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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2023 4:24:33 GMT -5
Julian McWilliams @byjulianmack · 8h Fans have moved on from this one, chanting "Let's go Bruins" after the Sox surrendered a three-run homer courtesy of Ryan Brasier.
Mind boggling: Ryan Brasier's eight earned runs this season have all come with two outs in the inning. Those eight runs are the most runs surrendered by a reliever with two outs in an inning so far.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2023 4:26:05 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 9h #RedSox pitchers now have an 11.84 ERA in the first inning. Opponents have hit .345 with 12 XBHs in 19 innings.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2023 4:29:14 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Enmanuel Valdez took an early look around Fenway Park before his debut at second base By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated April 19, 2023, 8:38 p.m.
Enmanuel Valdez wanted to take in Fenway Park early Wednesday afternoon.
It was his first time there as a player, set to make his debut later that evening against the Twins.
When Valdez emerged from the dugout, he was spotted by Twins catcher Christian Vázquez.
What followed was a Vázquez embrace.
“I got the opportunity to meet him outside on the field and he congratulated me,” Valdez said through team translator Carlos Villoria Benítez. Related: Red Sox pitching still can’t get out of its own way early, and the Twins took advantage
Vázquez, the former Red Sox, is playing in his first series at Fenway as a member of another organization. The two are connected with Valdez a part of the trade last August which sent Valdez and Wilyer Abreu from the Astros to the Red Sox in exchange for Vázquez.
Was the meeting Wednesday between the two awkward for Valdez?
No, Valdez said. “This is a business and we need to get used to the business side of things.”
This likely will be a short business trip for Valdez, who is filling in for Yu Chang after Chang was placed on the paternity list Wednesday.
With Christian Arroyo (hamstring) out of action for the second straight game, Valdez got the start at second. Valdez is rated the Sox’ 17th best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. His bat is his most impressive tool though he was off to a slow start at Triple A Worcester — slashing .179/.289/.333 in his first 45 plate appearances.
Valdez launched 28 homers total last year and hit .296/.347/.560 with 10 homers for Houston’s Triple A affiliate.
“He’s a good hitter,” manager Alex Cora said. “He controls the strike zone. He has some power. Good pitch recognition. We’ll give him a shot today.”
Though he can play second, third, and the outfield, Valdez grades as a below average defender. He worked with Sox infield coach Carlos Febles on his defense during the offseason in the Dominican Republic and said he feels very comfortable at second base.
“I’ve been getting better on the defensive side of the ball. That’s one of the things I’ve been working really hard at for the past few months. As I look back on things, my hard work has paid off and now I’m here.”
Valdez’s father, Humberto, is an avid baseball fan and was one of the first phone calls Valdez made.
“It was a great call,” Valdez said. “He told me ‘finally we made it. Well now is where the real work starts.’”
In his first plate appearance, Valdez laced a single through the six-hole to beat the shift. He finished the contest 2 for 4 with an error. Kelly needs surgery
Zack Kelly will undergo ulnar nerve transposition revision on his right pitching elbow, the team announced just before Wednesday’s game with the Twins.
Contrary to what Cora detailed before the contest, Kelly’s internal brace from his 2020 elbow procedure remains intact. Additionally, there was no damage to Kelly’s UCL.
Kelly’s initial MRI last week came back clean. But a second opinion this week provided more information as it pertained to the pain Kelly felt when he left the mound in pain during a game against the Rays last Wednesday at Tropicana Field.
Cora isn’t sure if Kelly will return this season, adding “he will be out for a while.”
The date of surgery is still to be determined.
Rest day for Yoshida
Masataka Yoshida got an off day Wednesday and will DH Thursday. Cora said the team wants to make sure it takes care of Yoshida’s legs following some hamstring tightness early in the season.… James Paxton worked out of the bullpen in his rehab start Wednesday and it didn’t go according to plan. Paxton lasted just ⅔ of an inning, allowing seven earned runs on five hits (one homer) and two walks. The Sox hoped Paxton would pitch five of the team’s bulk innings in relief.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2023 4:37:09 GMT -5
Twins @ Red Sox Thursday, 20th April 2023 1:30pm @ Fenway
Maeda 0-2/ 4.09
vs
Houck 4.50
Joey Gallo injects power into Twins' lineup vs. Red Sox FLM
Joey Gallo made an immediate impact when he returned to the Minnesota lineup Wednesday night, and the Twins hope he will continue to swing a hot bat when they wrap up a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday afternoon.
Gallo came off the injured list Wednesday and went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run during Minnesota's 10-4 victory over Boston later that night. His long ball came against Corey Kluber and handed the Twins a 7-0 lead in the third inning. It was his team-high fourth home run of the season.
Gallo, a 29-year-old outfielder/first baseman, missed Minnesota's previous 10 games due to a right intercostal strain, an injury he sustained in an April 7 game against the Houston Astros. He was hitting .278 with three home runs and seven RBIs in seven games with the Twins before he was injured.
"He'll be at first base a lot for us going forward," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "He feels good, significantly better than when he left us. It's good to have his type of at-bats back in there. Someone that can do some damage and someone that can have a good, deep at-bat."
Minnesota signed Gallo to a one-year deal after he split the 2022 season between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit 19 home runs last year but batted .160 and had a 39.8 percent strikeout rate.
"He's been one of the guys that's been hurt the most by the way that the game has progressed over the last five or 10 years (with defensive shifts)," Baldelli said. "His numbers, and a few of these left-handed hitters' numbers, look less than where they simply would have at any other time in the history of baseball."
