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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 2, 2022 17:20:03 GMT -5
Red Sox @ A's Friday, 2nd June 2022 930pm @ at RingCentral Coliseum
Nasty Nate 2-2/4.35
Kaprielian 0-0/5.93
Boston, Oakland set for side duel in shadow of NBA Finals FLM
The East Bay's contribution to this week's Boston vs. the San Francisco Bay Area duel takes place 17 miles from the NBA Finals when the Boston Red Sox and host Oakland Athletics open a three-game series Friday night.
The Red Sox flew into Oakland on the same day as Game 1 of the NBA championship series Thursday and are scheduled to fly out at about the same time as the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors meet in a rematch on Sunday night in their best-of-seven clash.
Before they move on to Los Angeles and Seattle to complete a 10-game West Coast swing, the Red Sox hope to take advantage of a loyal Bay Area fan following and a slumping A's team that has lost six of seven.
Boston's Nathan Eovaldi (2-2, 3.77 ERA) and Oakland's James Kaprielian (0-2, 5.93) are the scheduled starters Friday as the Red Sox and A's meet for the first time since contesting three consecutive nail-biters -- two of which went to extra innings -- in Oakland last July.
Eovaldi is coming off a complete-game win over the Baltimore Orioles, one in which the right-hander got through the nine innings with just 108 pitches. He allowed seven hits and two earned runs in a 5-3 win.
The complete game was the first of his career in 211 starts and was just the eighth in the majors this season.
"It definitely means a lot to me, especially with the way the game's trending now and the injuries I've had in the past," Eovaldi said. "I know they have the best interests for me to protect me, but it means a lot to go out there and (pitch a complete game). Every starter wants to go out there and finish the start."
Eovaldi will be making his fifth career start in Oakland, where he's gone 1-1 with a 3.74 ERA. Overall, he's 1-2 with a 3.91 ERA in eight career starts against the A's.
Like many pitchers this season, Eovaldi has limited experience against current members of the A's. One batter he has never faced is catcher/first baseman Christian Bethancourt, who belted his first major league home run since 2016 in Wednesday's home loss to the Houston Astros.
The blast off Justin Verlander gave the A's a late 3-1 lead, one the Oakland bullpen saw get away in a 5-4 defeat.
Bethancourt and his teammates took time to celebrate the feat nonetheless.
"It's about time," pitcher Cole Irvin joked. "Watching him take BP is a lot of fun. He's got a lot of power, so it's about time he got that first one. Hopefully that rolls into a few more and gets him going."
While not having pitched well enough to earn any of the decisions, Kaprielian has been a bit of a good-luck charm for the A's. They've won his last four starts, even though the 28-year-old has allowed 13 runs and 20 hits over 19 2/3 innings in those games.
The right-hander has pitched well in two career starts against the Red Sox, going 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA. He's struck out 16 in 12 innings, allowing just two runs.
He had 10 of those strikeouts when the clubs last met on July 4. The Red Sox won that game 1-0.
--Field Level Media
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 2, 2022 17:21:51 GMT -5
SP Probables for rest of series
Saturday..4pm...Pivetta 4-4/3.95 vs Blackburn 5-1/2.15
Sunday....4pm....Hill 1-3/4.85 vs Montas 2-5/3.20
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 3, 2022 3:28:12 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK With one minor adjustment, Jackie Bradley Jr. is starting to swing the results in his favor By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated June 2, 2022, 7:15 p.m.
A hitter’s setup at the plate can sometimes make all the difference. Before the swing even occurs, the way a batter is situated in the box can be the difference between a positive outcome and a negative one.
Jackie Bradley Jr. has had a good number of positive outcomes so far this year, and that might have something to do with a minor tweak he’s made to help get him to this point.
At the start of the season Bradley rested his bat on his shoulder when in his stance. As the pitcher went into his motion, that’s when Bradley would lift his bat off his shoulder, begin his load with the top head of the bat more at an angled hitter’s position. That’s not an atypical movement for a lot of hitters. Some view the bat on the shoulder during their pre-pitch setup as the resting point, something that can keep them loose and free in their swing. But for Bradley, he was getting out and around the ball, topping it over to the pull side. Or was just late altogether.
That’s when the Sox coaching staff and Bradley made a slight adjustment. How about starting the bat more in the upright position with the top head angled more upward? Essentially, have the bat ready to fire, and cut down the movement.
“I got to get it there anyway,” Bradley said Wednesday. “Why not just start there? Just less movement. Get to the slot faster.”
Bradley went 2 for 4 with a three-run triple and four RBI in Wednesday’s 7-1 win against the Reds.
Over Bradley’s last 14 games, he’s hitting .318/.368/.568 with a .930 OPS and a home run, which was his first of the season.
Despite his .227/.284/.353 line so far this year, Bradley’s at-bats have shown promise. Manager Alex Cora and the Sox have preached to Bradley the importance of going to the opposite field, and how much of an asset he can be to the team when he does that. So far this year, Bradley has 13 hits to the opposite field compared with just nine all of last year with the Brewers.
