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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2022 3:13:11 GMT -5
Tigers @ Red Sox Monday, 20th June 2022 7pm @ Fenway Park
Faedo 1-3/4.28
Winckowski 1-1/4.51
Red Sox look to keep rolling at home vs. Tigers FLM
The resurgent Boston Red Sox will try to extend their weeks-long hot stretch when they host the Detroit Tigers on Monday.
The Red Sox have gone 13-4 in June while outscoring their opponents 82-51. They have won five consecutive series and they are 9-1-2 in their last 12.
After starting the season 10-19, Boston has gone 27-12 climb into the middle of the American League wild card race.
"We got to keep rolling," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "We got to keep going. Every series for us is a challenge and it's because we started the way we started."
Meanwhile, the Tigers snapped a six-game losing streak by winning their last two games against the Texas Rangers, 14-7 and 7-4.
"Any time you hit, it brings a lot of energy to the team," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "We've pitched well, we played pretty good defense, we've hit the ball, we've responded to (the Rangers) taking the lead both days and then even, coming back and tying the game, we responded. It's an exceptional brand of baseball that everybody has expected for a while."
Each team will use a rookie starting pitcher in the opener of this three-game series at Fenway Park. Alex Faedo (1-3, 4.28 ERA) will go for the Tigers, and the Red Sox will counter with Josh Winckowski (1-1, 4.50).
In his big league debut, Winckowski suffered a 4-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on May 28. He allowed four runs on six hits and three walks in three innings.
Then Winckowkski earned his first big league victory, 10-1 over the Oakland A's on June 15. He threw five scoreless innings while allowing just four hits and one walk.
"It definitely feels good to help the team win," Winckowski said after that victory. "That first game, the runs I gave up were the only ones Baltimore scored, so I felt directly like I lost us that game. It honestly feels good to go the other way tonight and feel like I helped the team win.
"It's a surreal moment. It's obviously something you think about for a very, very long time, especially to be for this team. It's a pretty big moment."
Faedo will be looking to rebound from his only poor performance of the season. He allowed seven runs on nine hits, including two homers, in three innings during a 13-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox on June 15.
Hinch ended up using three position players to pitch in that game, and the team held a 30-minute meeting afterward to refocus.
Faedo allowed two runs or one run in each of his first seven starts while working five or more innings. But his outing against the White Sox started badly when he hit AJ Pollock with a pitch, and it stayed bad.
"He just couldn't throw strikes," Hinch said. "He hit someone on the first pitch of the game, and that was supposed to be middle-out."
The Tigers' offense got a lift from top outfield prospect Riley Greene, who went 2-for-5 with four walks and two runs in his first two big league games.
Detroit also expects to add third baseman Jeimer Candelario to its roster for this series. After recovering from a left shoulder subluxation, Candelario was 6-for-16 with two doubles, a homer and three RBIs in four games in a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Toledo.
--Field Level Media
Tigers at Red Sox Monday, at 7:10 PM EST Clear According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 67° F with a 0% chance of precipitation and 7 MPH wind blowing in in Boston at 7:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2022 3:15:09 GMT -5
SP Probables
Tuesday....7pm...Brieske 1-5/3.79 vs Hill 2-4/4.42
Wednesday....7pm..Skubal 5-4/3.13 vs Wacha 4-1/2.33
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2022 3:36:06 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Red Sox facing some decisions in getting roster down to 13 pitchers By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated June 19, 2022, 7:12 p.m.
Rosters will be limited to 13 pitchers starting on Monday and this time Major League Baseball means it.
The new rule was originally intended to start in 2020 but was pushed back by the pandemic. Enforcement this season was delayed by the shortened spring training caused by the lockout — first to May 2, then to May 30 and finally to June 20.
MLB hopes the rule will add more offense into the game and decrease the dominance of pitchers, in particular the trend of starters only facing a lineup twice then giving way to a parade of relievers.
For the Red Sox, who are carrying 14 pitchers, the change will require a roster move before Monday night’s game against Detroit.
The Sox have several candidates for demotion. They could designate newcomer James Norwood for assignment and hope he clears waivers. Norwood was acquired from the Phillies on Saturday and joined the team on Sunday.
Hirokazu Sawamura, who was optioned earlier this season, has not distinguished himself.
In general, the Sox will need more from their starters and four or five outs from some relievers instead of two or three.
Through Saturday the Sox had used their bullpen 245 times. Only the Nationals (259) have had more relief appearances.
“Captain Hook needs to relax a little bit and let them be,” manager Alex Cora said before Sunday’s 6-4 victory over the Cardinals.
