|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 9, 2023 19:15:23 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Rays Monday, 10th April 2023 6:30pm @ The Trop
Pivetta 0-1/ 1.80
Beeks 0-0/0.00
Boston Red Sox vs.Tampa Bay Rays Monday, April 10, 2023 at 6:40pm EDT Written by Bosun Akinpelu
The Boston Red Sox (5-4) will be going for their fourth consecutive win when they face the Tampa Bay Rays (9-0) in the first game of their four-game series on Monday night.
Nick Pivetta, 0-1, 1.80 ERA, will get the start for the Red Sox. The Rays will counter with Josh Fleming, 0-0, 15.00 ERA.
Boston and Tampa Bay split their last 10 meetings.
Red Sox Going For Sixth Win In Nine Games The Red Sox followed up their three-game losing streak by winning their last three games. They will try to keep the momentum going with a win over the Rays, which will give them their sixth win in their last nine games.
Boston is averaging 6.88 runs per game. Their .263 batting average is 10th in the league. Their .342 on base percentage is also 10th, while their .484 slugging percentage is third.
Adam Duvall has been the big bat for the Red Sox. He leads the team with a .455 batting average, four home runs, and 14 RBI.
Boston’s pitching hasn’t been good, with the team giving up 5.75 runs per game. Opponents have a .261 batting average against the Red Sox, which is 19th in the league. Their 5.38 ERA is 25th, while their 1.50 WHIP is 24th.
In his last start, Pivetta gave up three hits and one earned run in five innings, but the team lost to Pittsburgh 4-1. They will need another solid effort from him if they want to get the win.
Rays Going For 10th Consecutive Win The Rays are off to a great start after winning their first nine games. They are the only undefeated team left in the league and will try to keep their record perfect with a win over the Red Sox, which will give them their 10th win in a row.
Tampa Bay is averaging eight runs per game. Their .282 batting average is fourth in the league. Their .365 on base percentage is third, while their .571 slugging percentage leads the league.
Randy Arozarena leads the Rays with a .371 batting average and 11 RBI, while Wander Franco leads the team with four home runs.
Tampa Bay’s pitching has been very good, with the team giving up 2.25 runs per game. Opponents have a .210 batting average against the Rays, which is second in the league. Their 2.13 ERA leads the league, while their 1.03 WHIP is third.
In his last start, Fleming gave up 10 hits and five runs in three innings, but the team was able to get a 10-6 win over Washington. They will need a significantly better effort from him if they want to win this game.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 9, 2023 19:17:33 GMT -5
Rest of series Probables
Tuesday...Whitlock vs McClanahan 2-0/ 1.50
Wednesday....Sale 1-0/11.25 vs Efflin 2-0/ 3.27
Thursday....1:00pm....Kluber 0-2/6.48 vs Springs 1-0/ 000
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 9, 2023 19:19:32 GMT -5
Bobby Dalbec to meet Red Sox in Tampa, but team hasn’t made roster move yet, per sources
Updated: Apr. 09, 2023, 6:30 p.m.|Published: Apr. 09, 2023, 5:58 p.m.
shares By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
DETROIT — Bobby Dalbec will travel to Florida to meet the Red Sox in Tampa Bay on Monday, according to two industry sources.
The Red Sox have not yet made any roster moves. But Dalbec would be activated if Boston places Adam Duvall on the IL. The Red Sox play a four-game series at Tropicana Field beginning Monday.
Duvall left Boston’s 4-1 victory over the Tigers on Sunday in the ninth inning after landing hard on his left wrist diving for a fly ball. He received X-rays after the game but the Red Sox have not provided the results of the imaging.
Dalbec has gone 6-for-23 (.261) with a .357 on-base percentage, .522 slugging percentage, .879 OPS, one homer, one double, one triple, six runs, five RBIs, four walks and 10 strikeouts in seven games for Triple-A Worcester.
Boston optioned Dalbec to Worcester right before spring training ended.
