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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 23, 2022 19:10:32 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Guardians Friday, 24th June 2022 7pm @ Progressive Field
Pivetta 7-6/3.31
Quantrill 4-4/3.77
Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians Friday, June 24, 2022 at 7:10pm EDT Written by Blake V.
Boston will be looking to extend its four-game winning streak when it travels to Cleveland for a series opener on Friday night. The Red Sox won the final game of their series against St. Louis and then swept Detroit earlier this week. Cleveland had its three-game winning streak snapped in a 1-0 loss to Minnesota on Thursday.
Red Sox on four-game winning streak Boston got off to a super slow start this season, going 23-27 through its first 50 games. The Red Sox have been one of the hottest teams in baseball since then, winning 16 of its last 20 contests. They took two out of three against St. Louis last weekend before sweeping Detroit earlier this week. The Red Sox held the Tigers to eight runs over the three games. They wrapped up a nine-game homestand with that series and then had the day off on Thursday. Boston is still sitting 12.5 games back of New York in the American League East, but it is a half-game ahead of Minnesota for the second AL Wild Card spot.
The Red Sox have been an outstanding offensive team this year, ranked third in the majors in team batting average (.258). Third baseman Rafael Devers leads the way with 90 hits, including 16 home runs. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts has 85 hits, while designated hitter J.D. Martinez has 76 base knocks. They are facing a Cleveland pitching staff that is No. 7 with an ERA of 3.65. Right-handed pitcher Nick Pivetta is going to make the start for Boston on Friday night. He allowed one run on four hits and four walks across seven innings against St. Louis in his last outing. Pivetta struck out 10 batters, marking the second time in three starts that he struck out double-digit batters. He went 0-4 through his first five starts, but he is now 7-1 with a 1.77 ERA over his last nine outings.
Guardians trying to avoid consecutive losses Cleveland’s season has followed a very similar script to Boston’s so far. The Guardians went 18-23 to open the year, but they have been consistently winning ever since then. They have not lost consecutive games since May 26, only losing six total games in the past month. Cleveland swept Colorado last week before taking two out of three against the Dodgers. The Guardians wrapped up the nine-game road trip by winning two out of three against Minnesota, as the Twins avoided a sweep with a 1-0 win on Thursday. Cleveland is tied with Minnesota atop the AL Central standings—Chicago is 4.0 games back of both teams.
The Guardians rank tenth in the majors in batting average, hitting at a .250 clip. Third baseman Jose Ramirez leads the way with 71 hits, including 16 home runs. Shortstop Amed Rosario has 66 hits, while Andres Gimenez has 55 base knocks. They will be facing a Boston staff that is No. 6 with an ERA of 3.59. Cal Quantrill is going to be on the mound for Cleveland on Friday night. He allowed five runs on 10 hits and one walk while striking out four across five innings against the Dodgers his last time out. Quantrill had recorded five straight quality starts before that outing. He posted a 2.89 ERA in 149.2 innings last season, but he has a 3.77 ERA through 71.2 frames in 2022.
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Post by seabeachfred on Jun 23, 2022 22:54:44 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Guardians Friday, 24th June 2022 7pm @ Progressive Field
Pivetta 7-6/3.31
Quantrill 4-4/3.77 Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland GuardiansFriday, June 24, 2022 at 7:10pm EDT Written by Blake V. Boston will be looking to extend its four-game winning streak when it travels to Cleveland for a series opener on Friday night. The Red Sox won the final game of their series against St. Louis and then swept Detroit earlier this week. Cleveland had its three-game winning streak snapped in a 1-0 loss to Minnesota on Thursday. Red Sox on four-game winning streak Boston got off to a super slow start this season, going 23-27 through its first 50 games. The Red Sox have been one of the hottest teams in baseball since then, winning 16 of its last 20 contests. They took two out of three against St. Louis last weekend before sweeping Detroit earlier this week. The Red Sox held the Tigers to eight runs over the three games. They wrapped up a nine-game homestand with that series and then had the day off on Thursday. Boston is still sitting 12.5 games back of New York in the American League East, but it is a half-game ahead of Minnesota for the second AL Wild Card spot. The Red Sox have been an outstanding offensive team this year, ranked third in the majors in team batting average (.258). Third baseman Rafael Devers leads the way with 90 hits, including 16 home runs. