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Post by Kimmi on Jun 22, 2022 7:37:57 GMT -5
RBI machine Story clutch all around the diamond2:13 AM ADT Ian Browne Ian Browne @ianmbrowne BOSTON -- Pop quiz time. Through the first 69 games of the season, who leads the Red Sox in RBIs? It’s got to be Rafael Devers, you’re thinking. If not, it is Xander Bogaerts. Or maybe J.D. Martinez? Wrong, wrong and wrong. Despite the ups and downs of his first few weeks with the Red Sox, Trevor Story is carrying the title of RBI machine on his new team. After his three-run rocket soared over the Green Monster and onto Lansdowne Street to help Boston to a 5-4 victory over the Tigers on Tuesday night, Story got to 48 RBIs, fifth in the American League. It doesn’t take a mathematician to know that puts Story on pace for well over 100 RBIs. Yes, it is true: There are many in the analytics crowd who would just as soon outlaw the RBI. Not Story. The RBI stat does not need to be outlawed, but you do have to keep in mind the context. It seems like Story is very often coming up to bat with 2 runners on base, so also credit the batters who hit in front of him. Not to take anything away from Story.
I am just as happy, if not even more happy, about Story's defensive contribution as I am about his offense.
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Post by Kimmi on Jun 22, 2022 7:39:47 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 5h Alex Cora's current plan is to rest Devers and Bogaerts tomorrow. Jeter Downs will play short. Vazquez at first. Dalbec at third.
The latest is that Xander Bogaerts might be talking his way into the lineup for tomorrow. As I've posted many times, I fully understand Cora's need to rest his players. What I don't understand is why he so often rests 2 or more of these guys in the same game.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 22, 2022 10:12:40 GMT -5
J.P. Long @soxnotes · 34m Trevor Story has hit 5 HR with at least 2 runners on base, most in the American League and 2nd most in the majors (Pete Alonso, 7).
The Sox have now won 15 consecutive games when Trevor Story records at least 1 RBI.
Of his 11 HR this season, 7 have either tied the game or given the Sox a lead.
8 of his 11 HR have come with at least 1 runner on base (5 with 2+ runners on).
Story has a 1.029 OPS with RISP.
The Sox are 28-12 (.700) since May 10, their best 40-game stretch since 2018. They’re 15-4 (.789) in June. They’ve won their last 3 games. They’ve won 6 consecutive series. They’ve lost only 1 of their last 13 series (10-1-2). They’re a season-high 7 games above .500.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 22, 2022 13:23:15 GMT -5
Game 70: Tigers at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated June 22, 2022, 10:19 a.m. The Red Sox will be going for a sweep of the Tigers Wednesday night at Fenway Park. Their 5-4 win on Tuesday moved them to a season-high seven games above .500, as Trevor Story picked a good time to end his home run drought, blasting a three-run shot in the fourth inning to snap the skid at 22 games. The Sox have now won six straight series, and are 10-1-2 in their last 13 series after going 1-7-1 to begin the season. They are just a half-game behind Toronto for second place in the American League East. The Sox will be off on Thursday before beginning a nine-game road trip with a three-game series at Cleveland on Friday, followed by trips to Toronto and Chicago, where they will face the Cubs. Michael Wacha will be on the mound Wednesday as the Sox conclude their nine-game homestand. Here is a preview. Lineups TIGERS (26-42): 1. Victor Reyes (S) RF 2. Riley Greene (L) CF 3. Javier Baez (R) SS 4. Miguel Cabrera (R) DH 5. Harold Castro (L) 3B 6. Robbie Grossman (S) LF 7. Spencer Torkelson (R) 1B 8. Jonathan Schoop (R) 2B 9. Tucker Barnhart (S) C Pitching: LHP Tarik Skubal (5-4, 3.13 ERA) RED SOX (38-31): 1. Jarren Duran (L) CF 2. Rob Refsnyder (R) RF 3. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 4. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 5. Alex Verdugo (L) LF 6. Trevor Story (R) 2B 7. Christian Vazquez (R) C 8. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B 9. Jeter Downs (R) 3B Pitching: RHP Michael Wacha (5-1, 2.28 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Tigers vs. Wacha: Tucker Barnhart 4-20, Javier Báez 6-22, Miguel Cabrera 2-3, Jeimer Candelario 0-3, Harold Castro 1-2, Willi Castro 0-2, Robbie Grossman 0-4, Eric Haase 1-2, Jonathan Schoop 0-4 Red Sox vs. Skubal: Xander Bogaerts 0-2, Franchy Cordero 0-1, Bobby Dalbec 0-2, Rafael Devers 1-3, J.D. Martinez 0-3, Kevin Plawecki 1-2, Alex Verdugo 2-2 Stat of the day: The Sox are 28-12 since May 8, their best 40-game span since 2018. Notes: Wacha has faced the Tigers twice in his career, getting no-decisions each time while giving up two runs in a combined 9 ⅓ innings. … Skubal tossed five scoreless innings in his lone career start against the Red Sox last season. He has lost his last two starts, allowing four runs in four innings to Toronto on June 12 before giving up five runs in five innings at home to Texas on Friday. … The Tigers are 7-10 this season when recording 10 or more hits, the only team in the majors to have a losing record when doing so. … Miguel Cabrera has 3,050 hits in his career, three shy of tying Rod Carew for 27th place in MLB history. Song of the Day: U2 - Where The Streets Have No Name www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzZWSrr5wFI