The Red Sox will face three left-handed starters — Josh Fleming, Shane McClanahan and Jeffrey Springs — in Tampa. They then potentially will face four left-handed starters when they return home to Fenway Park to play the Angels for a four-game series starting Friday.
And so it’s logical to promote the right-handed hitting Dalbec over the left-handed hitting Jarren Duran.
Dalbec has the ability to play all four infield positions.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 9, 2023 19:25:24 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK All of a sudden, the Red Sox are lined up to face a plethora of lefthanded starters By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated April 9, 2023, 2 hours ago
DETROIT — The Red Sox are in for a plethora of lefthanded starters. They faced two lefties in the last two games and will see an additional sevenin the next eight games.
“I feel like it’s a rare thing to see so many lefties kind of bunched up together,” outfielder Rob Refsnyder said before Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Tigers in the series finale. “Yeah, it’s strange. You don’t really see that.”
The majority of the time, lefthanded-hitting right fielder Alex Verdugo will serve as the leadoff hitter, but against the surplus of lefties, the Sox will also continue to employ righty-hitting Refsnyder in the role.
No doubt, it’s a unique scenario with some nuance for Refsnyder. The team utilizes Refsnyder mainly as a bat off the bench to face lefties late in games, or to give another outfielder a breather on a particular day. But as he prepares himself to see everyday time — or at least more time — the approach to the at-bat is different.
“A lot of times when you see a reliever [as a pinch hitter], it’s going to be the eighth inning and a guy with a two-pitch mix, so you have to be more aggressive in a sense,” he said. “It’s usually power stuff so you can’t really take too many pitches all that much. You know, sometimes the best fastball, or the best pitch, might be the first pitch.”
Refsnyder added starters are expected to navigate their way through a lineup at least two or three times. More game-planning comes into play. The sequencing is different. There are more moving parts that involve a cat-and-mouse game between hitter and pitcher. Refsnyder used Matt Boyd, the Tigers’ starter Sunday, as an example.
“Boyd has a three-pitch mix,” Refsnyder (1 for 3, RBI single, two walks) said. “Fastball running away, fastball up, changeup off of it. And then he likes going back to the slider, sometimes the curveball.”
Manager Alex Cora said Verdugo will likely hit sixth with a lefty on the mound while Masataka Yoshida will hit fourth. With Yoshida out of the lineup for the series finale, Verdugo (1 for 4, single) batted cleanup.
“We will find ways,” Cora said. Casas comes through
Triston Casas scuffled to start the season, entering Sunday 3 for 23 (.130) and chasing pitches at a 32.7 percent clip.
The long line of lefthanded starters could pose a problem for the lefty-hittingCasas, but Cora doesn’t tend to think so.
“I honestly believe it’s going to benefit from it,” Cora said. “Because as a lefthanded hitter against a lefty, you [have to] make sure you see the baseball,” Cora said. “But hopefully Casas get in line with what he usually does, which is track pitches and drive them to left-center.”
In Casas’s first at-bat against Boyd in the second inning, he laced an RBI double down the right field line for just his second hit in 13 plate appearances. In the ninth, Casas (2 for 4, two strikeouts) added a solo homer off lefty reliever Chasen Shreve.
During spring training, Cora said that the Sox would protect Casas from certain lefthanders, electing to play Justin Turner at first base on those occasions, as the team did Saturday. But Casas was handpicked to be the starting first baseman and won’t sit every game just because a lefty is on the mound.
“He’s not going to play all of them, but he’ll play during the week‚” Cora said. “[Hopefully] today is the start of something good.” Rotation set for Tampa Bay
The Sox rotation for the four-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla., against the 9-0 Rays will be Nick Pivetta, Garrett Whitlock, Chris Sale, and Corey Kluber.
The team hasn’t officially announced that it will reinstate Whitlock (hip) from the injured list, but he was in the visitors clubhouse and confirmed he will make his season debut Tuesday. To make room for Whitlock, the Sox will be required to take someone off of their 26-man roster.
The Rays’ scheduled starters are Josh Fleming, Shane McClanahan, Zach Eflin, and Jeffrey Springs.