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts has 85 hits, while designated hitter J.D. Martinez has 76 base knocks. They are facing a Cleveland pitching staff that is No. 7 with an ERA of 3.65. Right-handed pitcher Nick Pivetta is going to make the start for Boston on Friday night. He allowed one run on four hits and four walks across seven innings against St. Louis in his last outing. Pivetta struck out 10 batters, marking the second time in three starts that he struck out double-digit batters. He went 0-4 through his first five starts, but he is now 7-1 with a 1.77 ERA over his last nine outings. Guardians trying to avoid consecutive losses Cleveland’s season has followed a very similar script to Boston’s so far. The Guardians went 18-23 to open the year, but they have been consistently winning ever since then. They have not lost consecutive games since May 26, only losing six total games in the past month. Cleveland swept Colorado last week before taking two out of three against the Dodgers. The Guardians wrapped up the nine-game road trip by winning two out of three against Minnesota, as the Twins avoided a sweep with a 1-0 win on Thursday. Cleveland is tied with Minnesota atop the AL Central standings—Chicago is 4.0 games back of both teams. The Guardians rank tenth in the majors in batting average, hitting at a .250 clip. Third baseman Jose Ramirez leads the way with 71 hits, including 16 home runs. Shortstop Amed Rosario has 66 hits, while Andres Gimenez has 55 base knocks. They will be facing a Boston staff that is No. 6 with an ERA of 3.59. Cal Quantrill is going to be on the mound for Cleveland on Friday night. He allowed five runs on 10 hits and one walk while striking out four across five innings against the Dodgers his last time out. Quantrill had recorded five straight quality starts before that outing. He posted a 2.89 ERA in 149.2 innings last season, but he has a 3.77 ERA through 71.2 frames in 2022. The schedule starts to get a little tougher starting tomorrow and soon get really arduous with the Sox having to take on the tough teams in the division.......New York, Toronto and Tampa Bay, not necessarily in that order but tough no matter how you look at it. Cleveland mirrors the Boston in that both started slow and are not playing good ball. The Guardians are not the A's, Mariners, or Tigers. The Red Sox have to play solid baseball to prevail in the first of our tough matchups starting tomorrow. A lot will depend on how far we can go in the next two or three weeks.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 24, 2022 1:54:30 GMT -5
Injuries & Moves: Downs back to Triple-A June 23rd, 2022
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Keep track of the Red Sox’s recent transactions and injury updates throughout the season. LATEST NEWS
June 23: IF Jeter Downs optioned to Triple-A Worcester After an eventful MLB debut on Wednesday, Downs was sent back down to Worcester, but not before showing flashes of his promise. Downs went 0-for-4 but hit a flyout to the warning track, and he played solidly at third base in his first professional action at the position. He also attracted "Let's go Jeter" chants, a surreal moment at Fenway Park.
Downs, Boston's No. 5 prospect, has hit .180 in 53 games for Worcester this season, albeit with 11 homers and 11 steals.
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
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 24, 2022 2:02:17 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Red Sox are on a roll, but their schedule is about to get a whole lot tougher By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated June 23, 2022, 8:02 p.m.
The Red Sox have been on a roll since the beginning of the month.
The Sox have won their last six series, including the most recent one with a sweep of the Tigers. They are 10-1-2 in their last 13 series, including three sweeps, after going 1-7-1 in their first nine series of the season. The Sox are 16-4 this month, outscoring opponents, 98-59. They are a season-high eight games over .500 at 39-31.
But their schedule is about to get tougher.
The Red Sox begin a three-game road series Friday against the Guardians (36-29),who won their just-completed three-game set against the Twins. The Twins (39-32) took the finale on Thursday. The clubs are tied for first place in the American League Central.
The Red Sox then travel to Toronto for a three-game set with the Blue Jays, a team that took three of four from the Sox at Rogers Centre at the end of April. The Sox are 2-5 against the Blue Jays this year.
The Sox then have a series in Chicago against the Cubs, but their schedule gets tough again with a seven-game homestand against the Rays and Yankees, then a four-game set against the Rays at Tropicana Field and a three-game series with the Yankees in the Bronx before the All-Star break.
The Sox dropped series to the Rays and Yankees, both on the road, in April. The Rays have lost outfielders Manuel Margot and Kevin Kiermaier to injuries but are getting shortstop Wander Franco back after a quadriceps injury.
The coming weeks will be a test for the Red Sox, but manager Alex Cora said his team was battle-tested, even before the recent hot steak.
“I mean, it all depends on how you look at it,” Cora said. “The White Sox are a good team. The Angels, everybody thought they were a good team. Seattle, everybody thought they were a good team. It just depends how you see it. We played Houston and beat them two out of three. The schedule is the schedule.”
The Sox won at least one series against each of the teams Cora mentioned. But those teams, with the exception of the Astros, are not the equals of the Sox’ upcoming opponents, which includes a Yankees team that came into Thursday with 51 wins. Nonetheless, the Sox clearly have improved since the start of the season. They aren’t that team anymore.