“If you see his batting practice, there’s a 100 percent effort of trying to stay inside the ball and drive to left field,” Cora said. “We talked a little bit and said, ‘Just simplify it, be an athlete.’ Especially at Fenway, it’s been beautiful seeing him, going the other way.”
Bradley, though, offered a different perspective on what he’s trying to do, adding that he’s just hitting the ball where it’s pitched.
“I think if you overthink it to the point where you’re trying to force things the other way, then you’re not going to put yourself in a good enough position,” he said. “I think sometimes the pitch dictates where you hit the ball.”
Regardless there’s one thing Bradley does see has paid dividends: the positioning of his hands and the angle of his bat before the pitch. He’s quicker and shorter to the ball.
“Yeah,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about.” On the road back
The Red Sox (24-27) have a chance to gain some ground in the standings when they open a three-game set Friday against the Athletics in Oakland. The rebuilding A’s (20-33) have the worst record in the American League West. The A’s have just a 7-20 record at home this year and are 3-7 in their last 10 games. The Sox will see two of their best pitchers this weekend, however, with Paul Blackburn (2.15 ERA) and Frankie Montas (3.20 ERA) pitching Saturday and Sunday, respectively . . . Nate Eovaldi will take the ball Friday for the Sox against James Kaprielian for the A’s. Nick Pivetta will go toe to toe with Blackburn, and Rich Hill is slated up against Montas.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 3, 2022 11:19:24 GMT -5
In likely one of Boston’s last trips to Oakland Coliseum, a reminder of the Red Sox’ history there
By Jon Couture June 3, 2022 | 10:37 AM
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After Thursday night, the Red Sox are going to have a hard time making their latest series in Oakland notable beyond it happening around its competition across the bay.
Some Red Sox may have been at Game 1 of the NBA Finals; Alex Cora, in a bit of an eye-popper quote, said earlier in the week it was even cost prohibitive for his players. For those that were, it’ll be quite a 24-hour jump — from the $1.4 billion Chase Center on the San Francisco waterfront to a place where the possums run wild and free.
What today is known as RingCentral Coliseum is a relic of a bygone baseball era, and won’t be long for the majors if the Athletics’ bosses get their way. The sport’s fifth-oldest stadium — only eight remain that pre-date Baltimore’s Camden Yards — is almost universally maligned, with the possum story of a few weeks ago joining the feral cats, the sewage overflows, the “intimacy tarps,” and just the general aesthetic of the place since it was renovated in the mid-90s to win back the Raiders (for a couple decades).
The older of you may remember when the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum was one of the sport’s jewels, the site of the 1987 All-Star Game right before the Athletics won three straight pennants behind the Bash Brothers, Rickey Henderson, and some long-haired Hall of Fame closer.
And almost all of you likely remember some sliver of Red Sox history in Oakland, because for a place they’ve only visited once a year for most of the last two decades, they’ve sure had a lot of memorable games there.
Thus, if I may take a moment to not lament the 2022 Red Sox bullpen, a few memories of afternoons and late nights gone by watching Boston spend part of a West Coast trip in the East Bay.
May 27, 1968 — Why not salute the first? Especially when, with a crowd of just 6,875 announced for what months earlier was still the Kansas City A’s, the seats were about as depressingly empty as they’ll probably be on Friday?
“So, Boston really needs a stadium? They ought to parcel the new one out here into three U-Haul-It trucks and send it to home,” quipped the Globe’s Clif Keane in the next day’s paper.
Playing the day after Oakland brawled with the Tigers, the reigning American League champs beat the A’s, 3-2, with reigning MVP Carl Yastrzemski smashing the longest home run in the brief history of the park. (The Oakland Tribune estimated it at 450 feet.)
Two additional notes: May 27 was a notable day in baseball history, as that same night the American League formally voted to split into divisions for the 1969 season, and the National League awarded expansion teams to Montreal and San Diego. (The NL wouldn’t agree to divisional play until a month later.)
Also, Boston’s second game in Oakland included the 1968 debut of ’67 Cy Young winner Jim Lonborg, used in relief after he’d torn up his knee skiing the previous Christmas. Though he’d pitch parts of the next 12 seasons, at 26, his best days were already behind him.
Oct. 7, 1975 — The Red Sox and Oakland have a relatively beefy playoff history. That aforementioned A’s dynasty of the late 1980s included a pair of championship-series sweeps of Boston, the 1990 version ending with Roger Clemens — Ninja Turtles on his cleats, goatee on his face — ejected in the second inning.
In 2003, the Red Sox completed a comeback from the Division Series brink in Oakland, Manny Ramirez crashing a game-winning home run and Derek Lowe closing it out with a celebratory crotch chop.
A shoutout, though, to their first postseason meeting, when the Red Sox ended the reign of the three-time World Series winners with an ALCS sweep of their own. Rico Petrocelli put the Sox up in the fourth, Dick Drago got a pivotal double play in the eighth, and Boston won, 5-3, to set up a World Series with the Big Red Machine.
June 7, 2007 — The Red Sox and A’s have played nine 1-0 games at the Coliseum, the visitors winning six of them, none more notable than the one played 15 years ago Tuesday.
