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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2023 15:07:38 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 2m If this game were a Ben Affleck movie it would be "The Sum of All Fears."
What a wreck.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2023 16:13:41 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 25m Devers just struck out on an automatic strike for not being attentive to the pitcher.
Sox announce a crowd of 36,049, a sellout. A lot of them aren't here now.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2023 16:16:51 GMT -5
I see that 2nd in command of the Gas Can Gang, Ort made an appearance today and like Brasier was dreadful.
Sox down 10-7 bottom 9[/font]
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2023 16:26:33 GMT -5
Duvall strikes out to end the game
dear jesus it is gonna be a long year
Orioles 10 Red Sox 9
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2023 18:26:45 GMT -5
Red Sox’s ninth inning comeback attempt falls short in 10-9 loss to Orioles
Published: Mar. 30, 2023, 5:24 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — “Man, I just want to win on Opening Day,” manager Alex Cora said pregame Thursday. “I’m 0-for-4.”
Cora remains winless on Opening Day as a major league manager, dropping to 0-5. Red Sox pitchers combined for nine walks in a 10-7 Opening Day loss the Orioles on Thursday at Fenway Park.
The nine walks by Boston pitchers tied an Opening Day franchise record. It also happened in 1966 vs. the Orioles and 1926 vs. the Yankees.
Red Sox starter Corey Kluber lasted just 3 ⅓ innings, allowing five runs, all earned, six hits and four walks while striking out four. He gave up home runs to Adley Rutschman and Ramón Urías.
Red Sox attempt comeback
The Red Sox entered the ninth down 10-7.
Raimel Tapia drew a leadoff walk pinch hitting for Kiké Hernández. Alex Verdugo followed with a single. An error allowed both runners to get into scoring position.
Justin Turner’s infield single to third scored Tapia to cut it to 10-8.
Masataka Yoshida grounded to shortstop. It should have been a game-ending double play but an errant throw allowed Verdugo to score, making it 10-9.
Adam Duvall struck out with the tying run at second to end it.
Kluber, bullpen struggles
Kluber walked more than two batters in just one outing last year. Thursday marked the 12th time he has walked four or more batters in a game. His career high is five walks April 14, 2019 against the Royals.
Zack Kelly allowed two inherited runners left on base by Kluber to score in the fourth on a wild pitch and bases loaded walk.
Ryan Brasier allowed three runs on two hits and two walks in an ugly fifth inning that put Boston behind 8-2. There were four stolen bases in the inning.
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Yoshida records first MLB hit
Masataka Yoshida, who the Red Sox signed for five years, $90 million out of Japan, hit an RBI single (97.9 mph) to center field in the sixth for his first major league hit.
He added a 100.5 mph single in Boston’s three-run eighth inning.
Devers strikes out on clock violation
Rafael Devers struck out for the first out of the eighth inning on a pitch clock violation.
Casas drives in two
Triston Casas drove in runs on a groundout to first base and a sacrifice fly to center field.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2023 18:28:40 GMT -5
How Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen showed he’s a leader after bad Opening Day for bullpen
Published: Mar. 30, 2023, 6:54 p.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON -- It may be the first day of the season, but it’s already becoming apparent that Kenley Jansen has emerged as one of the leaders in the Red Sox’ clubhouse.
Jansen didn’t pitch in Boston’s 10-9 Opening Day loss to the Orioles on Thursday. He was not one of the 10 Sox pitchers who combined to walk eight batters. But he was paying close attention as a group of younger relievers struggled mightily to start their seasons.
By the time the clubhouse opened to reporters after the game, Jansen was kneeling at the locker of Zack Kelly, who was sitting in his chair looking somewhat dejected after issuing two walks and a wild pitch that led to two unearned runs in the loss. Jansen, who has 391 career big league saves, had gone out of his way to seek out Kelly, who made just his 14th major league appearance Thursday. The conversation was partly focused on adjustments Kelly might make on the mound and partly about cheering up a teammate after a bad outing. The moment meant something to the 28-year-old Kelly, who had never met Jansen before the start of spring training.
