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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2020 3:27:59 GMT -5
Braves @ Red Sox Monday, 31 August 2020 730pm @ Fenway
Max Fried 5-0/ 1.35 Tied for the MLB lead in ERA and his 24.8 % hard hit rate ranks first. Has allowed less than 2 runs in each of his 6 starts.
Brewer 0-2/ 4.57 Making his 4th start of the season. Fired 4 shut out innings vs the Orioles.
Red Sox, Braves look to keep scoreboard busy FLM
If Sunday's offensive explosions are any indication, the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves should be swinging for the fences on Monday night at Fenway Park.
Both teams put up crooked numbers over the weekend against the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies, respectively, gearing up for another anticipated slugfest.
The Braves used a 10-run second inning in their 12-10 win over the Phillies. Austin Riley homered and had three RBIs while Nick Markakis and Marcell Ozuna each had three hits and two RBIs.
Atlanta manager Brian Snitker breathed a sigh of relief after his team held on to the lead in Philadelphia.
"You're never safe in this ballpark," Snitker said afterward. "You don't feel comfortable ever with any lead."
Winners of six of their last 10 games, the Red Sox are fresh off a 9-5 victory over the Nationals on Sunday at Fenway Park. The Red Sox feasted off Washington pitching with 15 hits, including four home runs.
Third baseman Rafael Devers led the hit parade going 4-for-4 with two homers and three RBI. He's been on fire at Fenway as of late, going a combined 11-for-21 in his last five games, including three doubles, three homers and eight RBI.
"I'm hoping this gets him going," Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke told reporters. "(Rafael brought) an energy and was smiling. He just seemed to be really happy today, not just on those hits, but from the beginning of the game. Hopefully, we continue this, and we can get him in a stretch where he's really raking."
All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts fanned the flames by going 6-for-11 in the three-game series with two homers and five RBI.
Rookie first baseman Bobby Dalbec also had two hits, including a two-run home run in his major league debut.
"That's pretty fun to see," Roenicke said. "First game in the big leagues and hitting a homer, pretty cool. I thought it was a great day for him."
Boston may need the added bat, after losing J.D. Martinez late in the contest. The Red Sox slugger is listed as day-to-day for Monday, after getting hit by a pitch from Nationals reliever Daniel Hudson.
"They took X-rays on it and he's fine," Roenicke said. "It will just be day-to-day to see how much pain he has. It got him right on the bone in the back of the hand. I'm sure that spots going to be pretty sore."
Red Sox right-hander Colten Brewer will be on the mound for Boston on Monday. The 6-foot-4, 222-pound hurler is 0-2 with a 4.57 ERA, walking 12 and fanning 21 in 21 2/3 innings this season. Monday will mark his first career appearance against Atlanta.
Although the starting pitching has battled injuries and inconsistency, the Boston bullpen has held up well and hasn't allowed a run over its last 12 innings.
Atlanta will counter with National League ERA leader Max Fried.
The left-hander is 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA that is tied for the best in baseball and is holding opponents to a .190 batting average. He also has a 0.95 WHIP.
Fried has allowed just 26 hits in 40 innings over seven starts. He beat the New York Yankees in his last turn when he gave up one run and four hits over six innings on Wednesday.
The Braves have been swinging the bat well. They chased Phillies starter Jake Arrieta after 1 1/3 innings on Sunday night. Riley homered and doubled in the big 10-run inning.
Outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was removed from Sunday's action as a precaution after experiencing some hamstring issues in the second inning.
"If you push that, something bad is going to happen," Snitker said of Acuna. "We'll just see how he is tomorrow."
Ozuna has five homers and 15 RBIs over his past 15 games. Shortstop Dansby Swanson, who homered Sunday, is 22-for-61 (.361) with three homers and 15 runs scored over his last 15 contests.
