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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 27, 2022 20:23:50 GMT -5
Started to post when the score was 6-2, hoping to add a run here or there. Keep the pressure up. I got back from my walk and the RS added two single runs. Nice!
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 27, 2022 20:27:18 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 “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. Same here. There is more to it in the minors. Good control can make you seem better than you are, but you typically need a good K/W, as a pitcher and hitter, to move ahead. And if I were Cora, I'd be telling him to give me three good innings-once thru the lineup. And then take it from there.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 27, 2022 20:31:37 GMT -5
In what world is Rutschman batting ahead of Mountcastle? I think Rutschman will be a star, but Mountcastle was a highly ranked prospect as well, with much more experience. Rutschman should bat lower until he bullies his way into a higher spot.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 27, 2022 20:34:55 GMT -5
Walks a .612 OPS Urias with a 6-run lead. With 3 balls, you throw the ball down the middle.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 27, 2022 20:35:35 GMT -5
And Mateo makes him pay, and now it is a ballgame.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on May 27, 2022 20:42:21 GMT -5
Now we need to scratch one back.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 28, 2022 2:25:18 GMT -5
Red Sox 8, Orioles 12: A bullpen implosion
A frustrating loss at Fenway. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins May 27, 2022, 10:55pm EDT 15 Comments
With the Red Sox and Orioles starting a five-games-in-four-days stretch at Fenway, Boston came out of the gates hot for the series opener on Friday. They scored four in the first and added on two more in the second to jump out to an early day. They also got a really solid start from Garrett Whitlock, who allowed just two runs over six innings. Unfortunately, we got a reminder that this bullpen is liable to implode on any given night. With an 8-2 lead in the seventh, Jake Diekman, John Schreiber, and Matt Strahm combined to give Baltimore the lead by the ninth, and that was that. This was a game that was in hand against a bad team, and frankly the kind of loss that can’t happen for a team with playoff ambitions.
More robust game notes to follow.
With the Red Sox streaking offense streaking of late, coming off a series in which they had two separate games with 16 runs on the board, they were coming back home for a long series against the Orioles and looking to jump out early and keep that momentum going. Facing Kyle Bradish, who faced Boston’s lineup in his first career start, they set the tone right away.
Enrique Hernández started the game off with a base hit into left field, and then the Orioles defense presented a little bit of help. Rafael Devers followed up Hernández’s single with one of his own, which should have just put two runners on but Anthony Santander was feeling generous. He let a pretty routine ball sneak by him, allowing Hernández to get on his horse and come all the way around from first to score, giving Boston the 1-0 lead just two batters in. After J.D. Martinez was hit by a pitch to put two on, Xander Bogaerts unloaded on a 3-2 slider right over the plate. The ball left the bat at 112 mph, traveled 423 feet, and gave the Red Sox a 4-0 lead in the first.
They got right back to work in the second as well, this time with a two-out rally. Things started when Devers kept the inning alive with a two-out single, after which Bradish lost his control and loaded the bases on a walk and a hit batter. That brought Alex Verdugo to the plate, and he got a good pitch to hit. He also did not miss it, sending it out to the deepest part of the park, settling for a ground rule double that bounced around the triangle, bringing two more runs home.
Over on the other side, Garrett Whitlock got the start looking to get his season back on track after a couple of shaky starts, with his last outing in particular looking very un-Whitlock-like. Early on he certainly looked better, working at what seemed to me to be a quicker pace and retiring each of the first nine batters he faced. But entering the fourth with the 6-0 lead, he hit his one bit of trouble in the game.
It started with a walk to Trey Mancini to break up the fledgling perfect game, and then Santander made up for his error. Sitting on Whitlock’s two-seam in a 2-0 count, he jumped on one down and in and was all over it, sending it out over the Orioles bullpen for a two-run shot, bringing Baltimore to within four.
After Whitlock worked around a couple more baserunners in that inning, the Red Sox offense answered back on the homer. Once again it was Devers starting the rally with his third hit of the game, this time a double, and then quickly coming home when Martinez contributed a two-bagger of his own, making it a 7-2 game. They’d add one more in the fifth as well with the bottom of the order getting into the mix as Franchy Cordero led off with a double and came in on a Christian Vázquez base hit.