“I think it just speaks to his character, speaks to the kind of guy is and how he has been here a month and he’s a leader, Kelly said. “Regardless of what he has accomplished... situations like this. The way he talks to guys, the way he goes about his stuff. He’s the leader in the bullpen for sure.”
Kelly, who made the Opening Day roster for the first time in his career, was the first reliever called upon when a wild Corey Kluber failed to complete four innings. Kelly inherited the bases loaded with one out, then issued a wild pitch that put the O’s up, 4-1. Two more walks led to another Orioles run before Kelly struck out Rookie of the Year favorite Gunnar Henderson to end the threat.
Kelly, like Kluber and fellow reliever Ryan Brasier, did not have his command on a frigid day at Fenway.
“The changeup just wasn’t there today and I waited too long to go to the fastball. Fastball felt really good,” Kelly said. “I was able to pound the zone for the most part with the fastball and get some swing and misses and get out of it after a couple walks. I’ve just got to make that switch sooner.”
From the bullpen, Jansen saw Kelly struggling and knew he wanted to talk to him after the game. As one of the most accomplished relievers in baseball, the 35-year-old thought he might be able to impart some wisdom on a less experienced teammate.
“I’m gonna be there on their side,” Jansen said. “I told them, don’t hesitate (to talk to me). We’re all gonna be down. I could be down one day. Don’t hesitate to come and talk. They are my guys and I have much love for them. I want all of us to do good, to help us win ballgames, and help them as young players to stay as long as they can in the league.
“He’s got really good stuff,” Jansen said. “I love watching him and what he can do. It’s just little minor stuff he’s going to tweak and he’s going to be really good.” Enter your email address here to receive the Fenway Rundown email newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday.
Kelly was entering his sophomore year in high school in Virginia when Jansen made his major league debut for the Dodgers in July 2010. For more than a decade, Kelly watched from afar as Jansen dominated the league, racking up three All-Star appearances. Having a front row seat to watch Jansen work throughout spring training made Kelly even more impressed by his new teammates.
“I had never met him and never really played with anyone that has played with him,” Kelly said. “But he’s good for a reason. He knows how to pitch. There’s no secret as to why he has been around so long.”
Opening Day didn’t go as planned for Kelly, but he still cherished the opportunity to learn from a star player who went out of his way to help him.
“The emotion of today, just being the my first Opening Day, obviously, I was really excited and really amped up. Maybe a little too amped up,” Kelly said. “For him to come over here and take the time to tell me what he saw from a different perspective, an outsider’s perspective, it’s really cool.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2023 18:33:59 GMT -5
Red Sox’ rallies fall just short as Orioles escape with the win on Opening Day By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated March 30, 2023, 2 hours ago
In a game that seemed lopsided, chaotic, and sloppy, the Red Sox showed fight but flaws in what was ultimately a 10-9 loss to the Orioles at Fenway Park Thursday.
For most of the game, it was a dark dawn for the Red Sox on Opening Day.
By the fourth inning, boos had already showered down on this new-look team, one seeking redemption after a fifth last-place finish in 11 years last season.
“Today’s Day 1,” manager Alex Cora said before the game. “We feel like we did a lot of stuff in spring training that is going to translate to the season.”
Yet this game was much of the same old Red Sox that had fans checked out once last September rolled around.
The Sox rallied with three runs in the eighth and two in the ninth, but the game ended when Adam Duvall struck out with the tying run on second.
In his Red Sox debut, Corey Kluber put together a forgettable outing, lasting just 3⅓ innings, allowing six hits, including two homers. He was touched for five runs and walked four batters. Kluber had one start last year in which he walked four. That also was in his first outing of the season, which happened to be against the Orioles.
Adley Rutchsman didn’t waste any time getting the Orioles on the board, parking a solo shot into the right-field stands in the first inning. The Red Sox appeared to have some life in the bottom of the frame when Alex Verdugo struck a leadoff triple off the Green Monster in left-center and scored on Rafael Devers’s ground out.
But the Orioles scored four in the fourth and three in the fifth.
What hurt the Sox most were walks. They issued eight through the first five innings and wound up with nine.
Kluber allowed a leadoff walk to Gunnar Henderson in the third. The next batter, Ramon Urias, banged a tape-measure two-run shot to left.
