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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 16, 2022 3:29:49 GMT -5
Verdugo makes point of 1st HR since April 16 Red Sox left fielder's 4 RBIs, Devers' jack help Winckowski log milestone victory 1:38 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- Alex Verdugo had perhaps the widest smile for a player who hit a two-run homer that put his team ahead by seven runs.
And for good measure, Verdugo raised his right arm in triumph as he rounded the bases. Then, he pointed at some people in the stands.
The charismatic left fielder was not showing up the A’s on a Wednesday night when the red-hot Red Sox were on their way to a comfortable 10-1 win at Fenway Park.
Instead, Verdugo was having a joyful moment in celebration of his first home run in nearly two months.
After hitting three home runs in his first eight games and 27 at-bats of the season, Verdugo somehow went 196 at-bats and 48 games before going deep again on Wednesday for the first time since April 16.
Who can figure out baseball sometimes?
“I kind of forgot how it felt,” Verdugo said when asked about his entertaining trip around the bases. “Really, though, it felt good. Obviously, I knew it had been a while since I put one over the fence, so to come up and get some extra insurance and to see one leave the yard was a big relief, finally. It was like a monkey off my back.”
It wasn’t just that Verdugo had stopped hitting homers. His overall offensive game lacked consistency. Sure, there were a lot of hard outs -- an indicator of bad luck.
But Verdugo had also become too susceptible at times to hitting ground balls instead of line drives and fly balls.
Through the slump, manager Alex Cora continued to stick with Verdugo in the important No. 5 spot in Boston’s batting order behind the fearsome 2-3-4 combo of Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts.
Cora got a nice payoff for his unwavering confidence on Wednesday, as Verdugo had three hits and four RBIs.
“Dugie is in a good spot,” Cora said. “I know the homers, we talk about it, but the quality of the at-bats have been much better the last two and a half to three weeks. He knows how important he is hitting behind those guys, and we’re glad that he hit the homer.”
While the laundry-cart rides ritual the Red Sox have been doing for the last two seasons has become part of their routine, this was a ride to savor for Verdugo, who had a priceless look on his face as he jumped in and got pushed through the dugout by coach Jason Varitek.
“For me, obviously I’ve seen a lot of guys hit homers and I’m like, ‘When am I going to get a cart ride?’" Verdugo said. "I felt like I’ve been swinging the bat a lot better as of late and hitting some balls hard, and I had some balls that could have gone, but I hit them too low. Just to finally get that right trajectory felt good.”
Verdugo’s drought-buster was one of three key developments for a team that has won 11 of its last 13 games while outscoring the opposition by 38 runs (65-27) during that span. Here are the others.
Winckowski’s first MLB win With Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Whitlock on the injured list, the Red Sox are relying on their Minor League depth in two of the five rotation spots.
Three days after Kutter Crawford fired five scoreless innings to beat the Mariners, Josh Winckowski did the same against the A’s en route to his first MLB win.
This was a big improvement from Winckowski’s previous start for the Red Sox on May 28, when he gave up four runs on six hits and three walks in three innings.
“It’s a surreal moment,” said Winckowski, who is ranked as Boston’s No. 13 prospect by MLB Pipeline. “It’s obviously something you think about for a really, really long time, especially for it to be for this team. It’s a pretty big moment.”
Devers goes deep … again The Red Sox slugger is looking primed for a season that will have him prevalent in the American League Most Valuable Player Award discussions. On Wednesday night, Devers went deep for a fourth straight game. This one was a missile that left his bat on a line at 112.8 mph, but it stayed high enough to land in Oakland's bullpen.
With his 128th career homer, Devers broke a tie with Ted Williams for the third most in Red Sox history for a player 25 or younger, trailing only Tony Conigliaro (160) and Jim Rice (133).
