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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2022 3:11:16 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 7h The big question with Crawford... it's always a ton of sweet spot contact. It's easy when it's into outfielder's gloves, it's rough on the nights it's over their heads. Driving range tonight.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2022 3:19:40 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Orioles Saturday, 20th August 2022 4pm @ OPACY
Wacha 7-1/2.44
Bradish 1-4/6.38
Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 4:05pm EDT Written by Mark Ruelle
The Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles continue their crucial three-game series in Baltimore on Saturday. The two teams have flipped positions in the AL East standings in recent weeks and the Orioles now find themselves out in front of Boston with just over sixty games left in the season. Both teams still have a legitimate shot at one of the three wildcard spots in the American League. On the mound on Saturday afternoon will be veteran right-hander Michael Wacha (7-1, 2.44) of the Red Sox taking on fellow righty Kyle Bradish (1-4, 6,38). First pitch is scheduled for 4:05pm EST.
Still Breathing The message the Red Sox brass sent out at the trade deadline was much like the team's season: inconsistent. While the team added Reds outfielder Tommy Pham and Padres' first baseman Eric Hosmer, starting catcher Christian Vasquez was dealt and the team didn't add any much-needed pitching. The Red Sox have played inconsistent baseball all season long as they've dealt with a variety of injuries, particularly to their pitching staff. Now, with the returns of Kike Hernandez to their lineup and pitchers Michael Wacha, Rich Hill and Nathan Eovaldi back to the starting rotation, the Red Sox have picked up their play recently. The Sox head into this matchup with Baltimore winners of two straight series. On Friday night, in the series opener against the O's, the Sox bats were ready but the team's pitching was not. Starter Kutter Crawford gave up 11 hits and 9 runs in just 3.2 innings and the Sox bullpen was not much better as the team allowed 18 hits and 15 runs in a 15-10 loss.
Since the all-star break, the Red Sox have gone just 11-15 heading into Friday night's game. Since the August 3rd trade deadline, the team has gone just 6-8. Still, Boston finds itself within striking distance of the third and final wildcard spot. With the return of Kike Hernandez, the insertion of Tommy Pham at the top of the order, and Eric Hosmer holding down first base, the Red Sox may finally have the type of lineup that can score more consistently and the type of outfield that can take hits away from the opposition. On the mound on Saturday will be one of the Sox newly returning pitchers, Michael Wacha. Wacha has had an outstanding first season for the Sox and bounced back from arm fatigue in his last start to dominate the Yankees. Wacha went seven innings, allowed just two hits, no runs and struck out a season-high nine batters. Wacha has yet to face the Orioles this season.
O's Need Offense The Orioles have been one of the 'feel good' stories of major league baseball this season. Picked to finish in last place yet again in the AL East Division and coming off a season in which the team won just 52 games, Baltimore finds itself with 61 wins already and with a shot at making the American League playoffs for the first time since 2016. On Friday night against long-term rival Boston, the Orioles pounded out 18 hits and five home runs in a 15-10 win that inched the Birds one game closer to third place Tampa Bay. The O's are now just a game and a half in back of Tampa Bay in the AL East standings with the win.
The Orioles have quietly been one of the best teams in baseball, record-wise, since the middle of May. In fact, since May 17th, the Orioles have the best winning percentage in the American League East. The Orioles have done this without a dominant starting rotation, without a hitter having a career year and despite trading away their closer and starting DH in recent weeks. On the mound on Saturday afternoon, trying to keep the O's ahead of the Red Sox, will be Kyle Bradish. Bradish is 0-0 in his last five starts with an ERA of 5.55. He has given up 30 hits in 24.1 innings of work while striking out 24 and walking 10 batters. Bradish is 0-1 in two starts against Boston this season with an ERA of 9.39. He has allowed 11 hits in 7.1 innings of work vs. Boston this season.
Red Sox at Orioles Saturday, at 4:05 PM EST Clear According to Forecast.io, it's expected to be 87° F with a 0% chance of precipitation and 8 MPH wind blowing right to left in Baltimore at 4:05 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com Forecast.io
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2022 6:20:01 GMT -5
Red Sox's Michael Wacha seeks to quiet Orioles' bats FLM Baseball historians will find plenty of reasons for the collapse of the Boston Red Sox this season.
The loss of Michael Wacha for two months might be at the top of the list.
Wacha will get another chance to show how valuable he is to the Red Sox when he takes the mound at Baltimore on Saturday. The Orioles won the series opener in a shootout Friday night, 15-10.