The Sox could use a lefthanded bat and versatile glove on their bench. Vaccination status also will come into play as the Sox play in Toronto for three games starting next Monday. Casas concern
First baseman Triston Casas, one of the organization’s top prospects, hasn’t played since May 17 because of a high right ankle sprain.
Cora suggested he won’t be coming back any time soon.
“In the beginning, we thought it was something minor,” he said. “We thought it was going to be day to day. But he wasn’t moving well and he’s a big guy. He hasn’t been able to actually push off it.
“He’s missing at-bats and that’s the part that’s disappointing.”
Cora said there is no timetable for Casas to return. The 22-year-old is at the team complex in Fort Myers, Fla. Happy homecoming
The Cardinals did right by Packy Naughton. They named the rookie lefthander from West Roxbury to their taxi squad for the series.
That allowed Naughton to see his family on Thursday, then watch the Warriors-Celtics game from a suite arranged by teammate Albert Pujols. Related: Speier: For members of the Red Sox, this will be a special Father’s Day
Naughton, 26, was a ninth-round draft pick of the Reds in 2017 after playing at Boston Latin and Virginia Tech. He was traded to the Angels in 2020 and claimed off waivers by the Cardinals during spring training this season.
“It’s been awesome,” Naughton said. “I love it over here. There’s a sense of winning. As a player, to come in the clubhouse and just know that winning is the only priority is what you want.”
Naughton has appeared in nine games for St. Louis, starting three. He has a 5.40 earned run average over 13⅓ innings but has struck out 12 with only one walk.
His ERA was skewed by a poor outing on June 8 at Tampa Bay when he allowed four runs over 1⅓ innings.
“Naughton has done a nice job. He’s done everything we’ve asked of him, whether that’s serve as an opener, go two times through the lineup, come out of the pen,” Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said.
“It’s been someone we’ve been able to trust and not just left-on-left situations. His overall demeanor, personality, and competitiveness fits in well with what we do. He cares about winning and not just himself.”
Naughton will return to Triple A Memphis after this series and get a start. He has worked on refining his slider and being more consistent with his velocity. Target practice
Rafael Devers has been hit by a pitch four times in the last seven games after not being hit in his first 59 games. It’s something to keep an eye on as Devers is getting annoyed by it . . . Kiké Hernández (right hip) and Josh Taylor (lower back) seem likely to start minor league rehab assignments this week . . . Sunday’s victory gave the Sox five consecutive series victories. They are 9-1-2 in the last 12 . . . The Sox are 19-4 when Trevor Story drives in a run . . . Players from both teams wore light blue cleats, caps, wristbands, and socks to raise awareness for prostate cancer on Father’s Day . . . Sox president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom took in the game with his kids from the Monster Seats . . . The Sox celebrated Juneteenth before the game with Michelle Brooks-Thompson performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The team also recognized several Boston-based organizations which have advocated for social and economic equality. Among them were the Museum of African American History, Boston While Black, The Partnership, NAACP Boston, and Spark FM Online. Juneteenth is a federal holiday commemorating the freeing of slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865, by the Union Army, two years and nearly six months after the Emancipation Proclamation. Jackie Bradley Jr., who took part in the ceremony, arrived at the ballpark wearing a black Juneteenth Sox jersey.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2022 3:40:43 GMT -5
How Alex Cora, Red Sox plan to adjust as rosters change to 13-pitcher limit
By Steve Hewitt | stephen.hewitt@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald PUBLISHED: June 19, 2022 at 1:53 p.m. | UPDATED: June 19, 2022 at 2:28 p.m.
One of Alex Cora’s favorite luxuries is going away.
Sunday was the last day the Red Sox – and every team in Major League Baseball – were allowed to carry 14 pitchers on their 26-man active roster, as the league allowed teams some recovery time after a shortened spring training. But starting Monday, it’s back to a maximum of 13 pitchers, which means the Sox will need to add a position player to make it 13 and 13.
“It is what it is,” Cora said. “Teams have to make adjustments.”
The Red Sox hadn’t yet made any decisions on who will be added and subtracted from the roster, but one thing Cora knows: With fewer pitchers available for him, he’ll need to get a little more out of his entire staff – both starters and relievers.
“That’s where multi-inning guys come into play and we feel we’ve got a few guys who can help us in that end,” Cora said. “We’ve got guys who can step up too because the starters have done a good job these last few weeks or months going deep into the games and we need that. The early hook now, I think we’re going to have to wait. So Captain Hook needs to relax a little bit and let him be.”
Cora feels like he has reliable multi-inning options available, including Austin Davis, Matt Strahm, Jake Diekman and Tanner Houck and Ryan Brasier.