Rays starters entered Sunday with a 2.20 ERA in eight games, second best in the majors behind the Twins (1.75 ERA). Tampa Bay beat the A’s by identical 11-0 scores Saturday and Sunday. Dalbec on way from Worcester
Per a major league source, infielder Bobby Dalbec will be leaving Triple A Worcester to travel to Florida and meet the Red Sox. While a roster addition is not certain, a move if center fielder Adam Duvall (wrist) goes on the injured list makes sense as Dalbec is a 40-man option who hits lefthanders well at a time when the Sox have embarked upon the run of facing lefty starters.
Dalbec hit .300 (6 for 20) in six games for the WooSox, with a double, triple, homer, and four RBIs. He struck out nine times and had four walks.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 9, 2023 19:27:37 GMT -5
Red Sox to be tested in many ways over next week, starting with four against undefeated Tampa Bay By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 9, 2023, 2 hours ago
DETROIT — The Red Sox are about to learn a lot about themselves, certainly a lot more than their weekend series against the Tigers revealed.
Completing a three-game sweep with a 4-1 victory Sunday was only useful in showing that the rebuilt Sox could adeptly handle a bad team. The Tigers held the lead for two innings over the course of three days.
Now comes the hard part.
The Sox play four games against the Rays at Tropicana Field starting Monday night. Then four against Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, and the Angels back home, followed by three against the Twins, who have won six of their first nine.
Sox manager Alex Cora believes it’s too early for any one series to be particularly telling, and one glance at the schedule says he’s right. But his team doesn’t have the luxury of easing into the season.
The American League East is too good for that. The Rays are 9-0 after beating the Athletics, 11-0, on Sunday. A run differential of plus-57 speaks to how dominant Tampa Bay has been.
“This division always comes down to a couple of games, so every game matters even if they’re early in the season,” said Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder, who reached base three times Sunday and scored a run.
“Hopefully we can go into Tampa and stop their momentum. But they’re the best team in baseball right now. They’re playing with a ton of confidence.”
The Rays have scored the most runs in the league, allowed the fewest, and are off to the best start since the 2003 Royals were 9-0. They’ve already hit 24 home runs and have won every game by at least four runs.
The Rays aren’t working the margins and stealing runs. They’re crushing teams in all facets of the game.
“Yeah, they pitch. But if you look around [at the lineup], they’ve got a bunch of athletes,” Cora said. “Obviously they mix and match, but when you start looking at [Wander] Franco and [Randy] Arozarena, they’ve got a bunch of good athletes who are hitting the ball in the air now.
“Their pillars are to play good defense and run the bases well. They bring energy on a daily basis. They play well in that stadium. I think offensively we’re not giving them enough credit.”
The Red Sox also could be dealing with a major hole in their lineup.
Center fielder Adam Duvall injured his left wrist Sunday when he tried to make a diving catch in the ninth inning and almost immediately left the game. Duvall had X-rays right away and the Sox were waiting to get results as they packed for their flight to Florida.
Duvall had season-ending surgery on that wrist in July, which partially explained why the Sox were able to sign him to a one-year, $7 million contract in late January. That Bloomin’ Bargain has paid off so far. Duvall is 15 of 33 with 10 extra-base hits and 14 RBIs in eight games.
Prior to the game Sunday, Cora mentioned that it would be important for the Sox to keep Duvall, Alex Verdugo, Kiké Hernández, and other regulars healthy with four games coming up on artificial turf followed by four games at home, all at different start times, including the Patriots Day morning game next Monday.
“I think everybody is very important in this situation,” Cora said. “Not only because of the lefties we’re facing but the schedule. Time-wise, it gets complicated.”
If Duvall is out for a short time, the Sox have Refsnyder and Raimel Tapia available. But if it’s a long-term injury, his middle-of-the order thump will be missed. It’s not like the Sox have another power hitter they can just plug in there.
“Having a guy like Tapia, he’s a good player in all facets of the game,” Refsnyder said. “We have a versatile group and we’ve stayed fresh. Now we’re keeping our fingers crossed for Duvall.