When Curt Schilling shook off Jason Varitek.
The big-money Sox were already up nine games in a division race they were never much challenged in on their way to a world championship, but were on a season-worst four-game losing streak that getaway Thursday. They had only four hits that day, but David Ortiz’s first-inning solo shot off Joe Blanton was enough as Schilling played the stopper, needing only 90 pitches to reach the ninth without allowing a hit.
You likely know the rest: After retiring current A’s manager Mark Kotsay and Jason Kendall on groundouts, Varitek called for a first-pitch slider to Shannon Stewart — who, coincidentally, played his last major-league game exactly one year later on June 7, 2008.
Schilling wanted to throw a fastball. He did, and at 95 miles per hour, it was his fastest of the day. Stewart ripped it past a diving Alex Cora into right field.
“I was sure [Stewart] was taking. Tek was sure he was swinging,” Schilling told reporters after finishing his third and final one-hitter. “I was wrong. . . . And I’ve got the big ‘what if’ for the rest of my life.”
“I think Eric Hinske said it best,” Mike Lowell noted, “when he said, ‘I’ve never seen our pitcher throw a shutout and we win, 1-0, and we’re all disappointed.’
It was actually the second time a Red Sox pitcher lost a no-hitter in the ninth inning at Oakland Coliseum. Marty Pattin, whom the Red Sox got as part of the trade that sent Lonborg and George Scott out of town in 1971, tossed a one-hitter at the A’s on July 11, 1972. The only damage was a Reggie Jackson one-out single in the ninth.
April 21, 2018 — Cora, to be clear, had no chance at Stewart’s single, but that didn’t keep him from lamenting what might have been.
“Have I been this close to being a part of one?” he told reporters that day. “Not 10 feet.”
Eleven years later, another trip to Oakland changed that . . . sort of. Sean Manaea no-hit his rampaging Red Sox, who’d opened 17-2, outscoring opponents by nearly four runs per game. That included pounding what would become a 97-win A’s team by in the Friday series opener.
“That’s baseball. We talk about being humble and staying hungry,” Cora told reporters that Saturday night. “Well, we were humbled.”
It was not without controversy. Sandy León reached base in the fifth on a pop up that Marcus Semien, racing toward the outfield, got a glove on. (It was ruled it an error.) In the sixth, Andrew Benintendi appeared to have a hit when he beat out a swinging bunt up the first-base line, but was called out after an umpire huddle for leaving the base line.
In the moment, it was the start of a three-game losing streak, and the Red Sox dropped out of the first place about a month later when Manaea beat them again at Fenway. Their history, however, would not be denied.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 3, 2022 11:38:19 GMT -5
Xander Bogaerts reflects on games played record: ‘One of my biggest achievements’ re
By Ezekiel Telemaco WEEI 93.7 27 minutes ago
On Wednesday, Xander Bogaerts made history, tying Everett Scott for the most games played at shortstop in Red Sox history. After the game, he reflected on the accomplishment.
"On a personal level I would probably say this is one of my biggest achievements," Bogaerts said. "To be able to get to that point, first of all you have to stay healthy. Second of all you have to have to play with a team for as long as I've been so far. But health has definitely been the key, I try to take extremely good care of my body and try and be smart about my body and stuff like that, but I mean, I would have never imagined if someone told me nine or 10 years ago that when I made my debut." Alex Cora joins MFM ahead of Red Sox' West Coast trip
Bogaerts made his debut on Aug. 20, 2013, against the San Francisco Giants and has now played 1,093 games at shortstop (and 1,146 games overall) and counting. With a career batting average of .291, an on-base percentage .355, and a slugging percentage of .459, Bogaerts is one of the best and most consistent shortstops the Red Sox have ever had.
Despite all of the accomplishments, Bogaerts said that he couldn't imagine reaching this milestone when he was playing in the minors.
"Nah, when you come up to the big leagues you're just trying to perform, trying to stay in the big leagues," he said. "...The track record that you have in the minor league is the minors, but this is the big leagues and it's a whole other show and you got to compete every day, guys are adjusting to you, and you're going to deal with failure. You're going to deal with success. It's how do you bounce back and how quickly you bounce back. And I mean, it's kind of how I've always been just trying to adjust every time and as quick as possible."
When asked if he thinks his record will be breakable, Bogaerts was quick to say records are made to be broken.
"I feel like records are meant to be broken," he said, "but I mean... as of this point until at least 10 years from now if I'm not here, or the day where I'm not here no more, at least 10 years from now it's still going to be still there. So you have to play here for a long time and you have to stay healthy. So, it's not impossible. Records are meant to be broken but I know it's just definitely something that's not easy."
Bogaerts can opt out of his contract after this season, and the expectation is that he will given that he has outplayed his $20 million-a-year salary. Last month, he indicated a willingness to talk in-season, something he previously said he didn't want to do.
After hitting this milestone, Boegarts took some time to reflect on his experience with Red Sox fans.