“We’re a different team compared to a month and a half ago,” Cora said, “and we’ll take our chances and see where it takes us. The same way we respect [our upcoming opponents], I know they respect us. They see it. We’re ready. Enjoy the grind.”
The Red Sox’ matchup with the Guardians is their first of the season. Cleveland has been one of the biggest surprises of the year, led by an MVP candidate José Ramirez, who is hitting .301/.391/1.014 with 16 homers and has struck out just 21 times. The Guardians are 15-5 in June and recently took a series from the Dodgers.
“They have been playing some pretty good baseball,” said Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder. Ready to play
The Red Sox have played 70 games, and Rafael Devers has played 68 of them. Devers had a rare night off in Wednesday’s 6-2 win over the Tigers.
“If it were up to me I would play 162 games,” Devers said. “There are some times the body might ask you for some time off, but that’s why I prepare myself for the season.”
Devers’s 68 games ranked third in the majors entering Thursday. Downs back to Triple A
The Red Sox optioned Jeter Downs to Triple A Worcester Thursday. Downs made his major league debut at third base Wednesday night, going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts . . . Christian Arroyo will likely be activated off the COVID-related injured list for the series opener against the Guardians. Arroyo played in two rehab games for the WooSox . . . Josh Taylor made his second rehab appearance in three days for Worcester, tossing a scoreless first inning in which he allowed a hit and walk with a strikeout . . . Nick Pivetta will toe the slab against Cleveland’s Cal Quantrill Friday night, Josh Winckowski will match up against Shane Bieber on Saturday, and Rich Hill will take the ball against Aaron Civale on Sunday.
Alex Speier of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 24, 2022 2:08:10 GMT -5
Red Sox at Guardians Friday, at 7:10 PM EST Clear According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 80° F with a 0% chance of precipitation and 4 MPH wind blowing in Cleveland at 7:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
SP Probables
Saturday..6pm..Winckowski 2-1/3.68 vs Bieber 3-3/3.07
Sunday...1:30....Hill 3-4/4.50 vs Civale 2-3/7.25
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 24, 2022 7:53:13 GMT -5
Rising Red Sox square off with resurgent Guardians FLM
Catching the New York Yankees in the American League East might be unlikely, but the Boston Red Sox are back in the thick of playoff contention thanks to their recent hot streak.
Boston has won four in a row and 16 of the past 20 heading into a three-game series against the host Cleveland Guardians that begins Friday night.
"I've been saying this all along: We got ourselves in a deep hole (earlier in the season)," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "Now we're in a better position."
The same can be said of the Guardians, who went 7-2 on their just-completed trip against the Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins. Cleveland is on a 17-5 run.
Not only do the Red Sox have their customary prowess in the batter's box, but their starting pitching has been superb, too.
Boston heads into the weekend series with three of the top five AL players in terms of batting average: Xander Bogaerts (.335), Rafael Devers (.328) and J.D. Martinez (.326).
That's not to mention second baseman Trevor Story, who has 11 home runs and a team-high 48 RBIs.
"We want him controlling the (hitting) zone, staying on pitches to right-center," Cora said.
Boston leads the AL in batting average at .258.
The Red Sox have 15 home runs in their past 12 games. They finished 7-2 on their just-completed homestand, including a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers, capped by a 6-2 victory on Wednesday.
Boston right-hander Nick Pivetta (7-5, 3.31 ERA) will start in the opener against Cleveland, his first career appearance against the Guardians. He is coming off back-to-back wins over the Oakland A's on June 14 and the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, having allowed a total of two runs in 15 innings during those outings.
Right-hander Cal Quantrill (4-4, 3.77) will pitch for Cleveland on Friday. He is 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in two previous starts against Boston, both last year.
Quantrill won three consecutive starts before enduring his worst outing of the season on Saturday against the host Los Angeles Dodgers, when he gave up five runs on 10 hits in five innings during a 7-1 defeat.
On Thursday, Cleveland was attempting to sweep the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis for the first time since June 2017, but the Guardians lost 1-0.
"We've been playing close games with everybody," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. "(Minnesota) plays us as tough as anybody. They're a good team."
And so are the Red Sox.
After the three-game series against Boston, the Guardians will remain home for a five-game series against Minnesota and then a three-game set against the Yankees. It's their longest homestand of the season -- and one of the toughest.
The Guardians are thrilled with the way they've played in June. They are 15-5 this month while averaging 4.6 runs. They have a 3.28 staff ERA, and they have won four one-run games.