“But if we have to put somebody like Tapia in there, we’ll be OK.”
Whether Duvall can play or not, the next four games will tell more about the Sox than beating up on the Tigers did.
“We need to take care of what we can take care of,” Justin Turner said. “Just play good baseball like we have been doing the last few days.”
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2023 2:43:54 GMT -5
Red Sox aim to end Rays' record opening streak FLM The Tampa Bay Rays opened eyes all over baseball with their record start, but things are about to get a bit tougher for the club that has outscored opponents 75-18 through its first nine games.
The American League East rival Boston Red Sox open will open a four-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla.
"It's going to get harder," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash told WDAE radio on Sunday after the Rays improved to 9-0 with an 11-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics. "It has to get harder -- this is baseball.
"But everything is clicking now -- the pitching, the defense, and the offense certainly did their part," Cash said. "I'm just going to stay out of the way and let them play."
The nine wins matched the mark of the 2003 Kansas City Royals for the hottest streak to open a season during the wild-card era (since 1995).
The Rays' start has been something to behold, even if it must be tempered by the quality of Tampa Bay's opposition. Tampa Bay opposed the Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals and the Athletics, teams that mustered a combined winning percentage of .372 last season.
The Red Sox, though, ought to be a tougher proposition. Boston moved to 5-4 on the season by beating the host Detroit Tigers 4-1 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.
Left-hander Jalen Beeks (0-0, 3.00 ERA) takes the mound for Tampa Bay on Monday as the Rays go to the opener strategy they've deployed frequently over the past few seasons.
Right-hander Nick Pivetta (0-1, 1.80 ERA) will start for the Red Sox after giving up three runs, one earned, in five innings in his first outing of the season on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Red Sox won the last three games of 2022 at home against the Rays but still finished the season with a 7-12 record against Tampa Bay.
Boston manager Alex Cora told NESN after the Sunday victory in Detroit, "It feels good. It gave us what we needed. It was a hard-fought series, the starters did what we asked them to do, and they did an amazing job. Now we just gotta go to Tampa and play good baseball."
With the way the Rays are playing, though, good baseball may not be good enough.
The Rays have hit a major-league-high 24 home runs, a larger total than the number of runs allowed by their own pitching staff (18) over the nine-game rampage. Nine different Tampa Bay players have gone deep at least twice.
"It's something that's intangible out there. You look at our lineup and you see that hitting is contagious," said second baseman Brandon Lowe, whose grand slam was one of the Rays' three homers on Sunday. "We feel like everyone who comes up right now is going to do some damage."
The Rays also are within striking distance of the longest winning streak in club history, a 12-game stretch in June 2004.
--Field Level Media
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2023 10:17:53 GMT -5
Mac Cerullo @maccerullo · 37m I’m told the #RedSox will have an update on Adam Duvall’s condition this afternoon.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2023 10:24:38 GMT -5
MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM @mlbnetworkradio · 55m "We're up for the challenge."