"They've been along for the ride, you know," he said. "They've seen me I would say grow into the player I am now and the man that I am now obviously coming up as a young kid. It's been fun, man. I've heard cheers, and I've heard boos, so I think I've experienced pretty much everything that you possibly can in this game so far."
Bogaerts' final message was to players in the Red Sox farm system with dreams of making their debut, and having a long successful careers in MLB like he has.
"Keep playing hard, you know, trust your abilities, know what you are capable of," Bogaerts said. "Try to always stay true to yourself, be who you are, and I think we can get in a lot of trouble when we try to be someone else. Just be who you are, trust your instincts, trust your abilities, trust the work you put in and once you do all of that work, when it comes to the game, just let everything take over. Just let your natural abilities take over."
Assuming he's in his usual shortstop spot on Friday, Boegarts will break the tie with Scott (who played in Boston from 1914-21) against the Oakland Athletics with his 1,094th game.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 3, 2022 13:19:10 GMT -5
Red Sox at Athletics Series Preview
The start of a west coast swing. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Jun 3, 2022, 2:06pm EDT 0 Comments
SB Nation Blog
Athletics Nation The opponent in one sentence
The Athletics are a second straight team on the Red Sox schedule who infuriated their fan base by selling off a lot of top talent and now find themselves among the very worst teams in all of baseball. Record
20-33 Trend
Down. The A’s have been trending down since the lockout ended and they traded Matts Olson and Chapman, really, but recently they’ve hit a big skid in their schedule. They are coming immediately off a sweep at the hands of the Astros, which itself was preceded by losing three of four to the Rangers. For all my math heads out there, that’s six losses in their last seven games. Pitching Matchups
6/3: Nathan Eovaldi vs. James Kaprielian, 9:40 PM ET
The big issue for Nathan Eovaldi this season, as anyone who has been paying attention knows all too well, has been the long ball. He allowed another one last time out in an otherwise great start — the first complete game of his career — and he’s allowed at least one in eight of his nine starts so far this season. The best fix for that should be heading to a spacious ballpark with one of the worst power-hitting teams in the entire league. That’s what he gets traveling to Oakland to take on the A’s. Even with the home run problems Eovaldi has been pretty good, but the Red Sox could really use a homerless streak for him to get back to borderline ace status.
Kaprielian might be a familiar name for some going back to his days as a prospect in the Yankees system, but the former first round pick was never able to break out of the minors with New York, largely due to injury issues. He’s since made his way to Oakland where he spent his first significant time in the bigs last season. He was fine in 2021, but this season has been a struggle. The righty has watched his strikeout rate fall significantly while issuing more walks, leading to a 5.93 ERA and a FIP that is only very slightly better. He’s also allowed at least four runs in each of his last two starts, and has allowed five homers over his last three. Kaprielian will feature a fastball that sits 92-94, along with a slider, changeup, and curveball.
6/4: Nick Pivetta vs. Paul Blackburn, 4:07 PM ET
While the Red Sox continue to wait for Eovaldi to get back to where he was last season, it’s been Pivetta picking up the slack of late as the team’s best pitcher. Going back to his second start on May, the righty has pitched to an impressive 1.59 ERA, striking out 30 batters while walking only two over 34 innings of work. He’s also allowed more than one run in just one of the five starts in this stretch, lasting at least six innings in all of them as well. After a brutal start to his season, he found a mechanical tweak which has allowed him to throw strikes, and as long as he continues to do so I see little reason to doubt he can handle a lineup like Oakland’s.
Blackburn has had sort of a weird career in Oakland in that he’s spent just small amounts of time in the majors each year going back to 2017. Now, some of that is injury as he was placed on the 60-day injured list (then DL) in both 2017 and 2018. Still, across all of these seasons he only has 192 1⁄3 total innings. He’s already tied his career-high for starts this season with 10, and he’s been quite good in them with a 2.15 ERA and a 3.18 FIP. He’s not going to miss a ton of bats, instead relying on control and command with 5.6 percent walk rate and a ground ball tendency that has allowed him to keep the ball in the yard at a strong rate. Blackburn will feature a pair of fastballs (though skewed heavily towards his sinker) that sit in the low-90s along with a changeup, cutter, and curveball.
6/5: Rich Hill vs. Frankie Montas, 4:07 PM ET
Back in 2015, Hill revitalized his career with the Red Sox, turning an impressive September into a multi-year deal with the Athletics. Now he returns to Oakland at the end of his career, and it’s not really clear what he can be from start to start. More often than not this season he’s been effective, albeit with a relatively limited workload, but as we saw last time out he is liable to be hit around whenever he takes the mound. Without a pitch that can hit 90 mph, he needs to be on point with his command and make sure he gets ahead in counts so he can show off all of the different arm angles and curveballs he throws. But when that doesn’t happen and hitters can sit on his pitches, things go downhill quickly.