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 22, 2022 13:50:21 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 5m Alex Cora on @weei said Xander Bogaerts talked his way back into the lineup today. Jeter Downs will make his debut at 3B.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 22, 2022 14:36:30 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 55m Also as far as I can tell Downs has never played third professionally unless it was spring training.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 22, 2022 14:41:39 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 29m Downs is warming up on the field 4 hours before first pitch in preparation for a crash course on his new position.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 22, 2022 16:34:25 GMT -5
another dope
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 1h Red Sox aren’t sure if Kiké Hernández will be available in Toronto. If not, Jarren Duran - who is unvaccinated, and thus can’t travel to Canada - would not be an option, per Alex Cora.
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 33m Amazing how players not remotely established in the majors can be so casual with their careers, never mind turning their backs on teammates.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 22, 2022 16:42:18 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 2h Sox are doing Downs a solid letting him play 3B and make his MLB debut. With Bogaerts talking his way into the lineup, they could have easily just played Dalbec at 3B and Vazquez at 1B like the plan apparently was last night.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Jun 22, 2022 18:49:29 GMT -5
RBI machine Story clutch all around the diamond2:13 AM ADT Ian Browne Ian Browne @ianmbrowne BOSTON -- Pop quiz time. Through the first 69 games of the season, who leads the Red Sox in RBIs? It’s got to be Rafael Devers, you’re thinking. If not, it is Xander Bogaerts. Or maybe J.D. Martinez? Wrong, wrong and wrong. Despite the ups and downs of his first few weeks with the Red Sox, Trevor Story is carrying the title of RBI machine on his new team. After his three-run rocket soared over the Green Monster and onto Lansdowne Street to help Boston to a 5-4 victory over the Tigers on Tuesday night, Story got to 48 RBIs, fifth in the American League. It doesn’t take a mathematician to know that puts Story on pace for well over 100 RBIs. Yes, it is true: There are many in the analytics crowd who would just as soon outlaw the RBI. Not Story. The RBI stat does not need to be outlawed, but you do have to keep in mind the context. It seems like Story is very often coming up to bat with 2 runners on base, so also credit the batters who hit in front of him. Not to take anything away from Story.
I am just as happy, if not even more happy, about Story's defensive contribution as I am about his offense.That's ridiculous. Just like in the real world, numbers shouldn't be outlawed. They should be taken in context. If you think about it, most sports stats depend on your teammates. You won't be a good QB without a decent line. You won't be a good WR without a good QB. When Fouts was QB for the Chargers, he might've been a good QB, but he was surrounded by great players,
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Jun 22, 2022 21:26:15 GMT -5
Another for the good guys, and we keep rolling.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 23, 2022 2:50:05 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox sweep Tigers with 6-2 win; Rob Refsnyder homers while Michael Wacha pitches well again Published: Jun. 22, 2022, 10:16 p.m.
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON -- No Rafael Devers, no problem.
Even with their best hitter out of the lineup Wednesday night, the Red Sox strung together an impressive offensive performance and beat the Tigers, 6-2, to finish off a three-game sweep at Fenway Park. Rob Refsnyder hit a two-run homer and Michael Wacha pitched six strong innings as Boston finished off its long homestand with a 7-2 record and improved to 38-31 this season.
The Red Sox, who were once 10-19, are now a season-high eight games over .500. They are 16-4 in June and have won their last six series. Seventy games into the season, Boston is squarely in the playoff hunt.
Detroit actually struck first in Wednesday’s finale, as Javier Báez stayed hot with a two-run homer off Wacha in the first. Two innings later, Boston’s offense rallied against Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal. After Christian Vázquez doubled and Bobby Dalbec walked to start the inning, Jarren Duran smoked an opposite-field double to tie the game. Refsnyder then put the Sox ahead with a two-run blast (his first of the season) that barely cleared the Green Monster.