Whitlock was able to maintain that score for two more innings, working around two more hits in the fifth before finishing his night with a perfect sixth. It wasn’t a flawless outing, but it was a step back in the right direction as he continues to transition into this new role. Unfortunately, the bullpen just didn’t have it tonight, starting with Jake Diekman. The lefty came on for the seventh with a six-run lead, and after a quick first out he gave up a base hit before issuing a walk to put two on with one out. That brought Jorge Mateo to the plate, who got a hanging slider in an 0-1 count and hit it out to left-center field for a three-run shot, suddenly making it an 8-5 game.
Diekman got out of the inning after that, bringing John Schreiber out for the eighth. He’s been outstanding, but ran into trouble in this game. He led the inning off with a walk, which is never a good thing, and Austin Hays made him pay. On a 2-1 slider that stayed right down the heart of the plate, the Orioles outfielder sent it 413 feet out to left field for a two-run shot, and suddenly Baltimore was within a run. After Schreiber finally got a couple of outs, Matt Strahm came in, and the one-run lead disappeared after a double and a single, taking away Whitlock’s chance at his first win as a starter.
With the offense now needing to get something going for the first time since the fifth, Boston got two men on in the eighth but pinch hitter Christian Arroyo couldn’t get the runner home with two outs, and the game was still tied heading into the ninth.
Strahm came back out for that inning as well, and again got himself into trouble with two straight singles to start off the inning, putting runners on the corners. He was left in to face Santander as well, which did not go well with the Orioles outfielder bringing a run home on a base hit and giving Baltimore their first lead of the day. Hirokazu Sawamura then came on, and things only got worse. He issued a walk, later threw a wild pitch, and gave up a sacrifice fly and a single, eventually ending the inning with the Orioles holding a 12-8 lead.
They now needed a miracle from the offense, which did not come. Boston went down in order in the bottom of the ninth, finishing off a terrible loss at Fenway.
The Red Sox will look to recover on Saturday with a twin bill on the docket. The first game will come at 12:10 PM ET.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 28, 2022 2:28:05 GMT -5
Gas Can Gang really out did themselves last night
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 28, 2022 3:09:17 GMT -5
Boston's 'pen squanders big lead: 'Very tough to watch' 1:39 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- This season isn’t yet two months old. However, the Red Sox bullpen has already endured many low points.
None of the previous mishaps can match what took place Friday night at Fenway Park.
After starting pitcher Garrett Whitlock (career high of six innings, two runs) and the red-hot offense set the team up for what seemed like a sure victory, the bullpen couldn’t hang on.
Leading by six after six, Boston’s relief crew gave up three in the seventh, three in the eighth and yet four more in the ninth for a crushing 12-8 defeat to the Orioles. It was the first time since Sept. 6 that the Red Sox relinquished a lead of six runs or more.
“Very tough,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “We were very short bullpen-wise. We had an 8-2 lead and some guys we trust [didn’t come through]. They hit the ball out of the ballpark twice and put together good at-bats. They were very relentless in that aspect. It was very tough to watch, but we’ve got to turn the page.”
It is a page that must be turned almost instantly. The Red Sox and Orioles have a split doubleheader on Saturday, with the festivities scheduled to start at 12:10 p.m. ET.
“Every loss is tough. One like tonight, it stings,” said Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts. “Especially with the weekend we have ahead, five games in four days. Obviously, it would’ve been nice to start off with a win after the way we’ve been playing.”
That’s what made the defeat tougher to stomach for the Red Sox. They’ve finally been putting it together as a team after a wobbly start.
A win Friday would have given them 12 wins in their last 16 games, and eight out of nine. It also would have put them within one game of .500, which would have been significant for a team that has been below .500 since April 23.
Instead, they got a reminder of how losses can come out of nowhere when the bullpen is the most unsettled aspect of a team.
The Red Sox are 8-for-20 in save opportunities this season. Eight of the blown saves have come in the eighth inning or later.
Through 45 games, Boston has a bullpen ERA of 4.09. As a staff, the Red Sox have an ERA of 5.30 in the eighth inning or later.
As ultra-hot as the Red Sox have been offensively of late, and as dependable as the starting pitching has been, sustaining their recent level of success as a team is going to be difficult unless the bullpen improves its performance.