Later in the inning, Kluber walked the bases loaded, and that’s when the Sox hit the cellar.
Cora summoned Zack Kelly from the bullpen, and his outing went as such: wild pitch (run scored), walk, strikeout, walk (run scored), strikeout.
The bullpen door flung open for Ryan Brasier in the sixth. His outing, if you can follow: hit batsman, double play ball, walk, stolen base, RBI single, stolen base, wild pitch, walk, stolen base, RBI single, line out to center. That made it 8-2 for the Orioles.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 30, 2023 18:39:56 GMT -5
Not surprisingly, the Red Sox already are back in last place By Dan Shaughnessy Globe Staff,Updated March 30, 2023, 32 minutes ago
The 0-1 Red Sox are in last place.
Which is home for this once-great franchise. The Sox have finished in last place in five of the last 11 seasons — more than any other team in Major League Baseball.
The upstart Orioles beat the Boston wannabes, 10-9, Thursday at frozen Fenway — a train wreck of a baseball game (12 walks, 3 errors, 5 Oriole stolen bases, none of which drew a throw) in a non-tidy 3 hours and 10 minutes.
Ugh. This is not what Theo Epstein was aiming for when he helped create rules that hasten down the wind and speed up the game.
With the Sox trailing, 10-4, in the middle of the eighth inning, the Olde Towne Team came off the field on a freezing March afternoon and the public address system blared “Sweet Caroline.”
So good. So good. So good. The Orioles’ mound wildness and defensive sloppiness made it close in the final two frames, but the Sox were worthy losers, and frozen fans went home unhappy, probably emboldened with false hope.
This is what the Red Sox have become. For the first time in a long time, they are the fourth-most-popular team in our sports-crazed region, and they rely on past glory, an idiotic song, and pink-hat fans to bolster past days when they were a serious baseball organization spending money and trying to win championships for a loyal, long-suffering fan base.
Now they are a nerd-larded operation (33 folks in the analytics department) intent on not overspending, selling the illusion of contention in a watered-down playoff format that promotes “all are welcome” every October.
There was some nice nostalgia on First Thursday. Keeper of the Sox flame Peter Gammons was on hand as he has been every year since the late 1950s, and Joe Castiglione was in the booth for his 41st Sox home opener. WBZ legend Jonny Miller was here for his 65th consecutive Fenway opener.
Not present was legendary former Globe photographer Frank O’Brien, who died Wednesday night on his 82nd birthday. O’Brien photographed the 1967 Red Sox and was still shooting at the beginning of the century.
The new-and-improved Red Sox clubhouse has the vibe of a disco club from the 1970s. The room is bathed in red-tinted lighting that reminded me of the light shining into Cosmo Kramer’s digs after a Kenny Rogers Roasters opened across the street from his apartment. Think of it as Game On Meets Studio 54.
But then there was the game.
Not a party-starter.
Vaunted Sox manager Alex Cora elected to let Corey Kluber (did you know he won a Cy Young Award NINE years ago?) start the game instead of Chris Sale, the fragile $147 million ace who has won five games in three injury-plagued seasons since winning the contract lottery in 2019.
Kluber never cracked 90 miles per hour on the gun, walked four, and gave up five runs in 3⅓ innings. Then we got to see head-tilting Ryan Brasier (35 pitches, 16 strikes, 2 hits, 2 walks, 3 runs in one inning!) and Kaleb Ort (4 hits, 2 runs in two innings) in the middle of the first game of the 2023 season. Boston pitchers walked nine batters. Nice work, Chaim.
“All around, it wasn’t a great game,” confessed Cora. “We’ve got to be better.”
That would start by not starting your season with a 36-year-old (37 next month) once-great pitcher.
Seriously. Why did Sale not start this game? Because it was his birthday? Because the Sox didn’t want him to overextend in the bigly hyped opener?
Now Sale is on deck to pitch Saturday, which looks like a rain-soaked, delay-driven disaster that can only threaten a fragile erstwhile ace who is not suited for unexpected interruptions.
Where were the 33 analytics guys on this decision? Or Chaim Bloom? Is it not clear that Sale should have started Thursday instead of tsunami Saturday?