--Field Level Media
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 24, 2022 7:59:04 GMT -5
Jarren Duran providing a spark the Red Sox have been missing out of the leadoff spot Red Sox look like a new offense with Duran at the top
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald June 24, 2022 at 4:53 a.m.
When the Red Sox aren’t playing well, Xander Bogaerts usually knows why.
“We need to score first and give the pitchers some breathing room,” he said in early May, and says often when the Sox are in an extended slump.
Scoring first in baseball matters more than we often think. Bogaerts’ reasoning is simple: the starting pitchers don’t feel the pressure.
The Red Sox are 29-16 (.644) when they score first and 10-15 (.400) when they don’t.
Finding a leadoff hitter who is getting on base is Step 1, and the Red Sox have struggled in that regard for most of the season. They have a .291 on-base percentage out of the leadoff spot, ranking No. 26 in baseball. The only teams behind them are four of the worst teams in the big leagues: The A’s, Tigers, Reds and Royals.
The Mets and Dodgers, two of the best teams in baseball, rank No. 1 and 2 in that regard.
The Red Sox have largely failed at finding anyone who can do the job, but Jarren Duran has started to flip the script.
Monday night, he drew a leadoff walk, stole second base and scored on a J.D. Martinez single to put the Red Sox ahead, 1-0. They held on to win 5-2.
Tuesday, Duran led off the game with an infield single, used his legs to go first to third on a Rafael Devers single to right field and scored on a sacrifice fly by Martinez to tie the game, 1-1, going into the second inning. They surged ahead on a Trevor Story homer and eventually won, 5-4.
With game-changing speed that ranks in the 93rd percentile among big leaguers, all Duran needs to do is reach first base and there’s a good chance he’s going to score.
“The walk and stolen base right away puts pressure on the opposition,” manager Alex Cora said. “He’s in a good place offensively. Compared to last year, much better. I know everybody got caught up in the home runs but that’s not who he is. He’s a line drive hitter that will hit for occasional homers, or power, whatever you want to call it. But controlling the strike zone and going the other way and putting pressure on the opposition, that’s who he is.”
If he can do it well, the Red Sox lineup is about to look a whole lot different.
They haven’t had a speedy regular in the leadoff spot since Mookie Betts, who stole 30 bases out of the leadoff spot in 2018, and before him, Jacoby Ellsbury, who stole 52 bases leading off in 2013.
The Red Sox won the World Series both years.
Last year, Hernandez was a more impactful player while hitting leadoff. But he’s currently on the injured list with a right hip flexor strain and is having his worst offensive season since 2016. His .273 on-base percentage wouldn’t be a problem if he was batting ninth and playing Gold Glove defense. It’s been tough to stomach out of the leadoff spot.
Cora tried Story there for a while, but that didn’t look right either. Story now ranks fifth in the AL with 48 RBI, largely accumulated while batting sixth.
They’d love it if Duran was the answer. He’s hitting .297 with a .366 OBP in 10 games this year. More importantly, he’s scored eight runs and gone 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts. Even when he’s not running, opposing defenders have to rush their throws — Javier Baez made a throwing error doing just that on Wednesday — and pitchers have to pay attention to him.
“They get quicker to the plate,” Cora said. But Duran hasn’t stolen many bases because “it’s not easy to come here (from the minors) and get the green light and just go. … We’ve been very efficient as far as stealing bases but the guy behind him (Devers) has a lot to do with what we try to do sometimes.
“If Devers hits one in the gap, Duran is going to score. He’s in scoring position at first base. There are certain situations we want him to run but others we’d rather stay away from that, knowing those two guys behind him are really good at what they do.”
All Duran has to do is reach first base and he’s going to make things happen, either stealing second, going first to third or putting pressure on the pitcher.
“Just getting on base for the big guys, letting J.D. rack in the RBIs and getting on base for Devers,” Duran said. “It’s all I want to do for those guys, just get on and let them drive me in.”
The pressure to be a good teammate has often stopped him from stealing bases, though.
“I think last year I had this fear that I didn’t want to get thrown out to take RBIs away from J.D. and Raffy,” he said. “I remember J.D. saying, ‘if I had your speed, I’d be running all the time.’ So it gave me, like, ‘alright, I guess I’ll run a little bit.’
“Just trying to do my best, pick the right times, not be dumb running and take off because I think I’m fast. Just picking my right spots.”
Cora said Duran has the green light unless they specifically tell him not to run, which they’re often doing. It all depends on the matchup on the mound.
Hernandez is due back soon, and Duran will miss the series in Toronto starting on Monday because he’s not vaccinated. The Sox will also be without closer Tanner Houck for the same reason.