“I do believe they’re capable of doing it but we have to be careful too,” Cora said. “Because we start playing after Thursday a lot of games in a row. I think that’s the nature of the tournament. Now everybody is going to lose a pitcher and guys have to start throwing more than three outs. We’ll be ready for that.”
The decision regarding adding a new position player is tricky right now. Christian Arroyo, who’s still on the COVID-19 list, and Kiké Hernandez, still on the injured list, aren’t ready yet to return. But Cora likes the versatility of the rest of his roster until they’re back – including Bobby Dalbec and Christian Vazquez, who can both play multiple positions.
“We’ll keep talking but it’s interesting,” Cora said. “You play X amount of games one way, now all of the sudden you’ve got to do this. We’ve been preparing for it but all of a sudden Kiké gets hurt, Christian gets sick and you lose a pitcher. So whatever. Not making excuses but it kind of changes our plans. We’ve been talking about this for a while but now we just have to make sure we’re healthy and go from there.” No timetable on Casas
This was supposed to be a big development year for Triston Casas, the Red Sox’ second-ranked prospect who had expectations that he would make his major league debut this season. But those hopes are on hold right now. Casas hasn’t played for Triple-A Worcester in more than a month now with an ankle injury.
“In the beginning, we thought it was something minor and just around the bag, he twisted his ankle,” Cora said. “We thought it was going to be day to day. But he wasn’t moving well and as you know, he’s a big dude. He’s a big guy. He hasn’t been able to actually push off of it and it’s not something that we’re worried about.”
Casas’ development hasn’t been linear over the last few years. The 2020 minor league season was canceled due to COVID-19, and last season, he bounced around between the minor leagues and a stint with the Olympics. Now, he’s dealing with this ankle injury. Cora recognized it hasn’t been ideal.
“That part, he’s mixing at-bats,” Cora said. “That part is actually disappointing in a sense. But we expect him to keep moving forward, keep getting better. There’s no timetable yet. It’s just a matter of him being able to push off and move around. When that happens, we’ll decide what we do. Right now, he’s just down there doing his rehab, moving around but nothing yet as far as when he starts playing.” Odds & ends
After making another spot start Saturday, Kutter Crawford was optioned to Triple-A as the Red Sox welcomed new pitcher James Norwood, who they acquired from the Phillies. With an off day coming Thursday, Cora can keep his rotation on regular rest and he’s confident that one of Garrett Whitlock or Nathan Eovaldi will return in time when they’re needed again. Whitlock, who will pitch another bullpen on Tuesday, is progressing faster than Eovaldi.
Cora said Hernandez (hip) is feeling better and was going to take some more batting practice on Sunday before they decide his next step, which could be a rehab assignment on Tuesday. …
James Paxton is scheduled to throw two or three bullpens this week in his continued rehab from Tommy John surgery. “He’s excited and jealous from seeing (Josh Taylor) throwing yesterday so he’s getting the itch, which is great,” Cora said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2022 3:43:38 GMT -5
Heck, the front office does not have a hard choice there are numerous members of the Gas Can Gang that can walk the plank just pick one of the many choices and cut bait all ready.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2022 7:29:23 GMT -5
Chris Hatfield @spchrishatfield 42m Teams need to get down to 13 pitchers today. Presuming Kiké or Arroyo isn't coming off IL, seems likely Connor Wong comes up for a few days. My guess at the countermove is DFA of James Norwood, but possible they kick the DFA can down the road & option Sawamura, Brasier or Danish
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Post by Kimmi on Jun 20, 2022 7:58:26 GMT -5
The Detroit offense seems pretty hapless, but they have a couple of nice starting pitchers.
No time for the Sox to let their guard down against a seemingly easy opponent. One game at a time and don't take anything for granted.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2022 9:25:31 GMT -5
‘We got to keep going’: Alex Cora happy with Red Sox’ recent surge, but knows there’s still work to be done The Red Sox are 25-11 since May 11, but they're barely in the playoff picture following Sunday.
By Conor Roche June 20, 2022 | 9:22 AM
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The Red Sox are building momentum as they head into what’s likely their toughest stretch of the season.
Boston survived a late surge from the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday to win 6-4, winning the three-game set. The series win over the Cardinals is the fifth straight series win for the Red Sox and their eighth in the last 10.
Sunday’s win over the Cardinals brought in a different significance. First-place St. Louis was the first team above .500 that Boston faced since May 18, when Houston completed its three-game set at Fenway.
The weekend series against the Cardinals began a 42-game stretch in which the Red Sox will play 36 games against teams who are currently above .500. While the Red Sox’ recent play has gotten them back into the playoff picture (they’re tied with the Guardians for the final wild card spot and are 2.5 games back of the Blue Jays for the top wild card spot), manager Alex Cora knows his team can’t feel satisfied because of the long road ahead.