--Field Level Media
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2020 3:30:57 GMT -5
SP Probables All games @ 730 Tuesday. Anderson 1-0/ 1.50 vs TBA
Wednesday Erlin 0-0/ 5.40 vs Perez 2-4/ 4.58
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2020 3:32:31 GMT -5
Braves at Red Sox Monday, at 7:30 PM EST Partly Cloudy According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 70° F with a 0% chance of precipitation and 7 MPH wind blowing right to left in Boston at 7:30 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2020 3:34:14 GMT -5
Braves manager Brian Snitker said on the ESPN broadcast Sunday that he expects Ronald Acuna (hamstring) to be in the lineup Monday.
Acuna was lifted from Sunday night's game against the Phillies before the bottom of the second inning due to tightness in his right hamstring, but the Braves were already up 10-0 at that point, and Snitker confirmed to ESPN that it was a precautionary measure. Atlanta will open a three-game set in Boston on Monday evening.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2020 3:52:56 GMT -5
Martin Perez might be skipped on his next turn through the rotation due to a blister on his left hand.
Perez is currently lined up to face the Braves at Fenway Park on Wednesday, but that seems likely to change. The blister opened up during his outing Friday versus the Nationals. The 29-year-old southpaw stands 2-4 on the season with a 4.58 ERA, 1.274 WHIP, and 24/15 K/BB ratio through seven starts covering 34 1/3 innings. Source: Julian McWilliams on Twitter
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2020 3:53:27 GMT -5
Julian McWilliams @byjulianmack · 11h Martinez is day-to-day, Roenicke said. It got him on the bone, so he imagines it's going to be pretty sore. But x-rays were negative.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2020 4:04:31 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 7h #RedSox bullpen the last two days:
11 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 7 BB, 13 K.
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Post by Kimmi on Aug 31, 2020 6:18:17 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 7h #RedSox bullpen the last two days:
11 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 7 BB, 13 K. Still too many walks, but the pen has been not bad recently.
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Post by Kimmi on Aug 31, 2020 6:20:54 GMT -5
The Braves have a nice looking team also. I have a feeling our offense will struggle tonight.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2020 6:45:22 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox rookie Bobby Dalbec’s home run offered a hopeful break from the rest of 2020 | Matt Vautour Today 6:00 AM
Meyer/Getty Images)Getty Images By Matt Vautour | mvautour@masslive.com
In a forgettable game in a forgettable season, the Red Sox got a memorable moment Sunday that provided a little hope.
On an 0-2 pitch in the third inning, in the second at-bat of his Major League career, Bobby Dalbec hit a home run. Stats will record it as a 373-foot shot that raced out of Fenway at 101.6 miles per hour. Anyone watching it will recall the 25-year-old getting full barrel on a fastball that caught way too much plate and ripping a deep shot that clanked into the sea of red empty seats in right field.
Most people weren’t watching. A perfect late summer Sunday afternoon would have made for a great day to be at Fenway Park to see the last two World Series champs square off if that sort of thing was allowed right now. But in this COVID world, that weather offered plenty of outdoor options more appealing than watching two sub .500 teams playing out the string on TV. Even Boston fans did have their televisions were likely watching the Celtics dismantle another defending champion in a game that did matter.
But anyone who was tuned in saw Dalbec live the dream of every Little Leaguer.
“I felt pretty weightless out there,” he said about circling the bases just hours after getting called up. “It was very surreal. Everything happened so fast.”
Somewhere in front of TVs in his native Seattle and Tucson, Arizona where he starred for the Wildcats people were cheering for the guy they knew way back when. Baseball repeats versions of this story, every year and it never gets tired.
It’s why Boston fans remember first career hits by Creighton Gubanich, Sam Horn and Daniel Nava. But for this team in this dreary season in this dreary year, the moment meant just a little more.
In the slog that is reality in 2020, Dalbec is a sneak peak at the future. Anything that fast forwards us ahead to the future is welcomed right now. Dalbec figures to be playing baseball at Fenway Park when the roar of the crowd – real noise made by real people - will rise along with the ball on a shot like he hit Sunday. He’ll be there when people are boxing each other out to grab one of his home run balls. And if Sunday’s power was any indication, he’ll be there when the Red Sox have a chance to be good again.