“Honestly, he’s one of the best hitters in the big leagues,” Cora said. “There’s a lot of guys having great seasons. [Yankees slugger Aaron] Judge, [Cleveland’s José] Ramirez, but he shows up every day. We’re happy that he’s hitting second for us on a daily basis and playing third base. The way he acted in Spring Training, we had a feeling that it was going to be something like this, and it’s coming true.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 16, 2022 3:30:43 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 6h Red Sox beat the A's, 10-1. They've won 11 of their last 13 games, outscoring opponents 66-27 during that run.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 16, 2022 3:32:07 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 6h Manfred should force John Fisher to sell the A's, absolute disgrace if that guy is handed a new ballpark in Oakland or Vegas.
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 6h Baseball would be a much better game without John Fisher and.....five other owners? Maybe 10?
That's a problem. And it's not getting any better. Rob Manfred is a phony and no one is looking after the game's general welfare.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 16, 2022 3:32:43 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 6h
Red Sox are 34-29. That's a season high above the .500 mark.
Josh Winckowski was good. The offense backed him nicely. And the Athletics look like a 100-loss team.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 16, 2022 3:35:29 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Red Sox second baseman Trevor Story aiming to get his swing in synch By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated June 15, 2022, 7:51 p.m.
Maybe his 2-for-4 performance in Wednesday night’s 10-1 win against the Athletics was the type of game Trevor Story needed. He had aswinging bunt and an RBI single he punched through the right side, plus a walk in a win that could be what gets Story back on track.
The key to hitting is timing and Story is still trying to find his again. After a 14-game stretch back in May where Story slashed .283/.365/.811 with nine homers, a whopping 1.176 OPS, and 25 RBIs, the Sox second baseman has had a dry spell. Story entered against the A’s batting .183 since that 14-game hot streak. Story’s last homer came on May 26.
“It sounds very simple, but it can be a little complex sometimes,” Story said before the game. “I think when it comes down to it, the most important thing for hitting is timing. Right now I’m just a little inconsistent there.”
In addition to timing, Story said he’s simply missing pitches. Manager Alex Cora noted that Story is out in front of everything, too.
“He’s getting out there [with his swing] instead of letting the ball travel” Cora said. “Out in front on the fastball, breaking balls, everything. Hopefully he can stay inside of a few pitches and hit the ball to right-center.”
Story was hitting just .182 against the fastball before Wednesday, a career low for the two-time All-Star. Could the reason Story is ahead on pitches because he’s trying too hard to catch up to the fastball?
“We haven’t talked about it,” Cora said. “But the main thing I told him yesterday was that we’re going to be OK. He asked me something about what I saw, and I said ‘We’ll be OK.’ And he will be. It’s just a few things that we see from him, but we don’t want to overload him with information right now. We want the athlete, pretty similar to Jackie Bradley. Just put yourself in a good position to hit, and go for it.”
Sale throws pen
Chris Sale (right rib cage fracture) will throw a live batting practice Thursday morning between 15-20 pitches. James Paxton threw 17 pitches during a bullpen session Wednesday — all fastballs. “Obviously, I’ve got more bullpens to go and a long way to go still, but I’m happy with the direction right now,” said Paxton, who had a setback last month during his rehab and grew frustrated when his progression was stalled.