The @redsox head into Tampa Bay to face the 9-0 Rays for a four-game series starting tonight. Boston Manager @ac13alex gave his scouting report for the AL East leading Rays.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2023 10:27:25 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 46m Tonight at the Trop: The Rays batters have the highest slugging, highest expected slugging, and the most barrels per plate appearance (10%) so far. Pivetta's first start (1ER, 5IP) had fine enough outcomes, but looked a lot more scary than that. Needs great command tonight.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2023 11:20:29 GMT -5
Game 10: The Red Sox are taking on the red-hot RaysBy Katie McInerney Globe Staff,Updated April 10, 2023, 9:01 a.m. The Red Sox responded to losing the series against the Pirates by sweeping Detroit over the weekend to move to 5-4. Their reward? The Tampa Bay Rays, who have won their first nine games of the season — something no team has done since the 2003 Kansas City Royals. Tampa Bay has outscored opponents 75-18 through its first nine games. Nick Pivetta will be on the mound for Boston on Monday night at Tropicana Field. Lineups RED SOX (5-4): 1. Enrique Hernandez (R) SS 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. Justin Turner (R) DH 4. Masataka Yoshida (L) LF 5. Rob Refsnyder (R) CF 6. Alex Verdugo (L) RF 7. Christian Arroyo (R) 2B 8. Triston Casas (L) 1B 9. Connor Wong (R) C Pitching: RHP Nick Pivetta (0-1, 1.80 ERA) RAYS (9-0): 1. Yandy Diaz (R) 1B 2. Brandon Lowe (L) 2B 3. Randy Arozarena (R) LF 4. Wander Franco (S) SS 5. Luke Raley (L) RF 6. Harold Ramirez (R) DH 7. Isaac Paredes (R) 3B 8. Manuel Margot (R) CF 9. Christian Bethancourt (R) C Pitching: LHP Jalen Beeks (0-0, 3.00 ERA) TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Fleming: Christian Arroyo 3-6, Yu Chang 1-2, Rafael Devers 6-12, Kiké Hernández 4-9, Reese McGuire 1-2, Rob Refsnyder 1-3, Raimel Tapia 1-2, Alex Verdugo 3-13 Rays vs. Pivetta: Randy Arozarena 4-12, Christian Bethancourt 0-5, Yandy Díaz 4-14, Wander Franco 2-9, Brandon Lowe 3-9, Josh Lowe 0-2, Manuel Margot 3-20, Francisco Mejía 1-5, Isaac Paredes 3-6, Harold Ramírez 4-12, Taylor Walls 1-8 Stat of the day: The Rays are within striking distance of the longest winning streak in club history, a 12-game stretch in June 2004. Notes: The Rays’ start has been something to behold, even if it must be tempered by the quality of Tampa Bay’s opposition. Tampa Bay opposed the Tigers, Nationals, and Athletics, teams that mustered a combined winning percentage of .372 last season. “It’s going to get harder,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said Sunday after the Rays beat the Athletics 11-0. “It has to get harder — this is baseball. But everything is clicking now — the pitching, the defense, and the offense certainly did their part,” Cash said. “I’m just going to stay out of the way and let them play.” ... Lefthander Jalen Beeks (0-0, 3.00 ERA) takes the mound for Tampa Bay on Monday as the Rays go to the opener strategy they’ve deployed frequently over the past few seasons. ... Pivetta gave up three runs, one earned, in five innings against the Pirates last week. ... The Red Sox won the last three games of 2022 at home against the Rays but still finished the season with a 7-12 record against Tampa Bay. ... The Rays have hit a major-league-high 24 home runs, a larger total than the number of runs allowed by their own pitching staff (18) over the nine-game rampage. Nine different Tampa Bay players have gone deep at least twice. Soundgarden- Fell on Black Dayswww.youtube.com/watch?v=ySzrJ4GRF7s
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2023 13:18:39 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1h Minor update on Adam Duvall:
He's in with a doctor now and hopefully there will be an update on his status soon.
That's it for right now.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2023 13:50:24 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 3h 208 players have swung at least 50 times this year, Verdugo ranks first with a 5.5% whiff rate on swings (3 in 55 swings). Arraez is second at 9.3% of his swings. Muncy is last, with 34 whiffs on 69 swings, 49.3% League average 26%.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2023 13:51:10 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 2h Here are the Rays' barrels 27 fastballs 5 sliders 2 changeups 1 splitter Just feasting on BP fastballs over the heart of the plate. Also, they have played Detroit, Washington, and Oakland.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2023 14:23:24 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 14m Duvall on IL. Dalbec recalled.
Sox say Duvall is still going through testing in Boston.
Bobby Dalbec is trying out some glasses instead of his contacts.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 10, 2023 14:26:49 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo · 31m
Duvall is in Boston. Going through testing. No update until later. Bobby Dalbec is at the Trop hitting in a cage. Points to probable activation.
Also, Adalberto Mondesi is with the team (still rehabbing in Fort Myers) but remains on 60-day IL.
Joely Rodriguez is also here. Not being activated but working out with the team. Often is the case with Fort Myers rehab guys in St. Pete.
|
|