When I asked Cora about Sale’s status for a weather-risky Saturday start, the manager said, “If we have to make adjustments, we can.”
All that aside, how do the Sox adjust to a rule-change-induced, newly empowered running game that allowed the Orioles to steal five bags without drawing a single throw?
The good news is that Masataka Yoshida (2 for 4) looks like a player, Average Al Verdugo hit a double and a triple, and Rafael Devers and Justin Turner each had a couple of knocks.
But I can’t get my head around the fact that meatball artists Brasier and Ort were called upon in the fifth and sixth innings of the first game of the season. When you do this on Opening Day, you forfeit all illusion of contention.
Perhaps the most pathetic moment of the opener came during pregame introductions, when the Sox felt the need to oversell members of their staring lineup with résumé-bragging superlatives. When Devers was introduced, the PA guy reminded fans that Devers recently signed a long-term contract and will be here for the next 10 years.
Swell.
The oversell was a bad idea. All it did was remind everybody that the Sox elected not to pay the going rate for homegrown stars Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts.
You get the team you deserve.
This is your team.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 31, 2023 4:26:49 GMT -5
Walks come back to hurt Sox in comeback attempt March 30th, 2023 Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- Red Sox manager Alex Cora was in a good mood Thursday morning. Where was his optimism coming from, despite so many predictions of another last-place finish in the American League East?
"Because the season starts today, right? That’s the way it works,” Cora said. ”We’ve got work to do, but today's Day 1. We feel like we did a lot of stuff in Spring Training that is going to translate to the season.”
There are still 161 games left for the improvements to happen, but Opening Day was not pretty for the Red Sox. Actually, it was pretty wild -- this 10-9 loss to the Orioles included a furious comeback that fell just short.
In the first five innings alone, Boston pitchers issued eight walks, two wild pitches and a hit batter while allowing four stolen bases. On the day, there were nine walks, allowing the Sox to tie an ignominious team record for the most on Opening Day -- matching 1926 against the Yankees and ‘66 against the Orioles in a 13-inning game.
“We’ve got to do a better job,” said Cora. “All around, it wasn’t a great game. The score is what it is. We were one swing away from winning this, but overall there’s a lot of stuff that we saw today that we didn’t do in Spring Training, and we’ve got to be better.”
The Sox will have their next chance to be better on Saturday, when Chris Sale soaks in being able to make a start in April for the first time since 2019. But before getting to Sale, Boston played the type of game it is trying to stay away from.
One of Cora’s biggest hopes for the 2023 Red Sox is for the pitching staff to be a strike-throwing machine.
It is a big reason why they acquired veteran Corey Kluber, who got the nod on Opening Day. Though Kluber isn’t the elite stopper he once was, his control is typically pinpoint. But it wasn’t on Thursday.
The veteran righty lasted just 3 1/3 innings while allowing five runs on six hits and four walks on 80 pitches (48 strikes).
“Less than ideal, I guess,” said Kluber. “It didn’t turn out the way I would have hoped for, but it’s just one of hopefully many more. So we’ll work on making the next one better.”
While the four walks were unusual for the righty, it matched his total from Opening Day last season for the Rays. After that first start in 2022, Kluber didn’t walk more than two in his next 30 starts.
If it was just Kluber who took a walk on the wild side, the chances of a Boston comeback would have been greater.
But Zack Kelly walked two while getting just two batters out when he came on in the top of the fourth trying to get Kluber out of a jam. And Ryan Brasier’s fifth inning -- which included two walks, a hit batter, three stolen bases and three runs -- was a dagger.
“There’s no excuse for two walks and a hit by pitch, even if you give up no runs,” Brasier said. “It just can’t happen.”
Give the Red Sox credit for this though. Down 10-4 after seven innings, they swarmed back for three runs in the eighth and two in the ninth.
Masataka Yoshida, making his much-anticipated MLB debut, had his first two career hits, including an RBI single. And the left-handed hitter had a chance for a storybook ending when he came up in the ninth with two on and one out, a chance to be the walk-off hero in what would have been an Opening Day comeback for the ages. Yoshida hit one up the middle for what looked like a game-ending double play, but the Orioles gave Boston a reprieve when shortstop Jorge Mateo made a throwing error to first, allowing Alex Verdugo to score to make it a one-run game.