When Hernandez comes back, the Sox could platoon him with Duran, or let Duran take some playing time from Jackie Bradley Jr. in right field, but it’s most likely that Duran gets sent back to the minors for everyday reps.
“It won’t be hard to go back,” Duran said. “Kiké is a stud. Christian Arroyo is a stud. They’ve done what they’ve done up here and deserve to come back and play.
“I’ll just keep doing my role when they need me. That’s all I can ask for, whenever I get my chance to help them win.”
One way or another, Duran will be back. The Sox offense is much more dynamic with a speedy leadoff man who is getting on base.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 24, 2022 8:04:36 GMT -5
Cleveland Guardians vs. Boston Red Sox series preview, pitching matchups Published: Jun. 24, 2022, 6:01 a.m.
By Joe Noga, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Here is a preview of the three-game series between the Guardians and Red Sox.
Where: Progressive Field, Friday through Sunday.
TV/radio: Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM 1100 AM, WMMS 100.7 FM and the Guardians Radio Network will carry the series.
Pitching matchups: RHP Cal Quantrill (4-4, 3.77) vs. RHP Nick Pivetta (7-5, 3.31) on Friday at 7:10 p.m.; RHP Shane Bieber (3-3, 3.00) vs. RHP Josh Winckowski (2-1, 3.68) on Saturday at 6:10 p.m.; RHP Aaron Civale (2-3, 7.25) vs. LHP Rich Hill (3-4, 4.50) on Sunday at 1:40 p.m.
Series: Cleveland leads all-time 1,048 wins to 991. Boston won the season series 4-2 last year.
Team updates:
Guardians — Cleveland has won seven consecutive series for the first time since July 27-Aug. 18, 2018. The Guardians have outscored opponents 35-13 (+22) in the ninth inning, the best such differential in MLB. Guards hitters are slashing .248/.300/.372 in the ninth. Cleveland is batting .251 against opposing relievers, the best mark in the AL. With runners in scoring position in the seventh inning or later, the club is hitting .283, tied with Boston for tops in the league.
Red Sox — Boston has won each of its last six series. The Red Sox are 10-1-2 in their last 13 series after going 1-7-1 through their first 9. Their +39 run differential in June (98-59) is the second-best in the AL and fourth-best in the majors. The Sox rank second in the majors with a 2.74 ERA this month, trailing only Tampa Bay (2.64). They have allowed just 15 HR in June, the fewest in the majors. The Red Sox are 17-3 (.850) when hitting multiple HR, winning 13 of their last 14 such games.
Injuries:
Guardians — RHP Carlos Vargas (right elbow), RHP James Karinchak (right shoulder) and RHP Cody Morris (right shoulder) are on the injured list.
Red Sox — LHP James Paxton (elbow surgery), LHP Chris Sale (right rib stress fracture), LHP Josh Taylor (back strain), RHP Matt Barnes (shoulder), OF Kike Hernandez (right hip flexor), RHP Garrett Whitlock (right hip strain), RHP Nathan Eovaldi (low back inflammation), INF Christian Arroyo (COVID-19) are on the injured list.
Next: Minnesota comes to Progressive Field for a five-game series starting Monday night followed by a doubleheader Tuesday.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 24, 2022 13:23:31 GMT -5
This Red Sox-Guardians series has a great managerial angle to it, and other thoughts By Dan Shaughnessy Globe Staff,Updated June 24, 2022, 1 hour ago
Picked-up pieces while kicking off summer with a bucket of whole-belly fried clams …
▪ Red Sox vs. Guardians in Cleveland this weekend means a chance to see perhaps the two best managers in baseball — probably the two best managers in Red Sox history — going head-to-head for three days.
Hyperbole? Maybe. But name a current manager who consistently does a better job than Terry Francona and Alex Cora. And does anyone think Dick Williams, Joe Cronin, or Bill Carrigan could deal with today’s analytics geeks, stubborn/entitled (anti-vax) ballplayers, and nonstop media obligations that are part of the daily, skull-imploding Boston baseball experience?
If you are a Sox fan, you should be glad that management brought Cora back after a year in MLB jail for his role in the Houston Astros cheating scandal. The Sox finished in last place the year Cora was gone. In his other three seasons, Cora went 108-54, 84-78, and 92-70, winning one World Series and getting within two wins of another Fall Classic last October.
In 2022, Cora has his team back in playoff contention after one of the worst starts in franchise history. After their 10-19 start, the Sox went 29-12. They arrived in Cleveland with a 16-4 June record, beating a succession of Tomato Cans, but also taking two of three at home against the Cardinals, a series that made one think the ‘22 Sox might be legitimate after all.
Cora is a big reason. And he learned from the best, playing four of his 16 big league seasons in Boston under Francona.
