece of advice he has received ahead of his debut is just to be himself and stick to what he does well.
“Last year, in Double A, I kind of got away from who I was pitch-repertoire and mentality-wise,” he said. “So just being who I am is probably the biggest thing I’ve taken away from it all.”
Cora said the Red Sox considered Winckowski to make his major league debut the final game of Boston’s three-game series in Texas (May 15).
“He’s been really good for us,” Cora said. “He’s a guy we really like. He competes.”
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