A couple of things could help in the not-too-distant future.
The biggest would be the return of Chris Sale, which could allow Whitlock to go back to the bullpen. Sale is expected to throw off the mound three more times next week, and could be within five weeks or so of returning to action. James Paxton, coming off Tommy John surgery, could provide additional depth by July or August.
The second would be some external upgrades from chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, though trade season typically doesn’t get going until late June or early July.
The culprits in Friday’s loss were Jake Diekman (three runs in one inning), John Schreiber (two runs in two-thirds of an inning) and Matt Strahm (five hits, three earned runs and just one out recorded).
Schreiber and Strahm had been two of Boston’s top relievers of late.
“I mean, yeah, it was one game,” said Diekman. “It happened from the seventh to the ninth, probably took an hour. In the past three weeks, we’ve had a really bad one hour. Our hitters are getting hot. We know the starters and [the offense] are going to put us in every game.”
But for the Red Sox to get to where they want to get as a team, the bullpen needs to hold up its end of the bargain on a more consistent basis.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 28, 2022 3:11:08 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 4h
Red Sox are 21-24. This was an ugly result. Huge early lead squandered.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 28, 2022 3:12:31 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 5h Red Sox lose, 12-8. A game they led 8-2 after six.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 28, 2022 3:13:56 GMT -5
Jon Couture @joncouture · 5h Like a month ago, this wouldn't have seemed terribly out of the ordinary.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 28, 2022 3:22:06 GMT -5
A bullpen meltdown ruined another solid showing by the Red Sox’ offense By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated May 27, 2022, 10:58 p.m.
The Red Sox bullpen blew it.
The Orioles scored four runs in the ninth inning on two RBI singles, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly to complete a comeback from an early 6-0 deficit and beat the Red Sox, 12-8, Friday night at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox held an 8-2 lead heading into the seventh, only to see the Orioles cut into it.
The Red Sox held an 8-5 lead heading into the eighth, only to see the Orioles tie the game.
Jake Diekman surrendered a three-run home run in the seventh to Jorge Mateo.
And John Schreiber? A two-run homer to Austin Hays in the eighth.
Later that inning, with Matt Strahm pitching and Rougned Odor on second, Ramon Urias hit a slow roller to Rafael Devers at third. Devers barehanded the ball and made an errant throw to first, allowing Odor to score.
Just like that, it was a tie game. Soon after, it was over.
“It was very tough,” manager Alex Cora said. “They hit the ball out of the ballpark twice, and they put together good at-bats and they were very relentless. It was tough to watch.”
Said Diekman: “The final two innings just got away.
Friday’s meltdown marks the largest lead the Sox have blown since last September 6 against the Rays.
The loss came despite the Sox registering 14 hits to continue their hot streak at the dish.
Entering Friday, the Sox ranked first in batting average (.283), slugging (.477), and OPS (.825). They were second to the Dodgers in runs scored this month with 131, smashing 30 homers after hitting just 12 in April.
The Sox jumped all over Orioles starter Kyle Bradish in the first. Kiké Hernández registered a broken-bat single to begin the inning. Devers then roped a single toward left fielder Anthony Santander, who booted the ball, allowing Hernández to score from first. Trouble continued to mount for Bradish. J.D. Martinez was hit by a pitch, putting two men on for Xander Bogaerts, who launched a three-run homer that hit off the signage beyond the Green Monster. It was Bogaerts’s fifth homer of the season and put the Sox ahead, 4-0, with no outs.
The Sox tacked on two more in the second when Alex Verdugo stung a two-run ground-rule double toward the 420-foot sign in center. It was Verdugo’s fourth double in his last four games and his sixth hit in two games.
The bullpen stinker also squandered a solid outing by Garrett Whitlock.
Whitlock came into this start scuffling. In his four previous outings, Whitlock had a 6.75 ERA, yielding 12 runs (all earned). Opponents hit .288 against the righthander with three homers and an .851 OPS.
Cora said Whitlock was still adjusting to the starter’s role, with teams having time to game plan against him. Beyond that, Cora noted that it’s about Whitlock just executing his pitches.
“When he pitches ahead with his fastball,” Cora said before the game. “Then he can do whatever with the other pitches. The changeup plays, the slider plays, he can go to different places with his fastball.”