“I was at the point where I was throwing 30-35 pitches,” he said. “I was starting to think about live BP, and now I’m kind of back at the beginning, hoping to get back a lot sooner. But you can only do what you can do in these situations and I’m doing everything I can to get back as fast as possible.” Taylor on the mound
Lefty reliever Josh Taylor, who has been out all season with a back injury, faced five hitters on the field four hours before the game. With Bobby Dalbec, Jarren Duran and Christian Vázquez providing the competition, Taylor showed command of his pitches and appeared to throw without discomfort. He then ran through some fielding drills to further test his back. Taylor, who had a 3.69 ERA and averaged 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings from 2019-21 as the team’s primary lefthander out of the bullpen, is scheduled to face hitters again Saturday. From there he could start a minor league rehab assignment . . . Alex Verdugo went 3 for 5 with four RBIs. He recorded his fourth homer of the season on a two-run blast in the sixth inning off A’s reliever Domingo Acevedo to snap a drought of 210 homer-less plate appearances . . . The Red Sox optioned righthander Phillips Valdez to Triple-A Worcester. Christian Arroyo was placed on the COVID-related injured list. Cora confirmed Wednesday that Arroyo tested positive. The team recalled Duran from Worcester . . . Jonathan Aráuz, who was designated for assignment last week, was claimed off waivers by the Orioles . . . The Red Sox celebrated Pride Night at Fenway Wednesday. Tiffani Faison, the owner of the Boston-based restaurant group Big Heart Hospitality, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Malik Correia, a vocalist and humanitarian from New Bedford who performs under the name Nosame, performed the national anthem.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 16, 2022 3:37:01 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 8h Great to see Luis Tiant back at Fenway this week. El Tiante had a tough winter but is feeling better.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 16, 2022 3:37:41 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 6h #RedSox 10, #Athletics 1.
* Sox (34-29) have won 11 of 13.
* They're finally over .500 (15-14) at home.
* Sox are 5-0 vs. Oakland this season with a +30 run differential.
* Hill vs. Blackburn tomorrow at 1:35 p.m.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 16, 2022 3:51:30 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 7h A's broadcast is talking about how they were talking with Eck before the game about Devers and the best comparison they came up with for his bat is Vlad Sr.
Embarrassing he is not signed long term
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 16, 2022 3:57:13 GMT -5
A's @ Red Sox 16th June 2022 1;30pm @ Fenway
Blackburn 5-2/2.31
Hill 2-3/4.38
Oakland Athletics vs. Boston Red Sox Thursday, June 16, 2022 at 1:35pm EDT Written by Blake V.
Oakland will finally wrap up its nine-game road trip when it faces Boston at Fenway Park on Thursday afternoon. The Athletics have been the coldest team in baseball this month, picking up just one win. They came up short in Tuesday night's series opener between these teams, losing a 6-1 decision to the Red Sox—this story was published prior to Wednesday night’s game.
Athletics continue plummeting Oakland got off to a decent start to the season in the month of April, going 10-11 through its first 21 games. The Athletics have gone on multiple lengthy losing skids since then, including the one that they are currently in. They have lost 12 of their last 13 games, with the lone win coming last Saturday in Cleveland. Oakland followed that up with a 6-3 loss on Sunday and then opened this series with a 6-1 loss. The Athletics are in last place in the American League West, trailing Houston by 17.5 games. They were tied with Kansas City for the worst record in the AL heading into Wednesday’s slate.
The Athletics have struggled to get anything going at the plate this season, ranked dead-last in the majors in batting average (.211). Second baseman Tony Kemp leads the way with 47 hits, while Elvis Andrus has 45 hits. They will be facing a Boston pitching staff that ranks sixth in the MLB with an ERA of 3.57. Right-handed pitcher Paul Blackburn is set to make the start for Oakland on Thursday. He threw eight shutout innings against Cleveland his last time out, allowing just four hits and one walk. Blackburn was pulled after leaving the eighth inning with a two-run lead, but reliever Dany Jimenez cost him the win. Blackburn has been a bright spot this season, going 5-2 with a 2.31 ERA.
Hill failing to go deep in his outings Boston got off to a really slow start this season, going 11-20 through its first 31 games. The Red Sox have been playing excellent baseball since then, chipping away before finally getting over the .500 mark on June 6. They have won 10 of their last 12 games, taking two out of three at Seattle over the weekend. Boston was able to build on that momentum with Tuesday’s 6-1 win. The Red Sox still have a long way to go in the AL East, as they are 12.5 games back of New York and are in fourth place. However, all three AL Wild Card spots currently belong to teams in the AL East, so Boston would make the field if the playoffs started today.