“We got to keep rolling,” Cora said following Sunday’s win. “We got to keep going. Every series for us is a challenge, and it’s because we started the way we started.”
“We know where we are at in the standings,” Cora added. “You know obviously, there’s a team out there that … they’re doing something very special. But, at the end of the day, we understand that [the goal] is to get there. To get there we have a lot of work to do. But, we put ourselves in a situation that we’re in the conversation now. And we just got to keep playing better.”
Because of the Red Sox’ 11-20 start, the American League East is likely out of reach for them this season as the Yankees are 49-17 and hold a 13.5-game lead following Sunday’s games. New York actually lost to Toronto on Sunday, which was just its second loss in the last 18 games. Even after going 25-11 since May 11, the Red Sox have fallen two games in the standings behind the Yankees since then because of how well New York’s played over the last month and a half.
Sunday’s Red Sox win came behind another strong performance from starter Nick Pivetta. The righty gave up one run on four hits, four walks, and 10 strikeouts over seven innings against the Cardinals on Sunday, earning him his seventh win in the last nine starts, in which he has a 1.77 ERA. It’s the fifth time during that stretch in which Pivetta’s pitched at least seven innings. Sunday’s start followed his eight-inning, three-hit performance against the Athletics on Tuesday.
Cora said Pivetta “did an outstanding job,” especially after allowing four walks in the first three innings. Pivetta finished his outing on Sunday by striking out the side in order in the seventh, something he said he took pride in.
“Personally, I just think I’m going out there and competing,” Pivetta said. “You’re facing the best hitters in the world at any time. I’m just competing out there and I want to beat the best at all times. I want to finish really strong. It’s just like that accumulation of everything coming together kind of gets my emotions going, but it’s a lot of fun. I take great pride in what I do.”
The Red Sox close out their nine-game homestand with a three-game set against the Tigers beginning on Monday before hitting the road for nine games.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2022 9:37:17 GMT -5
John Tomase @jtomase 17m Ummm, where the hell did the Guardians come from? Red Sox have been the hottest team in baseball for six weeks, and thanks to Cleveland, if the season ended today, they'd miss the playoffs.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2022 9:41:45 GMT -5
Rob Refsnyder making the most of his chance as Red Sox try to do the same The outfielder has made clutch plays over the last week with Kiké Hernández on the injured list.
By Jon Couture June 20, 2022 | 9:58 AM
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COMMENTARY
Let me throw a couple names at you: Dave McCarty and Bobby Kielty. Daniel Nava a bit easier to recall? José Iglesias for sure, given recency.
It might be a little too early to add Rob Refsnyder to that club, but he has certainly nominated himself in just nine games of early summer action for the Red Sox.
The bit players who help good seasons stay on the rails.
“I just try to be a small piece to the puzzle,” Refsnyder said earlier this month, after his five-star catch in Seattle helped win a game on what’s, so far, a defining road trip in a turnaround.
Even the best teams are gigantic puzzles, an array of a few dozen names arranged across seven months. That takes a lot of great performances, and they aren’t all going to come from the highly paid and easily remembered.
McCarty played his way onto the ’04 Red Sox bench in spring training, won them a couple games in May with big hits (including a walk-off at Fenway) and hung around the roster nearly all year. He didn’t play in the postseason, but Curtis Leskanic did, and without his getting the final four outs of Game 4 in the ALCS against the Yankees (including Bernie Williams with the bases loaded), who knows how different history is?
Kielty was plucked off the waiver wire in August 2007, saw one World Series pitch to cap a 600-game MLB career, and slammed it for a title-clinching home run. Nava had late-game, go-ahead hits in seven Red Sox wins in 2013, one of multiple career years (Mike Carp, anyone?) that helped bring that championship home.
Iglesias, brought back in the final month of last season, was a stabilizing force without which the Red Sox almost certainly don’t make the playoffs.
“I think what he brings to the equation in the clubhouse, it means a lot,” Sox manager Alex Cora said down the stretch last fall. “It helps a lot of guys, and he’s a veteran that understands how to win ball games.”
The 31-year-old Refsnyder doesn’t necessarily fit that mold, a fifth-round pick by the Yankees a decade ago with only 242 games (including postseason) as a major leaguer. The Red Sox are his ninth organization; he just about made the team out of camp as a fourth outfielder, but was a late cut who stayed on the radar in Worcester. (He’s played nearly 500 games at Triple-A since first getting there in 2014.)