The Red Sox do have the misfortune of having to face off against by far the best player on this Athletics roster this year in Montas. A former Red Sox prospect, he has blossomed in Oakland and is expected to be one of the hottest targets at the trade deadline this season. He’s been awesome once again to start this season with a 3.20 ERA and a 3.10 FIP. He’s not really elite at any one thing, but he’s above-average across all areas to lead to consistently strong results. Montas will feature two mid-90s fastballs, a splitter which is the centerpiece of his arsenal, and a slider. Old Friends
Montas, as mentioned just above, is a former Red Sox prospect. He was still very early in his career when he was sent to the White Sox back in 2013 in the trade that brought Jake Peavy to the Red Sox. Peavy helped the Red Sox win a World Series so Boston doesn’t regret the trade, but Montas would look very good in this rotation right now.
Jed Lowrie of course came up with the Red Sox way back in 2008 and served as a solid utility man for Boston for a few years, struggling to stay healthy but producing relatively well when on the field. He was traded to Houston prior to the 2012 season, and he’s been bouncing all around the league since then.
Domingo Tapia was part of that infamous 2020 Red Sox pitching staff, making five appearances for the Red Sox in that dismal season. Notable Position Players
Ramón Laureano is arguably the best position player for the A’s these days, and while that’s probably not a sign of a great team he’s a really solid player. He plays good defense in the outfield with the chance to make the highlight reels on any ball, and also has some pop at the plate with good patience.
Tony Kemp has good plate discipline and is going to be very tough to strike out, but he’s still well below average overall this season thanks to an extreme lack of power.
Sean Murphy could be another interesting trade candidate this summer or perhaps next winter as a good defensive catcher while being around league-average at the plate, which is very good for the position.
Lowrie is in a similar zone as Kemp in that he is being held down by being unable to provide any power, even with doubles, at the plate.
Seth Brown has been able to hit for solid power, but he is still hovering around league-average thanks to a relatively high strikeout rate.
Luis Barrera hasn’t played a ton this year but has been good when he’s gotten in thanks to a high contact rate and some patience thrown in.
Elvis Andrus is having a little bit of a renaissance at the plate in a similar vein as Barrera, relaying on putting balls in play.
Sheldon Neuse is supposed to be a big power bat as long as he makes enough contact, but there’s been very little power so far this season.
Cristian Pache was part of the Olson return prior to the start of the season and he’s an outstanding defensive player whose offense has not yet been up to snuff. Bullpen Snapshot
Dany Jiménez handles the ninth inning for the Athletics, and while he boasts an impressive 2.47 FIP that seems to mostly trace back to not having allowed a home run, which doesn’t feel sustainable. He can miss bats, but patience should lead to traffic and hopefully runs.
A.J. Puk is probably the best reliever in this bullpen. A former starting pitching prospect, he has great control and solid swing and miss stuff to help him pitch to a sub-2.00 ERA.
Zach Jackson is another guy who has not yet allowed a home run, but his control issues are more extreme than Jiménez which has led to some poor outings. Weather Forecast
It doesn’t look like it’s going to be a particularly beautiful weekend in the Bay Area, but we should avoid any weather-related delays or cancellations.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 3, 2022 15:02:28 GMT -5
Game 52: Red Sox at Athletics lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated June 3, 2022, 11:45 a.m. The Red Sox had Thursday off after concluding a disappointing 3-4 homestand against two of the worst teams in baseball. They now kick off a three-city, 10-game road trip out west with a three-game series at Oakland this weekend. That will be followed by a four-game series at the Los Angeles Angels, and a three-game series at Seattle. Nate Eovaldi and Oakland’s James Kaprielian are the scheduled starters Friday. Here is a preview. Lineups RED SOX (24-27): 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) RF 8. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B 9. Kevin Plawecki (R) C Pitching: RHP Nate Eovaldi (2-2, 3.77 ERA) ATHLETICS (20-33): 1. Tony Kemp (L) 2B 2. Ramon Laureano (R) RF 3. Jed Lowrie (S) DH 4. Seth Brown (L) 1B 5. Elvis Andrus (R) SS 6. Chad Pinder (R) LF 7. Sean Murphy (R) C 8. Kevin Smith (R) 3B 9. Cristian Pache (R) CF Pitching: RHP James Kaprielian (0-2, 5.93 ERA) Time: 9:40 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Kaprielian: Xander Bogaerts 0-3, Franchy Cordero 0-2, Bobby Dalbec 1-3, Rafael Devers 0-6, Kiké Hernández 1-3, J.D. Martinez 2-6, Alex Verdugo 2-4, Christian Vázquez 0-4 Athletics vs. Eovaldi: Elvis Andrus 0-6, Seth Brown 0-2, Tony Kemp 0-2, Ramón Laureano 1-5, Jed Lowrie 0-10, Sean Murphy 0-2, Chad Pinder 0-2 Stat of the day: Xander Bogaerts has reached base safely three or more times in 14 games this season, most in the AL and tied with Manny Machado for second most in MLB (St. Louis’s Paul Goldschmidt has 16). Notes: Eovaldi will be making his fifth career start in Oakland, where he’s gone 1-1 with a 3.74 ERA. Overall, he’s 1-2 with a 3.91 ERA in eight career starts against the A’s. He pitched a complete game in his last outing, needing just 108 pitches in a win against the Orioles. … Oakland has come out victorious in each of Kaprelian’s last four starts, despite the fact that he has allowed 13 runs and 20 hits over 19 ⅔ innings in that stretch. … Rafael Devers leads MLB in hits (73), hard-hit balls (95+ m.p.h., 93), and extra-base hits (33). Song of the Day: The Outfield - Since You've Been Gonewww.youtube.com/watch?v=XiMineG1w3U
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Jun 3, 2022 22:31:09 GMT -5
1st & 2nd, two outs, and Dalbec gets picked off of 1st?