“I don’t want him to win three games against us, but I’m one of his biggest fans,” Francona said before the start of the Red Sox-Guardians series. “People always ask me if I thought this guy or that guy was going to be a manager someday. You don’t know because you’re trying to find ways to win games. I knew Alex was a great teammate. He was ultra-intelligent on seeing the game. I was probably harder on him than a lot of other guys because of that.
“Look at the way he handled things with [Dustin] Pedroia in 2007 when Pedey got off so slow and Alex was hitting like .330. Alex helped Pedey. That spoke volumes with me.”
Francona managed eight seasons in Boston, averaging 93 wins per year, making the playoffs five times, and winning two World Series. He never managed a Fenway game that was not a sellout. He handled the media, needy owners, and a cast of egomaniacs including Manny Ramírez, David Ortiz, Curt Schilling, and David Wells. Sox seasons age a manager in dog years. Francona knows what it must be like for Cora today.
“It’s a different place, and you’d better acknowledge that,” said Tito, now in his 10th season in Cleveland. “I don’t think I could do it in Boston anymore. You’ve got to be young and you’ve got to have some energy. You’d better bring it every day. I really respect how Alex goes about it.”
Dave Roberts (Dodgers), Gabe Kapler (Giants), Kevin Cash (Rays), Rocco Baldelli (Twins), David Ross (Cubs), and Mark Kotsay (A’s) are other big league managers who served as bench players for Francona in Boston. Bench players — Francona was one when he played in the majors — often see things that the stars don’t notice.
“Bench players see stuff,” said Francona. “Buddy Bell” — a five time-All Star — “used to ask me about it, and I’d say, ‘Buddy, you’re out there playing third base. I’m sitting here watching the game.’ And Alex was always like that. He was always seeing the game. He is extremely quick. His baseball clock is really good.”
Francona and Cora. The two best to ever work in the Red Sox dugout.
▪ Quiz: Name the six Red Sox who’ve won the Rookie of the Year award (answer below).
▪ Can’t wait to see the Yankees up close and personal in two weeks. The Red Sox haven’t seen the Pinstripes since going 1-2 in the Bronx to start this season. The Yankees’ 70-game start (52-18) is third-best in franchise history and matches the third-best start after 70 games by any big league team in the past 93 years. The 1927 Yankees, who started 50-20, finished 110-44, a .714 winning percentage.
▪ Hard to keep track of the retirements and comebacks of Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady, and Julian Edelman.
▪ What is up with the Red Sox pushing Manny’s Redemption Tour? I had a front-row seat when Ramírez blatantly quit on the Sox in the summer of 2008 (Manny freely admits this) and got himself traded to the Dodgers.
Francona still says those ‘08 Sox might have been his best team, but they were beaten by Tampa Bay in a seven-game ALCS. Manny went on to hit .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBIs in 53 games for the 2008 Dodgers. Think he would have made a difference here? Instead, he quit on you and probably cost you a championship.
Then we learned of his three positive PED tests. Now he’s in the Red Sox Hall of Fame and the Red Sox love him — even though he was Kyrie Irving when he left here.
▪ Couldn’t resist emailing Hall of Famer Jim Palmer after Nate Eovaldi gave up five homers to the Astros May 17. I remembered Palmer giving up five to the 1977 Red Sox at Memorial Stadium. I suggested that one might have been knocked over the wall by an Oriole outfielder and Palmer replied, “Yes. Tip-in by Pat Kelly.
“I had a four-hitter going into the ninth. Three homers. I tell Earl [Weaver] I’m exhausted. He says, ‘If you think I’m relieving you with Dick [expletive] Drago, you’re crazy.’
“Rice hits a bloop double down the left field line. Fisk hits a high fly ball to left and Kelly catches it, stumbles and it goes out of his glove for a two-run homer. Hobson hits another dinger and I get the loss, but it’s one of my 211 complete games.”
The estimable Bob Ryan covered this game for the Globe and it serves as a great chapter in Ryan’s fabulous new book, “In Scoring Position.”
When I asked Palmer if it was OK to publish his response to my question, he answered in the affirmative, adding, “I trusted Dick Drago. Earl didn’t.”
▪ Don’t know about you, but I am super-geeked for Army-Navy football at Gillette on Dec. 9, 2023. This is one of America’s great sporting events and it’ll be the first time it’s ever been played in New England. Bill Belichick loves the Army-Navy game the way the rest of us love good food.
▪ Also happy about the return of Pat Patriot helmets with the (occasional) resurrection of throwback uniforms in 2022.