Wacha (7-1, 2.44 ERA) returned Sunday from his long stint on the injured list caused by right-shoulder inflammation and immediately was in top form. He threw seven shutout innings in a 3-0 win against the New York Yankees, giving up two hits and one walk while striking out nine.
"You look up and you see his numbers, he was really good for us early on," Boston manager Alex Cora said. "He was one of the reasons we were playing good baseball. To have him back means a lot."
The Red Sox were a season-high 11 games over .500 on June 26.
Two days later, Wacha took the mound against the Toronto Blue Jays and was tagged for three runs in a 6-5 loss.
He was scratched from his next start on July 4 because of shoulder tightness and, shortly afterward, the spiral began for the Red Sox.
They went 3-10 the final two weeks before the All-Star break and 2-7 coming out, leaving them hovering around .500 ever since.
When Wacha pitched on Sunday, the Red Sox were three games under .500. They won that game and two of three the ensuing three against the host Pittsburgh Pirates to begin this week before the pitching experienced another setback in the opener at Baltimore.
Wacha kept his teammates in the game in his Sunday outing by throwing strikes and working fast in the 2-hour, 15-minute contest.
"Yeah, I feel like I work better that way," Wacha said. "I feel like my successful outings are getting back on the mound and on the attack mode.
"(The Yankees) came out swinging early, and I was making quality pitches, and they turned into quick outs, and I was able to go deeper into the game."
Wacha is 0-1 with a 6.17 ERA in six career starts against the Orioles. He will be opposed on Saturday by Kyle Bradish (1-4, 6.38).
Bradish made his major league debut against the Red Sox on April 29 and took a 3-1 defeat in Baltimore. The right-hander allowed three runs (two earned) in six innings. He faced the Red Sox again on May 27 and was pounded for six runs on six hits in 1 2/3 innings.
Bradish most recently worked 4 2/3 innings on Monday in the Orioles' 7-3 win over the Blue Jays, allowing three runs and six hits.
He was one out away from departing with a four-run lead and being eligible for the win, but he was lifted after allowing a two-out single to Bo Bichette in the fifth.
In the start before that, he pitched 5 1/3 innings and left with a 3-1 lead over Toronto, but the bullpen blew the advantage before the Orioles rallied to win 6-5.
The Orioles have won in each of his past four starts, but Bradish did not receive the decision in any of them.
Baltimore recalled outfielder Kyle Stowers from Triple-A Norfolk on Friday, and he went 2-for-5 with a run in his first major league action since June.
"We feel like he's ready to go," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said.
Stowers was one of seven Baltimore batters who collected at least two hits in the series opener. Anthony Santander led the way with a homer, a double, a single and four RBIs. Jorge Mateo, Adley Rutschman (three hits), Ryan Mountcastle and Ramon Urias also homered for the Orioles.
The Red Sox lost despite outhitting Baltimore 19-18. Alex Verdugo, Christian Arroyo and Rob Refsnyder each had three hits.
--Field Level Media
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2022 9:09:16 GMT -5
This isn't working out as planned for Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox
By Rob Bradford WEEI 93.7 an hour ago
The one thing that hasn't changed is that Xander Bogaerts should remain a Red Sox beyond 2022. What that looks like for the player and the team ... well, that has gotten a bit complicated.
The frustration that has been the 2022 season came to a boil for both Bogaerts and the Red Sox Friday night. The shortstop was thrown out of a game for just the second time in his career, arguing a strike call in the fourth inning. And as for the team, well, they ended up dropping a 15-10 decision to the Orioles to remain five games out of a Wild Card spot.
'Who would have known a pitch call would make me like that?” Bogaerts told reporters. “Yeah, I have not been very pleased with the way I’ve been playing. It’s definitely frustrating when you hold yourself to a high standard and you feel like you’re not helping out. It’s very rough."
Bogaerts added, "It’s a lot of frustration with the way I'm playing and not being able to help to the capacity I know I'm capable of. I just kind of lost it there for a minute and it felt pretty OK just letting everything out. Sometimes, you feel like you have a lot of stuff bottled up and I'm not the guy to come in and throw my helmet down or hit my bat and break it against the bat rack, stuff like that.
“I wasn’t expecting to do this tonight, but I actually feel better. I’m sorry it was on the umpire, I'm sorry it was to him. I let my team down coming out of the game but with all I’m going through, it felt good afterwards.”