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 4, 2022 2:21:23 GMT -5
Red Sox 7, Athletics 2: Starting the west coast swing with a W
Nathan Eovaldi cruised through six innings for the win. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Jun 4, 2022, 12:57am EDT 1 Comment
The most perilous portion of the Red Sox schedule in any given season is always going to be the long west coast swing, and the 2022 version started on Friday. They have three in Oakland, four in Los Angeles to play the Angels, and then three against the Mariners in a key stretch. They largely turned things around in May, but stumbled to finish out the month against opponents they should have handled, and find themselves at a crossroads with a lot of questions to be answered over this road trip. They started off on a positive note behind a great start from Nathan Eovaldi and a homer from Xander Bogaerts to lead the way in a Friday night victory.
More robust game notes below.
It would be unfair to say that Nathan Eovaldi has been bad this season, but it’s certainly fair to point out the one flaw that has prevented him from being great. Eovaldi has had an incredibly difficult time all year keeping the ball in the yard, having allowed at least one home run in each of his starts save for one. Still, he’s been effective, is coming off the first complete game of his career, and is heading to a big park in Oakland to face a light-hitting Athletics lineup. If he is going to kick the homer habit, even for just a start, this would be the time to do it.
He held up his end of the bargain, pitching like a staff ace and shutting down the Athletics lineup. There was some mild trouble in the first inning when old friend Jed Lowrie smacked a two-out double out to left field to put a runner in scoring position, but that would be the only Oakland batter to reach over the first three innings. Eovaldi’s first real trouble to deal with came in the fourth, starting off with a leadoff single off the bat of Ramón Laureano. A wild pitch then moved the runner up into scoring position, still with nobody out, and there were runners on the corners after a one-out single from Seth Brown.
This was a big spot for Eovaldi, but he settled in and pitched like he typically does in big spots. He induced a fly ball that couldn’t get the run home for a big second out, and after a stolen base put both runners in scoring position, Eovaldi got a huge ground out to end the inning and keep the A’s off the board. He’d come back out in the fifth as well, working around a single baserunner for a scoreless frame.
Meanwhile, the offense was looking to get their west coast swing off to a good start, facing former Yankees prospect James Kaprielian. They struggled to get much of anything going over the early portions of this game, sending only three to the plate in the first thanks to a double play, then stranding a pair in the second before a 1-2-3 third.
But the fourth finally broke the scoreless tie and showed a little life for the Red Sox. It got started with Xander Bogaerts, who came to the plate with nobody on and one out. He was sitting dead red in a 2-0 count, and got the fastball he was looking for. The ball was sent out to left field up and over the wall for a solo shot, giving Boston their first run of the day. They didn’t stop there either, with Alex Verdugo following the homer up with a walk. A couple batters later, Franchy Cordero came through, ripping a double out to right field to bring the runner all the way from first, and it was a 2-0 lead for the road team.
That was still the score heading into the sixth when the Red Sox offense got going again. This time J.D. Martinez started the rally with a base hit before Verdugo again reached base, this time getting hit by a pitch. With two men on, Trevor Story worked a full count, and in fact thought strike two should have been ball four. But the at bat continued, which wound up being a good thing because he put a double off the wall in left field. That knock brought both runners home, doubling up the lead and making it a 4-0 game.
That just left things up to the pitching to keep doing what they were doing. For his part, Eovaldi had one more inning left in him, working around another baserunner in the sixth to finish off a very strong outing. He didn’t allow a run over his six innings of work, striking out eight while only issuing a single walk.
Now the bullpen needed to get the job done closing out the last three innings. The seventh went off without a hitch as Tyler Danish came in for a perfect frame, but he then came back out for the eighth and put the leadoff man on with a walk. With a lefty coming up, Alex Cora then turned to Matt Strahm, who got the first out but then issued another walk to put two on with just one out. Lowrie then came up to the plate and he hit his second double of the day, this one bringing two runs home to make it a 4-2 game.
That also ended the night for Strahm, with John Schreiber coming in as the third pitcher to appear in the inning. The righty struck out the first batter he faced, but then threw a wild pitch and walked Elvis Andrus, putting runners on the corners with two outs for Chad Pinder. Fortunately, Schreiber induced a routine ground ball right at Story to end the inning and keep Boston up by a pair.
Fortunately, the offense added some insurance in the ninth with Rafael Devers knocking in a run with a double and then Bogaerts driving in two more with a two-bagger of his own, opening up a five-run lead. Ryan Brasier was out to close it out, and he did so by retiring the side in order to finish out the 7-2 win.