▪ According to the Wall Street Journal, Cowboy owner and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Jones’s $1.1 billion investment in natural gas four years ago is now worth $2.7 billion.
▪ Since we are constantly told that NFL owners are held to a higher standard, and since NFL players are routinely punished when there is no criminal conviction, I wonder how Bob Kraft avoided Roger Goodell’s hammer after Kraft’s lawyers broomed his Orchids of Asia charges.
▪ Team-killer Kyrie can opt out of his Nets contract and become a free agent at the end of the month. If things don’t work out with Brooklyn, I’m guessing Kyrie gets the band back together with LeBron. The Clippers and Knicks are other possibilities.
▪ Hope you noticed that J.R. Smith — who played with Kyrie and LeBron when they won the NBA championship in Cleveland — played college golf at North Carolina A&T this spring and was named the school’s academic athlete of the year. Smith is 36 and his GPA was 4.0. Well done. Former NBA player J.R. Smith hit the links for North Carolina A&T. Former NBA player J.R. Smith hit the links for North Carolina A&T.Gerry Broome/Associated Press
▪ Pick up a copy of “Fighting for Survival: My Journey through Boxing Fame, Abuse, Murder, and Resurrection,” by Christy Martin with Ron Borges.
▪ Check out the glamping trailers behind the Verb Hotel adjacent to Van Ness Street in the shadow of Fenway Park. It would make for a sweet commute for Red Sox September call-ups.
▪ RIP Lennie Rosenbluth, who died last weekend at the age of 89. At 6-5, Rosenbluth was the star center for North Carolina’s 1957 NCAA champs. Those Tar Heels beat Wilt Chamberlain’s Kansas Jayhawks, 54-53, in triple overtime. Chamberlain averaged 30 that season but was held to 23 by Rosenbluth in the championship final.
▪ All four 2022 state champion coaches in Massachusetts high school girls’ lacrosse have connections to former Westwood coach Leslie Frank. Margot Spatola (Westwood), Meredith Frank McGinnis (Notre Dame), Mary Laughna (Medfield), and Erin Massimi (Dover-Sherborn) all either played for or coached with Frank, an eight-time state champion coach at Westwood.
▪ Quiz answer: Walt Dropo, Don Schwall, Carlton Fisk, Fred Lynn, Nomar Garciaparra, Dustin Pedroia
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 24, 2022 13:27:45 GMT -5
Game 71: Red Sox at Guardians lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated June 24, 2022, 9:49 a.m. After a day off, the Red Sox are on the road for a three-game series in Cleveland beginning Friday. They have won four in a row and 16 of their last 20 to move to eight games above .500 for the first time this season. The Guardians are playing just as well as they return to Cleveland off of a 7-2 road trip. They are 15-5 in June and are tied atop the American League Central with the Minnesota Twins. Nick Pivetta will get start against Cleveland’s Cal Quantrill on Friday night, while Josh Winckowski will match up against Shane Bieber on Saturday, and Rich Hill will take the ball against Aaron Civale on Sunday. Here is a preview of Friday’s opener. Lineups RED SOX (39-31): 1. Jarren Duran (L) CF 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 4. Alex Verdugo (L) LF 5. Trevor Story (R) 2B 6. Franchy Cordero (L) 1B 7. Christian Vazquez (R) C 8. Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) RF 9. Christian Arroyo (R) SS Pitching: RHP Nick Pivetta (7-5, 3.31 ERA) GUARDIANS (36-29): 1. Steven Kwan (L) LF 2. Amed Rosario (R) SS 3. Jose Ramirez (S) 3B 4. Josh Naylor (L) 1B 5. Oscar Gonzalez (R) RF 6. Franmil Reyes (R) DH 7. Andres Gimenez (L) 2B 8. Austin Hedges (R) C 9. Myles Straw (R) CF Pitching: RHP Cal Quantrill (4-4, 3.77 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Quantrill: Xander Bogaerts 1-3, Bobby Dalbec 0-3, Rafael Devers 1-5, Jarren Duran 0-4, J.D. Martinez 3-6, Kevin Plawecki 1-3, Rob Refsnyder 0-2, Trevor Story 4-12, Alex Verdugo 3-7, Christian Vázquez 1-2 Guardians vs. Pivetta: Austin Hedges 2-6, Amed Rosario 4-11, Myles Straw 0-2 Stat of the day: Red Sox starters have posted a 2.25 ERA (30 earned runs/120 innings pitched) with 109 strikeouts and just 26 walks in the last 21 games. Notes: The Sox lead the American League in batting average at .258, with Xander Bogaerts (.335), Rafael Devers (.328) and J.D. Martinez (.326) in the top five. … The Red Sox have 15 home runs in their past 12 games. … Cleveland’s José Ramirez is hitting .301/.391/1.014 with 16 homers and has struck out just 21 times. … Pivetta is facing the Guardians for the first time. He is coming off back-to-back wins over the Oakland A’s and the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing a total of two runs in 15 innings. … Quantrill is 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in two starts against the Sox, both last year. Song of the Day: The Cure - Friday I´m in Lovewww.youtube.com/watch?v=ucX9hVCQT_U
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 24, 2022 14:37:51 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 16m Record in June:
Braves 18-3 Yankees 18-3 Red Sox 16-4 Phillies 16-5 Guardians 15-5
Good afternoon from Cleveland.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 24, 2022 16:14:13 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 1h So Bogaerts does get back to back day off, only he decided to play against Detroit instead of Cleveland. Alrighty.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 24, 2022 17:30:27 GMT -5
Sox medical staff and the Analytic staff are just garbage
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 49m
Whitlock will not be ready for Toronto. Sox TBA for Monday.