Wacha settled down after Báez’s homer and went on to strike out seven hitters while allowing five hits in six innings. In the fifth, Alex Verdugo gave him some more insurance with a two-run single that made it 6-2. Relievers Jake Diekman and Hirokazu Sawamura combined for three scoreless innings.
Refsnyder (2-for-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R) and Vázquez (2-for-3, R) were the only Red Sox hitters with multiple hits.
Downs has 3 strikeouts in debut
Infielder Jeter Downs made his MLB debut, batting ninth and playing third base (a position he never played in the minors). He fielded his position admirably despite limited chances but struggled at the plate. Downs went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
Trip to Cleveland next
The Red Sox are off Thursday before beginning a three-city, nine-game trip in Cleveland on Friday. Here’s the schedule for their series with the Guardians, who are also in wild-card contention:
Friday, 7:10 p.m. ET -- RHP Nick Pivetta (7-5, 3.31 ERA) vs. RHP Cal Quantrill (4-4, 3.77 ERA)
Saturday, 6:10 p.m. ET -- RHP Josh Winckowski (2-1, 3.68 ERA) vs. RHP Shane Bieber (3-3, 3.00 ERA)
Sunday, 1:40 p.m. ET -- LHP Rich Hill (3-4, 4.35 ERA) vs. RHP Aaron Civale (2-3, 7.25 ERA)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 23, 2022 2:51:13 GMT -5
Jeter Downs, third baseman? Why Boston Red Sox infielder’s MLB debut is at a position he hasn’t played since high school Updated: Jun. 22, 2022, 8:46 p.m. | Published: Jun. 22, 2022, 7:49 p.m.
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON -- Jeter Downs is making his major league debut Wednesday night in an unfamiliar place, and it’s not just Fenway Park. He’s starting at third base for the first time in his professional career.
Downs, who was promoted Monday but did not see game action in either of the last two Red Sox wins over the Tigers, said he last played third in high school and travel ball. In the minors, he logged 327 games at shortstop, 105 at second base and exactly zero at the position he’s at in his first ever major league game.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that the original plan was to have Downs play shortstop but once Xander Bogaerts talked his way out of an off day, that was off the table. With Rafael Devers out of the lineup for just the second time this season, Cora decided to put Downs at third base. Cora told Downs on Tuesday that he’d be in the lineup Wednesday and Downs began taking grounders at third base before the middle game of a three-game set.
“I told him yesterday, early during the day, that he was going to play today,” Cora said. “I wasn’t going to back out just because Xander wanted to play. We figured it out and he’s going to play.” Enter your email address here to receive the Fenway Rundown email newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday.
The natural replacement for Devers on the roster is Bobby Dalbec, who can short to third base (his natural position) when he’s not at first base. But Dalbec is starting at first Wednesday and with Bogaerts and Trevor Story entrenched up the middle, third base was the open spot.
“He’s a good defender,” Cora said. “We expect him to put him in the right place and make plays. He’ll be OK.”
The Red Sox plan to purposely push Downs far behind the base so that the position feels similar to his natural home at shortstop. Cora noted that there are natural shortstops playing third base throughout baseball and that the shift should be a natural one.
Downs agreed.
“It’s pretty much the same on the left side of the diamond,” Downs said. “The angle’s a little bit different but at the end of the day, the ball’s being hit and our job is to catch it no matter where we’re at on the field.”
Cora can sympathize with Downs a little bit. He played exclusively up the middle for his first eight big league seasons before adding third base to his repertoire while with the Red Sox in 2005. Cora appeared in 1,273 games over 14 major league seasons. Forty-eight of them came at the hot corner.
“It’s the reaction,” Cora said. “You think everything is hit hard and it’s not. I went through it. My first start at third base was at the big league level. It’s the same. Catch the ball and throw it. Just slow it down a little bit more as far as double plays. Don’t rush it. Hopefully, we’ll get the lead in the seventh, we’ll re-arrange the infield and he’ll have a good night.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 23, 2022 2:52:19 GMT -5
Jeter Downs strikes out 3 times in Red Sox debut but still calls it ‘coolest thing’ he has ever done: ‘I still can’t believe it happened’ Updated: Jun. 23, 2022, 12:48 a.m. | Published: Jun. 23, 2022, 12:42 a.m.
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON -- Jeter Downs was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his major league debut Wednesday night. But the Red Sox infielder isn’t letting the results spoil one of the most special nights of his life.
Downs, who was called up Monday, spent two games in the dugout before starting at third base -- an unfamiliar position -- in Wednesday’s series finale against the Tigers. He played all nine innings in the field and made a couple of plays while getting four at-bats.