Whitlock navigated his way through three perfect innings, striking out three. In the fourth, the Orioles got their first runner with a Trey Mancini walk. Whitlock fell behind, 2-0, to Santander, and Santander made him pay, scalding a two-run homer to right.
“l felt better this time out,” Whitlock said. “I was able to move the fastball in and out and mix my pitches.”
In the end, Whitlock pitched six quality innings (his season high), surrendering just those two runs. The bullpen, however, sputtered, as it has most of the season.
“They kept fighting,” Cora said of the Orioles. “It had to be perfect for us tonight after Whitlock and it didn’t happen.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 28, 2022 3:24:01 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Righthander Josh Winckowski to make major league debut for Red Sox on Saturday By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated May 27, 2022, 8:51 p.m.
Righthander Josh Winckowski will make his major league debut Saturday, starting in the second game of the Red Sox’ doubleheader against the Orioles. In seven starts at Triple A Worcester, Winckowski was 1-1 with a 3.13 ERA in 31⅔ innings pitched. He was in the clubhouse prior to Friday night’s series-opening 12-8 loss to Baltimore.
“It was a pretty awesome moment,” Winckowski said about being called up. “I figured this was somewhat of a possibility but for it to finally happen it was pretty surreal.”
In order to make sure his family could make the game, the decided to have Winckowski pitch the second game instead of the opener. Winckowski said he has roughly eight or nine family members coming from Toledo, Ohio, where he was born, and Fort Myers, Fla. where he lives.
“I can’t really say if it’s hit me just yet,” Winckowksi said. “But maybe when I go out to throw, so far I’ve been pretty calm. I haven’t really felt any nerves but I’m sure maybe when tomorrow’s start comes I might feel something but not anything too crazy.”
Winckowski said he’s leaned on some of the experiences his Worcester teammates had when they were called up for the first time, and the main advice that he got from them was to not reinvent himself. To remain true to what he can do on the mound. Barnes meltdown
Matt Barnes’s struggles this season made their way to the Windy City in Thursday night’s series finale against the White Sox. Barnes entered the game in the bottom of the eighth with his team holding a 14-6 lead, Barnes walked four batters and yielded two runs. Barnes lasted just one-third of an inning and tossed 27 pitches. Only nine were strikes. Related: Brayan Bello and Bryan Mata just two of the Red Sox’ growing number of international prospects
“His mechanics were way off,” manager Alex Cora said. “There was a lot of effort and he became a thrower, not a pitcher. You could see it. He was trying to snap his breaking ball and spin it as hard as possible. He tried to throw his fastball as hard as possible.”
Some of Barnes’s struggles early in the year were directly related to his lack of velocity. He came into spring training throwing just 91-93 miles per hour. He carried that into the regular season. Recently, Barnes seemed to have regained some of his old form, hitting 96 m.p.h. It was something Cora was encouraged by in Thursday until he spoke to catcher Kevin Plawecki, who said that despite the velocity, Barnes’s pitches were a ball even before they left his hand.
“So we have to keep grinding with him.” Cora said. “Like I told him [Friday] we need him but I don’t want him to feel the burden of like, we’re going to be great because he’s back. He has to just keep working, keep getting better and at one point it’s going to happen. Finding time to rest
The Sox didn’t land in Boston until the wee hours Friday morning. Cora didn’t walk into his home until 5:35 am. The players and staff were back at Fenway in the early afternoon. The schedule grind continues with a day-night Saturday, followed by day games Sunday and Monday. As a result taxing schedule, some of the utility players will be moving around the field, giving others much-needed rest. “We have to take advantage of the versatility,” Cora said. “I talked to a few of them already. We’ve got to be smart. I know we’re playing good baseball but at the same time you have to avoid injuries. We’re not 100 percent physically because of the travel and all that but take advantage of Bobby [Dalbec’s] versatility, Franchy [Cordero], Christian [Arroyo] , even Kiké [Hernandez], and see how we take care of some guys. We have to do it.” … Dan Duquette, Rich Gedman, and David Ortiz received their Red Sox Hall of Fame plaques before the game. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and president Sam Kennedy made the presentations.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 28, 2022 3:25:03 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 5h Red Sox were up 6-0 and then outscored 12-2.
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