Doesn’t sound like Kiké Hernández is close, either.
Cora in Whitlock: “He wasn’t feeling good. Not moving well ... It’s not that he took steps back. But he didn’t recover the way we wanted him to. We just have to be patient.”
Sox are now considering a bullpen game, but Cora acknowledged that will be more difficult without Houck on the roster.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 25, 2022 2:48:37 GMT -5
Christian Arroyo bashes go-ahead homer in return, Boston Red Sox beat Guardians Updated: Jun. 24, 2022, 10:33 p.m. | Published: Jun. 24, 2022, 10:31 p.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
Christian Arroyo belted a go-ahead homer in the seventh in his return from the COVID IL and the Red Sox won 6-3 over the Guardians at Progressive Field on Friday.
Arroyo, who missed eight games with COVID and started at shortstop for Xander Bogaerts (scheduled day off), bashed a 405-foot homer to left field to break a 2-2 tie.
He went 3-for-4 and knocked in three runs. He was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the second inning to put Boston ahead 1-0.
Rafael Devers also homered for Boston. He connected for a 411-foot blast to right field that put the Red Sox ahead 2-1 in the third inning.
Devers’ homer was his 17th this season.
Cleveland tied it 2-2 in the fourth and it remained tied until Boston’s three-run seventh, a rally that started with pinch hitter Rob Refsnyder leading off the inning with a walk.
J.D. Martinez singled after Arroyo homered. He scored on Alex Verdugo’s double to left field.
Nick Pivetta pitched like an ace again. He went 7 innings, allowing two runs, nine hits and no walks while striking out four.
The 29-year-old righty has allowed just 14 runs in 68 innings (1.85 ERA) in his past 10 starts.
Pivetta has pitched at least 6 innings in nine of those 10 starts. He has pitched 7 or more innings in six of those starts and he has mixed in a complete game.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 25, 2022 2:50:21 GMT -5
Will Connor Seabold start for Boston Red Sox in Toronto? Pitching prospect is ‘an option’ Updated: Jun. 24, 2022, 11:30 p.m. | Published: Jun. 24, 2022, 11:24 p.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com and Katie Morrison
Red Sox prospect Connor Seabold was removed from his start for Triple-A Worcester after just one inning Friday.
The reason? He’s an option to start for the Red Sox in Toronto on Monday (possibly Tuesday).
Manager Alex Cora told reporters, including The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham, that Garrett Whitlock (right hip inflammation) will not be ready to return from the 15-day injured list when the Red Sox play in Toronto on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
WooSox manager Chad Tracy explained Seabold’s brief outing Friday.
“I just was told that he’s an option and they might need a starter and I was just told to limit him to one inning,” Tracy said, per MassLive.com’s Katie Morrison. “So for now, that’s what we know. So we’ll see what happens.”
The Red Sox have not yet named a starter for Monday. They could start Michael Wacha on regular rest, then use Seabold on Tuesday.
But it seems likely Boston will start Seabold on Monday and give Wacha an extra day.
Seabold is vaccinated from COVID-19 and so he would be allowed to enter Canada.
Boston acquired Seabold with Nick Pivetta from the Phillies for Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree in August 2020.
He is 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 51 strikeouts and 14 walks in 11 starts (51 ⅔ innings) for Triple-A Worcester. He has allowed just one homer and eight extra-base hits total. Opponents are batting .197 against him.
Seabold throws a fastball, slider, changeup and occasional curveball.
His fastball typically is in the 91-94 mph range and sits 92-93 mph. He also has thrown his slider harder this year. His slider was in the 81-83 mph range in previous seasons. He has thrown it up to 85-86 mph this season.
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