The Red Sox look to clinch this series Saturday afternoon in Oakland with Nick Pivetta taking on Paul Blackburn. First pitch is set for 4:07 PM ET.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 4, 2022 2:55:30 GMT -5
Bogaerts shines while making Red Sox history 59 minutes ago Sonja Chen
Sonja Chen @sonjamchen
OAKLAND -- It couldn't have been more perfect if it were a classic baseball movie.
Xander Bogaerts stepped to the plate in the top of the fourth inning. He watched two four-seamers from A's starter James Kaprielian go by -- one down and in, the other just a touch outside. The third pitch, however, was right over the heart of the plate -- and Bogaerts squared it up, launching it deep to left field for a solo shot.
Fittingly, Bogaerts drove in the first and last runs of Boston's 7-2 win over Oakland, going 2-for-5 with three RBIs. The homer itself wasn't otherworldly -- 389 feet, 102.8 mph off the bat -- but it perfectly highlighted a historic night for Bogaerts.
With his start Friday night, Bogaerts has now played 1,094 career games at shortstop, breaking a franchise record that lasted for over a century. He passed Everett Scott, who played for the Red Sox from 1914-21. Bogaerts and Scott are currently tied for the most career starts at short.
"It means a lot to us," manager Alex Cora said. "We'll wait for the celebration tomorrow because tomorrow's another big day for him.
"Just showing up every day, it means a lot to us, it means a lot to his teammates. It means a lot to the city of Boston."
Ask around the Red Sox clubhouse, and one word repeatedly comes up to describe what Bogaerts means to this club: consistency.
"Something that defines him is consistency," center fielder Kiké Hernández said. "He's as consistent as they get, and I'd say that's both on and off the field -- at the plate, on defense, in the clubhouse, same guy every day."
Bogaerts has long been a fixture in Boston. He signed with the Red Sox as an amateur free agent out of Aruba in 2009 and made his Major League debut four years later, appearing in 18 games in the 2013 regular season. But it wasn't until Boston's magical World Series run that fall that Bogaerts became indispensable in the lineup -- and he hasn't looked back.
It's not just the sheer number of games that jumps out about Bogaerts' feat -- it's also that he did it at shortstop. Shortstop is a grueling position, and there was initially some doubt about Bogaerts playing there every day in the Majors.
"When I came up, there was a lot of talk about, maybe I've got to switch positions," Bogaerts. "I've got to give a huge credit to the coaching staff and obviously the organization for believing in me and giving me that opportunity."
Four Silver Sluggers, three All-Star selections and two World Series rings later, Bogaerts is reliable as ever. In 2022, he leads American League shortstops with 33 runs and is second in extra-base hits with 20, trailing only Toronto's Bo Bichette. His 62 hits lead all MLB shortstops.
And what does Bogaerts think of his numbers so far?
Probably not much, Cora said. One standout quality is that Bogaerts always strives to be better. Through 51 games this season, Bogaerts is slashing .325/.394/.492, good for the third-highest OPS on the team. He won't sing his own praises, but Cora is more than happy to do it for him.
"He's just a humble kid that loves to win games. He did his part -- hit the homer, hit the double, played solid defense," Cora said. "There's only one man in the big leagues that can say his shortstop is Xander Bogaerts, and it's me. And I'm proud of that."
The feeling is mutual among Bogaerts' teammates. Though he's just 29 years old, Bogaerts is the longest tenured member of the Red Sox, and his teammates -- old and new, young and old -- say they look up to him both on and off the field.
"What you see is what you get," Bogaerts said. "It's very cool for those guys to see that and speak like that."
Christian Vázquez, who has played alongside Bogaerts since they were teammates in the Minors in 2011, summed up the impact clubhouse leaders like Bogaerts have in a few simple words.
"When they go," he said, "we go."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 4, 2022 2:56:35 GMT -5
Injuries & Moves: JBJ goes on paternity leave June 3rd, 2022
Keep track of the Red Sox’s recent transactions and injury updates throughout the season. LATEST NEWS
June 3: OF Jackie Bradley Jr. to the paternity list; OF Jarren Duran recalled The Red Sox will be without one of their key defenders to begin the West Coast road trip, as Bradley was placed on the paternity list before Friday's series opener. Jarren Duran will join the club in Oakland in a corresponding move. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Duran's flight was scheduled to land about an hour before first pitch, and the team activated him just before the game. With two right-handers expected to start for Oakland on Saturday and Sunday, Cora said Duran will likely play in the final two games of the series. -- Sonja Chen
• All Red Sox transactions INJURY UPDATES 10-day and 15-day IL
RHP Matt Barnes (right shoulder inflammation) Expected return: June 15, at earliest Barnes felt discomfort in his shoulder while warming up on May 30 and was placed on the injured list the next day. The right-hander had an MRI on June 2, but manager Alex Cora said he didn't know the results yet. He expected Barnes will head to Fort Myers, Fla., to get work in this weekend. -- Sonja Chen (Last updated: June 3)
RHP Hansel Robles (back spasms) Expected return: June 9 Robles has been one of the most reliable bullpen arms for Boston this season, but the team shut him down after he developed back spasms on the recent road trip to Chicago. The move was made retroactive to May 25. Manager Alex Cora said before the June 3 opener against Oakland that Robles will likely get two rehab outings before rejoining the team in Anaheim the following week. -- Sonja Chen (Last updated: June 3) 60-day IL
LHP Chris Sale (stress fracture, right rib cage) Expected return: Possibly July Sale is about to take an important step toward his eventual return. Manager Alex Cora said the southpaw will throw a third bullpen session on June 4, and then the team will evaluate from there. The plan isn't certain, Cora said, but Sale could throw live batting practice as soon as June 10. Cora said he spoke with Sale on June 3, and he is feeling good about the 25-pitch bullpen he threw two days earlier.