On the surface, Bogaerts' struggles would seem to be leading toward a Red Sox front office-friendly path for the shortstop to remain in Boston. This player - the one who has turned in a good-but-not-great .303 batting average .815 OPS and nine home runs - might not be worth valued more than the $20 million-a-season he is slated to receive the next three years if that opt-out after this year isn't executed.
But it's fair to ask how much of this is cause and effect.
Bogaerts has given off a looking-over-the-shoulder vibe since spring training, clearly taken aback by the organization's tepid overtures to keeping him past the already committed tenure.
And then - seemingly sealing the deal when it came to defining what had become a somewhat awkward existence in what should be the meat and potatoes of his career - came the trade of Christian Vazquez.
No matter what kind of numbers Reese McGuire put up, or how Vazquez produced for the Astros, this was perceived as a dagger for Bogaerts.
Since leaving the early-August chaos in Houston, Bogaerts has three extra-base hits (all doubles) while turning in an OPS of .578. During that stretch, the Red Sox are also just 5-8 in games he has played in.
The pile of frustration that Bogaerts speaks of is all of this, along with injuries he has played through and many more losses than he certainly expected.
Would this version of Bogaerts be in play if the Red Sox showed just a little more love to their captain instead of digging in on market value? It's impossible to tell. But does seem like it is a good time for a reset for both the player and the team.
The Red Sox have to find the rudder to what is looking more and more like a rudderless future, and Bogaerts would seem to fit that bill. It would behoove Chaim Bloom and Co. to swoop in when this shortstop is feeling as low as he has in some time and sweeten the pot, even just a little.
Why? That doesn't make business sense. Well, sometimes you have to read the room. And right now there are a lot of inhabitants feeling like the rent is running out.
It's not just Bogaerts. The underperformance (J.D. Martinez) and injuries (Nathan Eovaldi) to players who were supposed to define their future one way or another has gotten complicated. And then there is the continued lingering uncertainty of the roster's be-all, end-all, Rafael Devers.
This Red Sox team continues to try and put its best foot forward, clinging to the notion that a late-season run will pave the way to the postseason. But, as Friday night at Camden Yards showed, that foot has looked increasingly uglier thanks to the here and now, along with the cloudiness of what awaits.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2022 13:37:07 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 3h Since the trade deadline Plawecki, Bogaerts, Martinez, and Devers have been the Red Sox 4 worst hitters, going a combined .176/.239/.285, with 8% walks, 20% strikeouts, and a .201 BABIP.
Their expected stats are just .221/.276/.350, so it's been dismal contact. What can you do?
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2022 13:48:33 GMT -5
Game 121: Red Sox at Orioles lineups and notesBy Amin Touri Globe Staff,Updated August 20, 2022, 10:55 a.m. Crunch time is approaching for the Red Sox, with playoff chances dwindling and fewer and fewer chances to make a dent in their wild-card deficit; they’ll need to recover from Friday night’s hit parade at the hands of the Orioles to get back on track Saturday. R Boston has the right man on the mound for the task, with Michael Wacha continuing a strong first season with the Sox. The 30-year-old picked up right where left off after a six-week stint on the injured list, tossing seven shutout innings in his return against the Yankees last Sunday. The Sox bats will try and get after righthander Kyle Bradish, as they did back on May 27; the rookie surrendered six earned runs in just 1 ⅔ innings in a disastrous Fenway debut that day. Bradish has been solid since his own midsummer IL stint, however, allowing three earned runs or fewer in all four starts after returning on July 29 from shoulder inflammation. Tommy Pham will not be in the Sox lineup Saturday because of a back issue, the outfielder told the Globe’s Julian McWilliams. Lineups