Refsnyder made a three-game Boston cameo in late April, then was recalled again on June 10. That night in Seattle, he scored the winning run after getting hit by a pitch and going first to third on a single. Two days later was the catch. Two days after that, he had three hits in Oakland. After his RBI single on Sunday against St. Louis, he’s 9 for 23 (.391).
It’s a small thing. A small sample, a small add, a small contribution. If it needs to be something more, the Red Sox are probably closer to the team that still hasn’t won a series against an American League East opponent than the one that’s 13-5 since they lost their last — whatever that five-game, late-May mess against the Orioles was.
We can point to this weekend against the first-place Cardinals, same as we pointed to the two-of-three against the first-place Astros a month ago, as a possible proof of concept. Michael Wacha (2.28 season ERA) and Nick Pivetta (1.77 ERA in his last nine starts) carried the weight. The offense twice posted double-digit hits. Tanner Houck twice wobbled, but did not fall when Boston twice needed its closer in games that were 6-1 entering the ninth.
“Every season has certain moments where you want to see how the team responds,” Jackie Bradley Jr. told reporters, “and this was one for us.”
“I think it sets in stone what type of baseball team we are,” Pivetta added.
The news was hardly all good, despite Pivetta’s froth. (Boy, were those final three strikeouts and subsequent exultation fun to see.) We learned Nate Eovaldi’s injury absence may be extended. Houck’s four saves in four opportunities, Mariano Rivera-esque among his peers, makes him a more critical piece just before another Toronto series he may exclude himself from.
And that’s with a team that’s leaned harder on relievers than almost any finally needing to cut down to 13 pitchers.
For now, they’re doing enough. Finding the relief innings, finding the big hits, finding their way to pile up wins against opponents they should beat. That doesn’t mean they’re a great team yet, but every great team has done it that way because there is no other way.
Cora doesn’t need the lesson, but he’s another reminder of it. He was arguably the best hitter on the April 2007 Red Sox, cracking go-ahead hits on back-to-back nights and holding down a spot while some rookie named Dustin Pedroia found his footing in the majors.
It’d be asking a lot for Refsnyder’s contributions to add that much to Red Sox history. But for now, he’s certainly justified his place on a team that’s trying to justify theirs as our primary focus of the summer.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Jun 20, 2022 10:07:55 GMT -5
The Detroit offense seems pretty hapless, but they have a couple of nice starting pitchers.
No time for the Sox to let their guard down against a seemingly easy opponent. One game at a time and don't take anything for granted. Yup, today would be a good game to win. Faedo has done a good job so far, and Wink has been inconsistent. It would be a good game to get a lead. Detroit has surprisingly good BP results.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Jun 20, 2022 10:33:19 GMT -5
John Tomase @jtomase 17m Ummm, where the hell did the Guardians come from? Red Sox have been the hottest team in baseball for six weeks, and thanks to Cleveland, if the season ended today, they'd miss the playoffs. I'm shocked, shocked I tell you, that Tomase doesn't know about Cleveland. They've been playing well for at least a month. But it needs repeating: 1-They turned Lindor & Carrasco, with a total of $46M and 1.6 WAR, into Rosario & Gimenez, with a total of $5.5M and 3.7 WAR. Then used the savings to extend Ramirez. And they traded Clevinger for Hedges, Naylor & Quantrill, traded Kluber for Clase, and Maton for Straw. 2-Tito is back after missing half a season.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2022 11:08:51 GMT -5
Red Sox recalled INF Jeter Downs from Triple-A Worcester.
Downs was widely-regarded as a top-100 prospect in the game entering last year, but his stock has fallen considerably ever since. He's hit just .187/.281/.355 with 25 homers and 29 steals in 627 plate appearances in 152 games at the Triple-A level over the last two seasons. The 23-year-old infielder offers plenty of defensive versatility and should serve as a utility infielder for the Red Sox moving forward.
Red Sox designated RHP James Norwood for assignment.
Well, that was fast. Norwood was just claimed off waivers from the Phillies over the weekend and didn't end up making an appearance for the Red Sox. There's a chance he sneaks through waivers and remains with Boston as organizational relief depth at Triple-A Worcester.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2022 11:13:55 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 3m Jeter Downs will be at Fenway tonight, joining MLB oster for first time in his career. Red Sox had to get down to 13 pitchers per MLB rules. Jeter's stay could be short with Kikè Hernandez (hip) and Christian Arroyo (COVID) likely back soon ish.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 20, 2022 11:17:19 GMT -5
So they are bringing up Jeter Downs who by the way is hitting a lack luster .180/ .297/ .795 and dump the dude who they just got for a bag of balls, meanwhile, the Gang Gang remains intact.
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