"[Sale] feels really good where he's at," Cora said. "He threw everything, he felt good." -- Sonja Chen (Last updated: June 3)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 4, 2022 2:58:30 GMT -5
Adam Pellerin @adampellerin · 3h Matt Strahm made just his second appearance in the last two weeks.
First 17 appearances: 14.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 hits, 3BB Last two appearances: 0.2 IP 4 ER, 6 hits, 2BB
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 4, 2022 2:59:00 GMT -5
Julian McWilliams @byjulianmack · 3h This Sox bullpen takes the Celtics "never easy" approach except without the Celtics' talent. Gutsy.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 4, 2022 2:59:54 GMT -5
Julian McWilliams @byjulianmack · 2h Bogaerts on being all-time leader in games played at SS for Sox: "When I came up through the minors there were a lot of talks about maybe I got to switch positions. So I got to give a lot of credit to myself to the coaches that helped me along the way through the ups and downs."
Bogaerts also credited his family who has been in his corner, he said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 4, 2022 3:17:46 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Xander Bogaerts takes his place in Red Sox history, sets club record for games played at shortstop By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated June 4, 2022, 1 hour ago
OAKLAND, Calif. — Xander Bogaerts further established himself as an all-time Red Sox great Friday evening at RingCentral Coliseum in the Sox’ 7-2 win against the Athletics.
The three-time All-Star became the team’s leader in games played at shortstop (1,094), passing Everett Scott, who played 1,093 games at the position from 1914-21.
Bogaerts, who made his big league debut in 2013, said it would be a special moment despite being immersed in the grind of the season.
“Time flew by quick,” Bogaerts said before the win Friday. “I’m blessed. I mean, it’s definitely something that I thought would never have happened coming up through the minors. It’s gonna be special. Obviously during the season it’s a little tough to kind of think of all of that. But it’s gonna be fun to me when I’m in a hotel room with my family [to reflect on that].”
Bogaerts said it was never his goal to reach that many games. That was a far-fetched dream, considering how tough it is to make it to the big leagues.
“The goal is to get up to the league and stay,” he said. “You have a lot of guys in the minors, working their butt off and they’re just trying to get to the big leagues. You want to achieve the same thing and just staying up in the big leagues is hard itself. I would have never imagined anything like this.”
Bogaerts entered the day hitting .323/.393/.473 with five homers and an .866 OPS. Even with those numbers, manager Alex Cora said the Sox shortstop still has a fervor to reach new heights.
“He’s never satisfied. He wants to keep getting better and we’re very proud of him,” Cora said. “[It’s such] a great accomplishment in an organization that is very historic. And there’ve been a lot of good players that have played for us.”
Bobby Dalbec excited for Derrick White
Bobby Dalbec couldn’t help but smile when he saw his high school buddy, Celtics guard Derrick White, put on a show during Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday evening against the Golden State Warriors. White had 21 points in his team’s 120-108 win, making him the fifth Celtic with 20-plus points off the bench in a Finals game.
“Those clutch threes. It was so cool,” Dalbec said. “I was fist pumping in my hotel room by myself.”
White and Dalbec’s friendship dates back to when the two played on the same basketball team at Legend High School in Parker, Colo. They have remained friends, although Dalbec said he did not text White after his highlight performance.
“He’s got a billion people texting him,” Dalbec said. “I talk to him after every series they win. It’s been working. So, keep it light.” Jackie Bradley’s family growing
Jackie Bradley Jr. flew from Oakland to his home in Florida to welcome the birth of his daughter, Elle.
Jarren Duran will take Bradley’s spot while Bradley is on paternity leave and was activated in time for Friday’s game. Duran will play the next two games against the A’s. Chris Sale feeling better
Chris Sale threw a bullpen session Thursday and will throw another one Saturday. Cora said he spoke to Sale, and that the lefthander is feeling good. There is a strong possibility that Sale will face hitters next week … Hansel Robles (back spasms) likely will begin a rehab assignment soon and will join the team in Anaheim for the upcoming series against the Angels. Cora said Robles will likely pitch two games for the Worcester Red Sox before he’s activated.
Matt Barnes (shoulder inflammation) had an MRI Thursday. The team did not know the results prior to Friday’s game. Barnes flew to Fort Myers, Fla. and will begin his progression at the team’s spring training complex.
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