The Red Sox have been strong at the plate, ranked fifth in team batting average (.255). Third baseman Rafael Devers leads the way with 84 hits, including 15 home runs. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts has 73 hits, while J.D. Martinez has 70 base knocks. They are facing an Oakland staff that is No. 24 with an ERA of 4.42. Veteran southpaw Rich Hill will take the bump for Boston in this game. He allowed two runs on five hits and two walks across 4.1 innings of work against Seattle on Friday. Hill has failed to complete five innings in seven of his 11 starts, posting a 4.38 ERA through 49.1 innings.
A's at Red Sox Thursday, at 1:35 PM EST Partly Cloudy According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 67° F with a 0% chance of precipitation and 13 MPH wind blowing out in Boston at 1:35 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 16, 2022 6:17:21 GMT -5
Red Sox chase season-series sweep of Athletics FLM
The Boston Red Sox will look to complete a season sweep of the visiting Oakland Athletics when the teams conclude a three-game series on Thursday afternoon.
Boston blitzed Oakland 10-1 on Wednesday, its fifth victory in as many meetings with the A's and its 11th win in the past 13 games overall. Thursday's contest will be the teams' last matchup this season.
The Red Sox have homered in five straight games, hitting more than one in four of those contests.
"One thing we're doing really well at the moment is we're reading the pitcher. We're seeing how the game goes and what the guy's doing," Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo told NESN. "We understood that (Oakland starter James Kaprielian) didn't have the best command of his heater."
Rafael Devers hit a two-run shot off Kaprielian, his fourth consecutive game with a home run. Verdugo later went deep against Domingo Acevedo, his first long ball since April 16.
A 13-hit Boston attack supported Josh Winckowski, a winner for the first time in his major league career. The rookie threw five shutout innings in his second start.
After Winckowski filled a rotation hole with Garrett Whitlock (hip) and Nathan Eovaldi (back) landing on the injured list in the past week, the Red Sox will turn to a usual starter on Thursday, Rich Hill (2-3, 4.38 ERA). The left-hander has 33 strikeouts and just seven walks over his past eight starts.
Hill's latest two outings have resulted in Boston victories, though the 42-year-old took a no-decision on Friday in Seattle after striking out six in 4 1/3 innings of five-hit, two-run ball. On June 5, Hill held the A's to one run on three hits in six-plus frames for a 5-2 victory.
"(He had) good fastball command, we mixed up a few cutters, too," Boston manager Alex Cora said after Hill's start in Oakland earlier this month. "The breaking ball played, he had them off balance, but I think it starts with fastballs, and he did an amazing job."
Hill is 2-2 with a 2.67 ERA in nine career appearances (five starts) against Oakland.
Jarren Duran was added to Boston's roster Wednesday after Christian Arroyo tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him out of the Tuesday lineup late. Duran, starting in center field and batting leadoff, went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run in the Wednesday night win.
Oakland is slated to start righty Paul Blackburn (5-2, 2.31 ERA) opposite Hill. He didn't factor into the decision after a masterful start in Cleveland on Friday, when he shut out the Guardians over eight innings of four-hit ball.
The A's lost a two-run lead in walk-off fashion in that game, which was their 10th consecutive defeat. They have now lost 13 of 14, including seven of eight on their current nine-game road trip.
"Times like this are tough on anybody," Blackburn said of a skid that was snapped the following day. "We're just trying to come in with a clear mind and taking that one-game-at-a-time mentality. It's tough. But guys are coming in with a positive attitude every day. They're working. Guys aren't complaining. Sooner or later, the results are going to turn in our favor."
Blackburn's only previous start against Boston came on June 4, when he was charged with four runs and seven hits in four-plus innings during an eventual 8-0 loss.
Oakland third baseman Jonah Bride had his first two major league hits on Wednesday in his second game, but the A's were held to one run or fewer for the 22nd time in their 64 games this season.