RED SOX (59-61): Arroyo 2B, Verdugo LF, Bogaerts SS, Devers 3B, Martinez DH, Hosmer 1B, Hernández CF, Duran RF, Plawecki CPitching: RHP Michael Wacha (7-1, 2.44 ERA) ORIOLES (62-57): Hays LF, Rutschman C, Santander RF, Mountcastle 1B, Urias 2B, Mateo SS, McKenna CF, Nevin 3B, Chirinos CPitching: RHP Kyle Bradish (1-4, 6.38 ERA) Time: 4:05 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Bradish: Arroyo 1-2, Bogaerts 1-3, Devers 3-5, Hernández 2-5, Martinez 0-0, Pham 0-2, Verdugo 2-5 Orioles vs. Wacha: Chirinos 1-2, Hays 3-5, Martin 2-2, Mateo 1-4, Mountcastle 3-8, Mullins 5-11, Odor 2-9, Santander 2-8, Urías 1-4 Stat of the day: Michael Wacha has given up two earned runs or fewer in 11 of his 14 starts this season. Notes: The Red Sox were a season-high 11 games over .500 on June 26, two days before Wacha’s last start prior to his IL stint ... Wacha will have to overcome his struggles against the Orioles, who have torched the righthander for 16 earned runs over the 23 ⅓ innings he’s has logged against Baltimore ... Bradish made his major league debut against the Red Sox on April 29 and took a 3-1 defeat in Baltimore despite giving up only two earned runs in six innings of work ... Seven Baltimore batters who collected at least two hits in the series opener. The Red Sox lost despite outhitting Baltimore 19-18 ... Boston enters the day five games back of the Rays for the final wild-card spot. Song of the Day- World Party- Ship of Foolswww.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHh0V7UjVXI
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2022 14:12:51 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 12m Red Sox's Christian Arroyo stroked three more hits Friday. He’s 26-for-68 (.382 batting average) with a .417 on-base percentage, .529 slugging percentage, .946 OPS and seven extra-base hits in 18 games since returning from the IL.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2022 15:01:46 GMT -5
wonderful the MASN feed don't have to listen to the NESN clowns
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Aug 20, 2022 16:07:34 GMT -5
Wonder if Eck and the other clowns in the NESN booth will be trashing the Orioles this weekend? Peter Gammons @pgammo ·
Red Sox TV laughed @pirates . According to BB Reference Wins Above Ave. by Position. each team has 2 position above ave.-Bos. 3B, SS, Pitts. CF. 3B IMO, in my lifetime as a RS fan, that was one of the most embarrassing moments I've ever experienced. 1-Coming from nominally the RS side, we have no right trash-talking anyone. 2-Eck was factually incorrect. PT has a program. They're playing kids. I don't think they should've promoted him yet, but Oneil Cruz is highly rated. I would trade Devers for Hayes right now. Reynolds is an AS. Suwinski looks like a regular. It's way too early, but I think Marcano is as well. Contreras is a better rookie pitcher than our guys. 3-Past that, it's just plain old-fashioned bullying. Everyone knows PT is rebuilding. There is no reason for someone from the $230M side of the tracks to denigrate the small market side of the tracks.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Aug 20, 2022 16:09:12 GMT -5
I think it has been over for a long while but lose this series? We needed to sweep PT. We're technically not out of it, but we need to seize 100% of our opportunities.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Aug 20, 2022 16:15:50 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 7h Quite a few things coming together here -- #RedSox floundering in the Wild Card race, have already blown two leads tonight and Xander Bogaerts has scuffled throughout the second half.
Missed call lit the match. Fireworks ensued. He hasn't hit in 2 months, with a .699 since 6/18. This is either the 4th or 5th writer to notice, and all within 2-3 days of each other. I guess plagiarizing is not much of an issue for these guys either. How is it that these guys can watch the team every night and NOT SEE the problems.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Aug 20, 2022 16:25:25 GMT -5
This isn't working out as planned for Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox
By Rob Bradford WEEI 93.7 an hour ago Since leaving the early-August chaos in Houston, Bogaerts has three extra-base hits (all doubles) while turning in an OPS of .578. During that stretch, the Red Sox are also just 5-8 in games he has played in. Okay, it looks like all the writers have noticed that Bogaerts isn't hitting, but they still don't acknowledge how long this has been going on. It's two months. It is not since the ASG as one writer suggested. It is not since the early-August as Bradford implies. Past that, the free agency things has gone off the rails. I had suggested that they RS offer Bogaerts the Story+ contract. But now, I'm not sure that even that makes sense. He's not a SS anymore. If he winds up with 12 HRs and a .290, he's barely an adequate 3B. There is a ton of projection and possible regression involved, but I'm not sure he is even signable any more.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2022 16:35:13 GMT -5
pitching duel so far Dugo just got an rib eye bringing plawecki in 1-0 Red Sox in the 5th
Wacha has been good
expect the bullpen to implode again
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2022 16:38:22 GMT -5
Devers swinging thru a pitch he usually clobbers end the inning think he is playing hurt.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 20, 2022 16:41:56 GMT -5
Dalbec now at 1b not sure why matters not Hosmer has like 3 hits since getting here.
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