“That was the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” the 23-year-old said after the game. “I still can’t believe it happened. I still can’t believe the game’s over. It felt so fast. Didn’t turn out the way I wanted to but ‘Oh, well.’ The team got the win and that’s the most important thing.”
Downs, who is named after Yankees legend Derek Jeter, took a moment to step out of the batter’s box and take a deep breath during his final at-bat in the eighth inning, when the fans at Fenway Park started a “Let’s Go, Jeter!” chant.
“I’ve never had something like that happen before,” Downs said. “That was definitely surreal to have the whole Fenway chanting my name, chanting for a Jeter. It was super cool.” Enter your email address here to receive the Fenway Rundown email newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday.
Downs, who had never played third base before as a professional, got his first action in the field on a Harold Castro grounder in the first inning and recorded another out on ground ball in the second inning. At the plate, he was less successful. Downs saw just 11 pitches in three swinging strikeouts and put the ball in play just once, on a lineout to left field in the sixth.
Downs is hitting just .180 at Triple-A this year and has a high strikeout rate (31.1%). Still, he was pleased with his approach against Tigers starter Tarik Skubal and a couple of relievers in Boston’s 6-2 win.
“I swung at strikes those first couple pitches,” Downs said. “I chased for the strikeouts. They were strikes so I can’t really get mad at myself for swinging at strikes.”
After the game, Downs found out that Jeter had congratulated him and wished him good luck on Twitter. The rookie was in awe.
“That’s pretty cool,” Downs said. “I met him a few years ago. To have him tweet that out, my idol growing up, and I’m named after him, of course. I literally watched every single game I could when he was playing. Loved the way he went about his business. That was super cool.”
Downs’ immediate future might be in Worcester. The Red Sox will need a roster spot when Christian Arroyo rejoins the team Friday and Downs is the likely candidate to be sent down. If things go to plan, he’ll be back. On Wednesday, he made sure to soak up his first major league cup of coffee.
“It’s not easy,” said manager Alex Cora. “That’s a tough lefty. But he did what we needed at third base and he’s a big-leaguer.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 23, 2022 3:11:00 GMT -5
Injuries & Moves: Kiké slowed by hip injury June 22nd, 2022
Keep track of the Red Sox’s recent transactions and injury updates throughout the season. LATEST NEWS
June 22: OF Kiké Hernández stalled by hip injury The Red Sox were hoping to send Hernández (right hip flexor strain) on a Minor League rehab assignment, but they've instead had to slow him down. Hernández felt some discomfort swinging the bat on Tuesday, and he has backed off all baseball activities the past two days. When the Red Sox go to Cleveland this weekend, Hernández might have to stay at Fenway with the team's medical staff rather than playing in the Minors. That puts him in jeopardy of missing the three-game series that starts in Toronto on June 27, which is relevant because manager Alex Cora revealed on Wednesday that Jarren Duran is not vaccinated and won't be eligible to play in that series. Duran has been filling in for Hernández both at leadoff and center field.
“Nothing [new] today," Cora said. "Better, but not what we expected, so let’s see where it takes us now. We were hoping that today, [Hernández ] was going to go out there and move around and swing the bat, but it hasn’t happened, so this slows him down. Now, we’ve just got to see what’s the next thing, if it’s treatment or just staying here during the weekend, and I think everything backs up now compared to where we were a few days ago.” -- Ian Browne
June 22: INF/OF Christian Arroyo should be activated Friday One thing that should help the Red Sox from a depth standpoint will be the return of Arroyo, who should return from the COVID-19-related IL by Friday when Boston starts a three-game series in Cleveland. Arroyo went 0-for-3 as the designated hitter in a rehab assignment for Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday. He led off and played shortstop on Wednesday. -- Ian Browne
RHP Matt Barnes (right shoulder inflammation) Expected return: July Barnes spent a few days in Boston but is now back in Fort Myers, Fla. to continue his rehab.
"I don’t know if he was going to get on the mound in the upcoming days. I know he got up to 120 as far as playing catch," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "But he got back [to Fort Myers] yesterday. -- Ian Browne (Last updated: June 21)
RHP Garrett Whitlock (right hip inflammation) Expected return: June 24 at earliest Whitlock threw a simulated game on June 21 at Fenway, and there's a chance he could be back in the rotation by the series in Toronto that starts on June 27. Whitlock had battled discomfort in his hip in the two starts before he went on the injured list. He is 2-1 with a 3.51 ERA this season, making nine of his 13 appearances as a starter. -- Ian Browne (Last updated: June 21)
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