--Field Level Media
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 16, 2022 9:11:16 GMT -5
Game 64: Athletics at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Matt Pepin Globe Staff,Updated June 16, 2022, 3 minutes ago The Red Sox will go for a season sweep of the Oakland Athletics on Thursday afternoon at Fenway Park. The Sox crushed the A’s, 10-1, on Wednesday for their third straight victory and 11th win in their last 13 games. Boston is 11-2 in June, including three wins in Oakland early in the month. Lefty Rich Hill is the Red Sox’ scheduled starter. He’ll be opposed by righty Paul Blackburn. Lineups ATHLETICS (21-43): 1. Chad Pinder (R) LF 2. Ramon Laureano (R) RF 3. Christian Bethancourt (R) C 4. Sean Murphy (R) DH 5. Matt Davidson (R) 3B 6. Seth Brown (L) 1B 7. Elvis Andrus (R) SS 8. Jonah Bride (R) 2B 9. Cristian Pache (R) CF Pitching: RHP Paul Blackburn (5-2, 2.31 ERA) RED SOX (34-29): . 1. Jarren Duran (L) 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: LHP Rich Hill (2-3, 4.38 ERA) Time: 1:35 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Athletics vs. Hill: Elvis Andrus 1-9, Christian Bethancourt 0-2, Seth Brown 0-2, Tony Kemp 0-2, Ramón Laureano 2-8, Jed Lowrie 3-10, Sean Murphy 1-5, Cristian Pache 0-2, Chad Pinder 1-4, Stephen Vogt 1-2 Red Sox vs. Blackburn: Xander Bogaerts 0-1, Franchy Cordero 0-1, Rafael Devers 1-2, Jarren Duran 1-3, J.D. Martinez 0-2, Trevor Story 1-2, Alex Verdugo 2-2, Christian Vázquez 1-2 Stat of the day: Over their last 14 games, Red Sox starting pitchers have posted a 1.68 ERA and walked only 16 batters. Notes: The Red Sox have homered in five straight games, hitting more than one in four of them ... Hill’s latest two outings have resulted in Boston victories, though the 42-year-old took a no-decision on Friday in Seattle after striking out six in 4 1/3 innings of five-hit, two-run ball. On June 5, Hill held the A’s to one run on three hits in six-plus frames for a 5-2 victory ... Hill is 2-2 with a 2.67 ERA in nine career appearances (five starts) against Oakland ... Jarren Duran was added to Boston’s roster Wednesday after Christian Arroyo tested positive for COVID-19. Duran started in center field and batted leadoff and went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run in Wednesday’s win ... Oakland’s Blackburn had a strong start in Cleveland on Friday, shutting out the Guardians over eight innings of four-hit ball, although the A’s lost the game on a walkoff ... The St. Louis Cardinals, who lead the National League Central by a game-and-a-half over Milwaukee, come to Fenway to begin a three-game weekend set on Friday night. Song of the Day: Van Halen - Hot For Teacherwww.youtube.com/watch?v=6M4_Ommfvv0
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 16, 2022 10:41:22 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 34m Chris Sale on the mound.
32 pitches for Sale. Faced 6 batters. I had him for 2 Ks, a walk, and two groundouts. The last at-bat ended with a foul ball. Looked fluid. Good pop.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 16, 2022 10:45:30 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 1h Last year around this time Houston was throwing Devers nothing but fastballs and he was hitting killed by them:
.198 BA, .197 xBA .406 SLG, .407 xSLG 5 HR, 44.9% K%
Since that series vs fastballs and sinkers:
.321 BA, .313 xBA .615 SLG, .625 xSLG 24 HR, 20.6% K%
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 16, 2022 10:48:28 GMT -5
Bob Nightengale @bnightengale 11m The #RedSox, with AL’s best record since May 18 (20-7), finish a 38-game stretch today in which they played just four games against teams with losing records at the time. Beginning Friday vs. #STLCards, they will play 36 of their next 42 games against teams with a winning record.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 16, 2022 10:57:59 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 49s Kiké Hernández, who has been out with a hip strain, took two ABs against Sale. He's close to what the Sox expect would be a short rehab assignment.
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