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Post by scrappyunderdog on Jun 5, 2022 15:38:14 GMT -5
Darn! Cordero scorched that. Should've been another two runs. And this looks like the type of game where Montas just gets better as the game goes on. The strikeout pitch to Bogaerts was laughable. Almost like the ball dropped off a table. I think we'll need the good Hill.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Jun 5, 2022 16:59:25 GMT -5
Darn! Cordero scorched that. Should've been another two runs. And this looks like the type of game where Montas just gets better as the game goes on. The strikeout pitch to Bogaerts was laughable. Almost like the ball dropped off a table. I think we'll need the good Hill. Cordero wasn't letting anyone catch that one. There is still plenty of time for him to prove me wrong. .756 OPS so far.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 5, 2022 19:00:40 GMT -5
Red Sox 5, A’s 2: Back at .500 for the first time in a hot second
A sweeping, clean victory to get the Sox back even. Go Celtics. By bryanjoiner@bryanjoiner Jun 5, 2022, 7:09pm EDT 5 Comments
The Red Sox came into Sunday’s game one game below .500 and playing their third straight last place team in a row. Finally—FINALLY!—they managed to finish the sweep, get back to .500, and make everyone happy heading into tonight’s Celtics game. Franchy Cordero is the main man to thank, but Rich Hill isn’t far behind. For the full recap, see below.
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Red Sox legend Frankie Montas started on the mound and gave up a single in the shift-influenced shortstop hole to Jarren Duran on the first pitch. Then Enrique Hernández hit a single, and the Sox were in business. Then Rafael Devers took it the other way for another single (on a crazy moving pitch) and Duran scored to make it 1-0, Sox. Rejoice!
Next, Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging on a full count. Boo. It was 97 MPH so one gets it, but still. Then, on another full count, Alex Verdugo went opposite field again to bring up Trevor Story with the bases juiced. Which was neat until he struck out, albeit on Montas’s 25th pitch. Then Franchy came up absolutely pulverized one... into Seth Brown’s glove at first base. In the words of Shakespeare: Butts. Also:
Correct. Especially when Chad Pinder laced a double just inside the third base line to start the bottom of the first. Which stunk and got worse when, with two outs, Ramon Laureano laced a double down the right field line to score him, making it 1-1 before Christian Bethancourt struck out to end the first.
Then I fell asleep — it’s hard and overly personal to explain how long a weekend it’s been — but I woke up and the score was the same in the top of the fifth. So everyone is cool. The Sox did nothing and then Rich Hill retired his 11th, 12th and 13th guy in a row. Maybe a sign to go back to sleep? Wouldn’t hate it! But I have to serve the people.
In the sixth inning, the Sox got two men on with no outs only to see a couple of popups seemingly ruin the chance to score. Spirits were down as Franchy Cordero came to the mound. Spirits were RAISED when THE FRANCH went yard to left center on a man’s man homer, putting the Sox up 4-1. It whipped ass.
Meanwhile in the bottom of the sixth, Hill retired his 14th, 15th and 16th guys in a row to make it 4-1 heading into the seventh. In our humble opinions, this is a lot of batters to retire in sequence.
Jed Lowrie led off the bottom of the 7th with a single to right, at which point Hill was finally pulled, having done a heck of a job. John Schreiber came on in relief and eventually loaded the bases with two outs, only to strike out Kevin Smith on three pitches, which was awesome.
In the top of the eighth, Rafael Devers went opposite field to push it to 5-1, which was good. Nothing happened after that, so Tyler Danish came on to pitch the eighth and retired the 9 and 1 hitters easily before Elvis Andrus singled to center. But then Lowrie popped out to the Franch and that was that.
Top of the ninth was more of the blah blah blah game filler stuff, and in the bottom of the ninth, Ryan Brasier came in to finish things off. Which he did, albeit after giving up a run on a Tony Kemp blooper. Thankfully, that was all. The Sox are at .500 again. Please rejoice.
BOX
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 5, 2022 19:01:59 GMT -5
Jon Couture @joncouture · 50m As of this second, the three American League wild cards are the Blue Jays, the Rays, and the 27-27 #RedSox.
Oh, and Boston is headed to Los Anaheim, which has lost 11 in a row.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 5, 2022 19:03:40 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox reach .500 as Franchy Cordero belts 406-foot homer, Rich Hill retires 16 straight in win over Athletics Updated: Jun. 05, 2022, 7:09 p.m. | Published: Jun. 05, 2022, 7:08 p.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
OAKLAND, Calif. — It was only a matter of time before a hit dropped for Franchy Cordero. He made hard contact all game Sunday.
His 100.9 mph lineout with an .840 expected batting average ended up in first baseman Seth Brown’s glove for the final out of the first inning, leaving the bases loaded.
He smashed a 105.8 mph groundout with a .470 expected batting average in the fourth inning.
Finally one of his hard-struck balls landed for a hit in the sixth — and it landed in the bleachers.
Cordero led the Red Sox to a 5-2 victory over the Athletics here at RingCentral Coliseum.
His three-run opposite-field homer broke a 1-1 tie and put Boston ahead 4-1. The blast left his bat at 107 mph and traveled 406 feet to left field.
Rafael Devers’ opposite field solo homer in the eighth inning put Boston ahead 5-1.
Back to .500
Boston (27-27) swept its three-game series here in Oakland to reach .500 for the first time since having a 7-7 record on April 22. The Sox were as many as nine games under .500 on May 11.