Then Adam Duvall, another new acquisition, had his chance to be the hero, but he went down on three nasty pitches by Orioles closer Felíx Bautista.
Ballgame.
If there was a bright spot to Opening Day, it’s that Boston’s revamped lineup looks like it will play.
“A lot of energy,” said Justin Turner, another vet making his Boston debut. “We played with good fight today. The guys kept taking punches and kept going, and [we] kept punching back and gave ourselves a chance to win a game in the ninth inning. I’m proud of what we did. We just fell a little short.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 31, 2023 4:28:19 GMT -5
Red Sox’s Rafael Devers blames himself for pitch clock strikeout mistake
Published: Mar. 30, 2023, 8:00 p.m.
By
Matt Vautour | mvautour@masslive.com
BOSTON — Rafael Devers admitted he’s still adjusting to the pace-of-pay rules that have gone into effect for the 2023 season, but he blamed himself for the mistake that cost the Red Sox an out in the eighth inning of Boston’s 10-9 Opening Day loss to Baltimore.
Leading off the eighth inning, the Red Sox third baseman struck out on an automatic strike, making him the first Major League player punched out by the new rule.
Under the new pitch clock rules, the batter has to be attentive to the pitcher with 8 seconds left on the pitch timer. Devers was looking down and kicking his cleats in the dirt when the clock showed 8. Home plate umpire and crew chief Lance Barksdale made the call.
“It’s a new rule so we have to adapt,” Devers said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez. “In that situation, I’m not sure because the pitcher was not ready either. It was a tough situation, but the umpire made a decision and we have to respect it.
“It’s something that you have to adapt. It’s not easy when you’re facing a guy throwing that hard in the ninth inning. But you can’t do anything about it right now so you have to adapt and keep going,” he added. “That’s something I need to adjust to. That’s not on anybody else. It’s just on me.”
The play happened with the Red Sox down 10-4, but they rallied for three runs after Devers’ K and left a runner in scoring position, so an extra out might have been valuable as Boston attempted a comeback. Devers was 2-for-3 with an RBI double before the strikeout.
Devers had less time to adjust to the new rules as he played for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, an event that used old rules.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora thought they might reset the pitch clock.
“Obviously he wasn’t ready. There’s a few things that we got at the end of the week,” said Cora citing a rules clarification. “Pitches toward the head you can reset or big swings. I thought he took a big swing on the previous one. No excuses. We know the rules.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 31, 2023 4:29:56 GMT -5
Red Sox’s Ryan Brasier: ‘There’s not an excuse’ for giving up 2 walks, 1 hit by pitch
Updated: Mar. 30, 2023, 8:00 p.m.|Published: Mar. 30, 2023, 8:00 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Red Sox pitchers combined to give up nine walks in a 10-9 loss to the Orioles on Thursday, tying an Opening Day franchise record.
Boston also gave up nine walks on Opening Day in 1966 vs. the Orioles and nine walks on Opening Day in 1926 vs. the Yankees.
“Too many walks. A lot of traffic,” manager Alex Cora said. “We’ve got to be better at that.”
Red Sox starter Corey Kluber lasted just 3 ⅓ innings, allowing five runs, all earned, six hits (two homers) and four walks while striking out four.
Kluber walked more than two batters in just one outing last year when he led the league in fewest walks per nine innings (1.2).
“I’d rather them beat me by earning it and me just not handing them free passes,” Kluber said. “I did that more than I would have liked to today. Just gotta make some adjustments before the next one.”
Reliever Ryan Brasier also struggled with his control, leading to a three-run fifth inning for the O’s. He gave up three runs on two hits, two walks and on hit by pitch.
“It’s just one of those days,” Brasier said. “I pride myself on not walking guys. I can’t tell you the last time I let three guys get on base for free.”
For as much as Brasier struggled last year (5.78 ERA, 62 ⅓ innings), he never walked more than one batter in any outing. He averaged 1.9 walks per nine innings last year and has averaged 2.7 walks per nine innings in his career.