Maybe he’ll be Sam Horn or Wily Mo Peña, a player with prodigious Minor League power who won’t do much with it once Major League pitchers get a book on him. But today he’s a kid whose dream came true.
Right now that’s a win.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2020 9:18:11 GMT -5
OverTheMonster @overthemonster · 58m Excited for the "luxury tax penalties reset" banner dropping at Fenway tonight. This is why we watch day in and day out. #ILiveForThis
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2020 11:07:45 GMT -5
Red Sox vs. Braves Series Preview
A look at this week’s three-game set against the Braves By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Aug 31, 2020, 12:01pm EDT
The opponent in one sentence
The Braves are looking for their second straight NL East title and are currently sitting in first place in their division on the backs of a potent offense. Record
19-14 Head-to-head record
0-0 Trend
Neutral. The Braves are sort of treading water of late, which is basically all they need to do in a division with a lot of teams that can’t seem to get any momentum going. They are coming off a victory on Sunday in a wild game against the Phillies to avoid a sweep. Overall, they are 6-4 in their last ten. Pitching Matchups
8/31: Colten Brewer vs. Max Fried, 7:30 PM ET
Brewer has somewhat improbably become an important member of this Red Sox pitching staff, bouncing between the rotation and bullpen. For this series opener on Monday the righty is set his third straight start and his fourth over his last five appearances. After looking very good against the Orioles a couple of starts ago, Brewer struggled his last time out. The righty allowed four runs to the Blue Jays over 3 2⁄3 innings including three homers. This is a very good Braves lineup he’s facing, so he’ll have to keep the ball in the yard to have any chance at success.
Fried has emerged as the best pitcher in a Braves rotation that has been hit hard with injury, putting together a very impressive 2020. His strikeout rate is down a bit this year, but he’s controlling the strike zone and keeping the ball on the ground, leading the righty to a 1.35 ERA on the year. Part of that is due to the fact that he has yet to allow a home run this year, which can’t continue by the laws of nature, but his ground ball rate and general approach does lend itself to a low home run rate. Fried has yet to allow more than two runs in any of his seven outings so far this season, and he only allowed that many in his first start of the year. Over the last six, he’s allowed one or zero runs in every outing. The righty will throw a fastball that sits in the 92-95 mph range along with a slider and a curveball. Boston Red Sox v Toronto Blue Jays Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images
9/1: TBD vs. Ian Anderson, 7:30 PM ET
The Red Sox have not announced a starter on their website for the Tuesday night game yet, which is a bit interesting. This had been Kyle Hart’s spot in the rotation, but the rookie has continued to struggle in all of his chances. There’s no official word that they are ready to pull the plug on him this year right now, but it seems they’re at least considering it. My guess is he’ll get this start just because the team has a doubleheader on Friday so they already need a spot starter, but keep an eye on this one. Maybe this is when we’ll see Nick Pivetta or Tanner Houck for the first time this year.
Anderson is a long-time top 100 prospect (he was a consensus top 100 name for four years in a row) who just made his major-league debut the last turn through the rotation. The big righty did well in that start, too, throwing six innings of one-run ball with one hit (a home run), two walks and six strikeouts against the Yankees. Anderson’s profile was pretty clear throughout his time in the minors, carrying with him big stuff that can miss a lot of bats but also issues with control. The Red Sox should try to be patient in this one and make the rookie come to them before they start swinging. Anderson offers a mid-90s fastball along with a changeup and a curveball.
9/2: Martín Pérez vs. Robbie Erlin, 7:30 PM ET
Pérez had been one of the rare success stories on the Red Sox pitching staff heading into his last start, and was setting himself up to be a potential trade chip for this team at the deadline. Then, he made his last start against the Nationals and that narrative started to flip. The lefty was absolutely shelled on Friday, giving up six runs on eight hits over just three innings of work. He needs batted ball luck to have success, which makes any of his starts a coin flip. This one would seemingly be no different.