Hill retires 16 straight
Red Sox starter Rich Hill allowed a run on two doubles in the first inning. But he then retired 16 straight batters before allowing a single to Jed Lowrie to lead off the seventh inning.
Hill went 6-plus innings, allowing just one run on three hits and no walks while striking out five.
He threw his curveball 31 times and his 25 four-seam fastballs averaged 88.2 mph, per Baseball Savant.
Red Sox squander opportunity
The Red Sox stroked four singles and made A’s starter Frankie Montas throw 30 pitches in the first inning. But Boston scored just one run.
Jarren Duran, Kiké Hernández and Rafael Devers each singled to begin the game. Devers’ single scored Duran.
Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging, then Alex Verdugo singled to load the bases.
But Trevor Story also stuck out swinging and Franchy Cordero lined out to end the inning.
Cordero’s lineout left his bat at 100.9 mph and had an .840 expected batting average. But the hard-hit ball landed in first baseman Seth Brown’s glove. He was positioned perfectly.
What’s next?
The Red Sox will play four games in Anaheim vs. the Angels starting Monday. Michael Wacha (3-1, 2.43 ERA) will start for Boston opposite Noah Syndergaard (4-3, 4.02 ERA) Monday at 9:38 p.m., eastern.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 5, 2022 19:10:24 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 1h Red Sox starter Rich Hill allowed a run on two doubles in the first inning. But he then retired 16 straight batters before allowing a single to Jed Lowrie to lead off the seventh inning.
Final line: 6+ IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 Ks.
It was only a matter of time before a hit dropped for Franchy Cordero today.
100.9 mph lineout with .840 XBA land in 1B Seth Brown’s glove for the final out of the first inning, leaving the bases loaded
105.8 mph groundout with .470 XBA in 4th
Then 107 mph, 406-foot HR in 6th
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Jun 5, 2022 19:31:42 GMT -5
Nice win. Winning 2 on the road is good; 3 is great. The As don't have much hitting, but we faced three pretty good pitchers.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 6, 2022 2:55:26 GMT -5
Hill cruises as Boston finishes sweep of A's June 5th, 2022 Sonja Chen
Sonja Chen @sonjamchen
OAKLAND -- It's never great to start your day by giving up a leadoff double. Especially not when it's followed by another two-bagger a couple of batters later, losing the slim lead your team just earned.
Rich Hill wasn't too bothered. He struck out his next batter to end the inning. And then he hit a groove, retiring 16 straight A's batters.
Sunday’s outing was just what Hill needed after a three-game stretch in which he went 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA -- including his worst start of the season last Monday in Baltimore, where he gave up six earned runs in four innings of work.
It was also exactly what the Red Sox needed to top the A's, 5-2, securing the series sweep and at long last returning to a .500 record on the season. Boston hasn't been at .500 since April 22, when the team reached 7-7 after a 4-3 win at Tampa Bay, and was as many as nine games under .500 as recently as May 11.
"We know we have a good baseball team that has to keep working hard to accomplish what we want, and we've been playing good baseball the last three weeks, just grinding and using everybody," manager Alex Cora said. "We've still got holes, but … we feel very good about ourselves trying to win on a nightly basis."
Said Hill: "Everybody's clicking -- starting pitching, infielders, outfielders. The hitting is coming around, and the bullpen's been doing a great job, so just continue to keep pushing forward, and tomorrow's another day."
The game had all the makings of a pitchers' duel after both Hill and A's starter Frankie Montas surrendered runs in the first inning. They traded zeros until the sixth inning, when right fielder Franchy Cordero broke the game open with a three-run blast to left.
It was Cordero's third homer of the year -- his second go-ahead shot -- and he said he was happy to be able to help lift Hill to a win during his strong outing.
"That's the main goal for me," Cordero said, "just try to help the team win, and try to get good at-bats and try to do my part."
Hill went six innings, tying a season high, and even pitched to one batter in the seventh -- though he gave up a leadoff single to Oakland's Jed Lowrie, ending his retired-batters streak and his afternoon.
So, what did Hill do differently on Sunday afternoon? His stuff wasn't overpowering, only getting six whiffs -- just two more than teammate John Schreiber got in only one inning of work. He's not a flame-thrower either -- his four-seamer topped out at just under 90 mph, and his average velocity was 78.1 mph on the afternoon.
"Good fastball command, we mixed up a few cutters, too," Cora said. "The breaking ball played, he had them off-balance, but I think it starts with fastballs, and he did an amazing job."
One key to Hill's success on Sunday was his cutter. Hill threw it nine times, seven for strikes. He doesn't use the pitch very often -- so far, he has thrown it less than 1% of the time this season -- but he joked postgame that it had been "here and there the last 20 years."
Hill, 42, has made several stops during his 18-year Major League career, and one of those places was Oakland. He started 14 games for the A's in 2016, pitching to a 2.25 ERA before his eventual trade to the Dodgers.
And whom did the A's receive for Hill? Three Minor League pitchers, one of whom was his opponent on Sunday, Montas. Get the latest from the Red Sox
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When Hill left the game in the seventh inning, he received an ovation from the fans in the Coliseum seats. Whether it was led by the sea of visiting fans in red or the hometowners who remember him from his Oakland days, Hill had one word to describe the gesture.
"Special," Hill said. "I don't take any of these moments for granted, because you don't know how many more of them you have, so you want to continue to enjoy the game as much as possible. The support is definitely appreciated by everybody in the clubhouse."
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