“Obviously you want to come into day one and have a good start,” he said. “But walking three people — even giving up no runs — it just can’t happen.”
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He said he had difficulty commanding all his pitches. He said there isn’t any mechanical issue.
“There’s not an excuse for walking three guys or giving up two walks and a hit by pitch.”
Cora added, “Nine walks as a team. We’ve been talking about throwing strikes and attacking the zone. ... So not great. We’ve gotta be better in that aspect.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 31, 2023 4:34:32 GMT -5
The Orioles stole a win with aggressive baserunning as the Red Sox’ flaws emerged early By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated March 30, 2023, 8:23 p.m.
The Baltimore Orioles stole 14 bases in spring training, the fewest in the majors.
Then came Opening Day against the Red Sox on Thursday.
On your mark, get set, go. The Orioles stole five bases, all of them leading to runs in a game they won, 10-9.
“When we have an opportunity, we’re going to run,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said.
Fenway Park was the land of opportunity. The Orioles stole one base off Sox starter Corey Kluber, three off Ryan Brasier and another off Kaleb Ort.
The pitch timer played a role as the Orioles took advantage of situations caused by the clock winding down. Cedric Mullins stole two bases and advanced another time on a wild pitch. Jorge Mateo also stole twice.
“Everyone was dealing with the clock in a real environment,” Sox catcher Reese McGuire said. “There were a few times that clock was winding down and it was almost as if they were using it to their advantage to kind of time it up.”
That was definitely what the Orioles were doing. All five times, their jumps were so well-timed that McGuire held the ball instead of throwing down.
Had the pitchers changed the tempo of their deliveries or come set then delivered a quick pitch, the Orioles might have hesitated. But the Sox never adjusted.
“We got exposed a little bit there today,” McGuire said.
It was part of an ugly day for Red Sox pitchers, who allowed 15 hits, walked nine, threw two wild pitches, and hit a batter.
“A lot of traffic, right?” manager Alex Cora said. “We’ve got to be better at that.”
Since the end of last season, the Sox have talked about the need to throw more strikes and be more efficient. Signing Kluber was supposed to be part of the solution.
But he was uncharacteristically wild, walking four over 3⅓ innings. The stoic righthander walked four once in 31 starts last season.
“I’d rather them beat me by earning it than me handing out free passes,” Kluber said. “That was unlike me today. I’ve got to make some adjustments for the next time.”
Don’t blame the bitterly cold weather. Six Baltimore pitchers combined for only three walks.
Kluber left the game with the bases loaded and Baltimore leading, 3-1. Zack Kelly came in and allowed a run on a wild pitch. He then walked Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle to force in another run.
Brasier took over in the fifth inning and got two outs before allowing three runs on two walks, two singles, and a wild pitch.
That had the crowd booing. Related: Shaughnessy: Not surprisingly, the Red Sox already are back in last place
“They had their fastest guys on base and with two outs they’re trying to make things happen,” Brasier said. “Obviously you can always be quicker. There’s no excuse for giving up three walks. If I had given up no runs it still would have looked like crap.”
Brasier had the worst season of his career last year but the Sox stuck with him all winter, insisting that he pitched better than the results indicated.
That Brasier also was a well-above average reliever from 2018-21 helped his cause.
Far less understandable was the decision to retain Ort, a hard-throwing righthander who put a staggering 52 runners on base over 28⅓ innings last season then 21 more over 9⅓ innings during spring training.
Ort got through the sixth inning unscathed then allowed two runs in the seventh. Those insurance runs proved important to Baltimore when the Sox scored three in the eighth and two in the ninth.
“We’ve just got to get Kaleb going,” Cora said before the game. “Stuff-wise we always talk about it, right? He can throw 99 and 100 [miles per hour]. But in the end you’ve got to get people out.”
Hours later, Ort didn’t. That’s been his pattern.
At least Fenway Park looked nice. The field was in perfect shape and the Red Sox completely refurbished the home clubhouse, something that was long overdue. Even the press box was renovated with a new floor and chairs.
Nice to see the Sox investing all that money they saved by not signing All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
The Red Sox lost on Opening Day in 2004, ‘07 and ‘18, so one game doesn’t mean anything. But the lingering fear that the Sox don’t have enough pitching proved true on Thursday.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 31, 2023 4:36:45 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK How did Masataka Yoshida do in his Red Sox debut? By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated March 30, 2023, 8:14 p.m.