The Braves have been scrambling for pitching help for most of this season, and Erlin was a waiver wire pickup from earlier this month. The former Padre has made four appearances (three starts) for Atlanta this year, and has struggled to the tune of a 6.14 ERA. His strikeout and walk numbers don’t look too bad, but he’s allowed six homers in just 14 2⁄3 innings. If he can keep the ball in the yard against the Red Sox it may be a frustrating night, but with the way Boston ended the series against the Nationals there are some signs this lineup is ready to heat up. Erlin will feature a high-80s fastball along with a curveball and a changeup. Old Friends
Mark Melancon came to the Red Sox back before the 2012 season in the deal that sent Jed Lowrie to Houston. Melancon spent one very disappointing season in Boston and will now be remembered as the main player traded away in the deal that brought Brock Holt to the Red Sox. Notable Position Players
Ronald Acuña is not only the face of the Braves but one of the young faces of the next generation of MLB superstars. A true five-tool player, Acuña burst onto the scene with a huge rookie year in 2019 and has continued to show off his big power in 2020. However, he left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury and his status for this series as of this writing is still unclear.
Freddie Freeman is somehow underrated despite being one of the very best hitters in baseball year after year. To put it simply, he’s just very good at everything, and this year is no different as he hits for big power while walking more than he strikes out.
Marcell Ozuna was the big addition to the lineup over the offseason and it’s a move that has paid off thus far as Ozuna’s power and on-base skills have made him a major threat in the middle of this lineup.
Dansby Swanson has stepped up at the top of the lineup in the absence of Ozzie Albies as the former number one overall pick has worked around rough strikeout and walk numbers to just hit the ball hard en route to a 122 wRC+.
Travis d’Arnaud is having a very similar season as Swanson as the primary catcher for this Braves team.
Nick Markakis had originally opted out of this season but decided to come back in the middle of the year and has raked to a 157 wRC+ in his 17 games so far this year.
Adam Duvall is a lefty-masher who has been playing an everyday role and has struggled with an 85 wRC+ this season.
Austin Riley is a prospect with big power, but his strikeout rate has held him back early in his career.
Johan Camargo has been Atlanta’s worst player this year with a 59 wRC+ thanks to a big strikeout rate to go with a low BABIP. Bullpen Snapshot
Melancon serves as the Braves closer but is very out of place in that role relative to expectations from modern closers. He hardly strikes anyone out (just four per nine innings so far this year) and instead relies on grounders and weak contact to finish out victories.
Shane Greene and Chris Martin are the two late-inning righties this team leans on, and the former is another low-strikeout, contact-oriented pitcher while the latter misses a few more bats but still relies on control over stuff.
Will Smith was a big signing this winter and is their top lefty, but he’s struggled mightily to start this season. Injuries
Ozzie Albies has missed most of the season with a wrist injury. He’s nearing a return, but it won’t be in time for this series.
Mike Soroka came into the season as the Braves ace, but he tore his Achilles early in the year and will miss the rest of the year.
Cole Hamels has missed the whole season with a triceps injury and it looks like he may not be able to return at all in 2020.
Jeremy Walker has been out all year with a shoulder injury and will likely miss the whole season.
Jacob Webb has also been out all year with a shoulder injury, and it’s still unclear if he’ll make it back at some point in September.
Phillip Pfeifer has misssed the whole season with an elbow injury and likely won’t pitch in 2020. Weather Forecast
Right now it looks like they should get all of these games in without any issue.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2020 11:57:24 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes @soxnotes 15m Yesterday was the 3rd time Rafael Devers had 4 hits and 2 HR in a game. The only players with 3 such games before turning 24 years old are: Mel Ott (3; 1929-32) Al Kaline (3; 1955-57) Rafael Devers (3; 2018-20) Carlos Correa (3; 2016-17)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2020 13:38:06 GMT -5
Line ups could be a little delayed today....as well as the usual pressers for both teams....as there is trade buzz for both teams....
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 31, 2020 15:56:03 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne 18m An hour or so after the Pillar trade, Peraza is getting extra work in front of the Monster. Figure Verdugo will be playing right from now on.
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