There were questions surrounding Masataka Yoshida’s learning curve against major league pitching, mainly regarding velocity. But Yoshida can hit, there’s no question about that.
Despite the 10-9 loss to the Orioles on Thursday at Fenway Park, Yoshida seemed to answer some of those questions.
The Red Sox left fielder went 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI. In the eighth inning, Yoshida stung a 95-mile-per-hour offering from reliever Bryan Baker for a single.
Baker attempted to go inside with a heater, but Yoshida turned on it, the ball leaving his bat at 100.5 m.p.h.
”He’ll catch up with the guys that throw hard,” manager Alex Cora said. “I think he’s so disciplined. That comes into play. He’s able to lay off the pitches and then will take his chances. Like he did there, turning on it.”
Yoshida was confident in his approach.
“I think I was able to adjust really good today,” he said through translator Keiichiro Wakabayashi. “But I need to keep doing it.”
Another adjustment might be the weather, though it didn’t seem to hinder his play. Yoshida is accustomed to playing in domes, not 40-degree temperatures.
”It was very cold, but my heart was burning,” he said. Fresh perspective
At 23, Triston Casas became the youngest first baseman to start on Opening Day for the Red Sox since George Scott in 1967.
Casas called the opener special.
”There’s a lot of emotions, for sure,” he said before the game. “I’ve been thinking about my life a lot, and thinking about how I got here. It’s definitely been a lot of hours, a lot of work. A culmination of a lot of people’s contributions to me and you know, I can’t even begin to thank everybody.”
Casas made his big league debut in September of last season. The team was essentially out of the playoff hunt. Regardless of expectations this season, Opening Day represents a fresh start, renewed hope. Casas said he would take it all in, but not too much.
He went 0 for 2 on the day with a walk and two RBIs. Injury updates
The Red Sox transferred Adalberto Mondesi (knee) to the 60-day injured list, meaning he will be out until at least the end of May.
The Sox acquired Mondesi during the offseason with the hope that he would bring much-needed infield depth. However, his progression has been slow after not passing his most recent strength test for his surgically repaired left ACL.
”It feels like this was the right move,” said Cora, who insisted it wasn’t a setback for Mondesi. “We feel good about where he’s at. We want this guy to be the explosive guy that he was a few years ago. If he’s 80 or 85 percent, he’s still a good player, but not the one that’s explosive playing defense, running the bases. We want the closest version of Mondesi.”
James Paxton (hamstring) pitched two innings Wednesday at Fenway South, sitting at 95-96 miles per hour.
“He felt good,” Cora said. “I texted with him yesterday. I saw him today. He’s in a good spot physically. He felt a little bit off as far as command, but stuff was very similar to what we saw in his last outing [when he got hurt].”
The plan is for Paxton’s next outing to be with Triple A Worcester or Double A Portland.
Clock management
Reliever Chris Martin and Rafael Devers were both hit with pitch-clock violations. Devers’s came in the eighth inning, resulting in a strikeout, while Martin’s occurred in the ninth, before his first pitch of the season. Afterward, Devers talked about the adjustment to the clock, adding that the pitcher wasn’t ready, either.
”Of course, it’s not easy. It’s something that you have to adapt to,” said Devers who was 2 for 5 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI. “It’s something that is not easy when you’re facing a guy throwing that hard in the ninth inning. So that’s something that also needs to be considered and taken into consideration, but you can’t do anything about it right now. You need to adapt and they just keep going.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 31, 2023 6:42:23 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats ·
Watching Brasier and Ort suck on opening day is such an enormous kick in the nuts.
Would have been a lot more fun opening day without tweedledum and tweedledipshit.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Mar 31, 2023 6:45:17 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 11h If you're wondering when Garrett Whitlock could pitch, April 11 feels like a good guess.
He's on the 15-day IL retroactive to March 27. Starting for Worcester Friday and then likely on April 5.
Bryan Bello is a week behind Whitlock and James Paxton probably another 7-10 days behind Bello.
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