The Red Sox will be looking for more offense from the top of their order on Thursday after the first four batters in their lineup -- Alex Verdugo, Ramiel Tapia, Justin Turner and Rafael Devers -- went 0-for-16 in the Wednesday loss. Boston hitters were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
Second baseman Enmanuel Valdez was one bright spot in the Boston lineup on Wednesday. Although he was shaky in the field, Valdez collected two hits in his major league debut.
"Like we said, this guy can hit," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "He can hit ... the ball hard. Even his last at-bat he stayed with the pitch and went the other way under control. Interesting night on the other side (defensively)."
Valdez was originally charged with two errors, but one was changed to a hit.
Right-hander Kenta Maeda (0-2, 4.09 ERA) is scheduled to start on the mound for Minnesota on Thursday. The Red Sox will counter with right-hander Tanner Houck (2-0, 4.50 ERA).
Maeda exited his first start of the season due to arm fatigue, and then allowed eight hits and four runs in six innings during latest outing, on April 10 against the Chicago White Sox. Maeda skipped his next turn in the rotation and will enter the Thursday game with extra rest.
He is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in two career starts against the Red Sox.
Houck won his first two starts of the year, then gave up two runs on four hits in four innings against the Los Angeles Angels during a no-decision on Friday.
Houck has a 1-0 record with a 2.61 ERA two career starts vs. the Twins. In his most recent meeting with Minnesota, he threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings en route to a victory on April 16, 2022.
--Field Level Media
Twins at Red Sox Thursday, at 1:35 PM EST Clear It's expected to be 56° F with a 0% chance of precipitation and 11 MPH wind blowing left to right in Boston at 1:35 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2023 8:20:32 GMT -5
Game 20: Twins at Red Sox lineups and pregame notesBy Matt Pepin Globe Staff,Updated April 20, 2023, 5 minutes ago The Red Sox will try to salvage a split with the Twins Thursday afternoon after falling on Wednesday night when starter Corey Kluber was roughed up early in a 10-4 loss. Righthander Kenta Maeda is scheduled to start for Minnesota. Maeda exited his first start of the season because of arm fatigue, and then allowed eight hits and four runs in six innings during his latest outing – April 10 against the White Sox. Maeda skipped his next turn in the rotation and will enter the Thursday game with extra rest. He is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in two career starts against the Red Sox. The Red Sox will counter with righthander Tanner Houck, who won his first two starts of the year, then gave up two runs on four hits in four innings against the Los Angeles Angels during a no-decision on Friday. Houck has a 1-0 record with a 2.61 ERA two career starts vs. the Twins. In his most recent meeting with Minnesota, he threw 5 ⅔ scoreless innings en route to a victory on April 16, 2022. TWINS (11-7): Pitching: RHP Kenta Maeda (0-2, 4.09 ERA) 1. Max Kepler (L) RF 2. Carlos Correa (R) SS 3. Edouard Julien (L) 2B 4. Trevor Larnach (L) LF 5. Joey Gallo (L) 1B 6. Jose Miranda (R) DH 7. Nick Gordon (L) CF 8. Christian Vazquez (R) C 9. Willi Castro (S) 3B RED SOX (9-10): 1. Alex Verdugo (L) RF 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. Justin Turner (R) DH 4. Masataka Yoshida (L) LF 5. Enrique Hernandez (R) 2B 6. Triston Casas (L) 1B 7. Connor Wong (R) C 8. Jarren Duran (L) CF 9. Yu Chang (R) SS Pitching: RHP Tanner Houck (2-0, 4.50 ERA) Time: 1:35 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Twins vs. Houck: Carlos Correa 0-2, Joey Gallo 0-3, Nick Gordon 1-3, Ryan Jeffers 0-2, Max Kepler 1-5, Trevor Larnach 1-2, Christian Vázquez 0-1 Red Sox vs. Maeda: Christian Arroyo 2-3, Rafael Devers 2-6, Raimel Tapia 2-10, Alex Verdugo 1-3 Stat of the day: The Red Sox are 8-4 this season when they hit a home run. Notes: Joey Gallo came off the injured list Wednesday and went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run during Minnesota’s 10-4 victory. Gallo missed Minnesota’s previous 10 games because of a right intercostal strain ... The top four in the Red Sox’ batting order (Alex Verdugo, Ramiel Tapia, Justin Turner, Rafael Devers) went 0-for-16 in Wednesday’s loss ... The Red Sox were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position Wednesday ... Lefthanded reliever Richard Bleier has not allowed an earned run in eight career outings vs. the Twins (10.2 innings) ... Second baseman Enmanuel Valdez made his MLB debut for the Red Sox and went 2-for-4. Valdez became the first Red Sox player to record a hit in his first two plate appearances since Chris Carter in 2008 ... The Twins are 8-1 when scoring first ... The Red Sox travel to Milwaukee after the game and begin a three-game set Friday at 8:10 p.m. Song of the Day: Bob Marley & The Wailers - Stir It Upwww.youtube.com/watch?v=rf8GjhXvOjU
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2023 13:52:58 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 1h Red Sox make 2 roster moves: Enmanuel Valdez optioned to Worcester, Yu Chang returns
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2023 13:56:28 GMT -5
Well Dugo lead the game off with a solo dinger
in the 3rd Devers double, few singles and a Duran double made it 7-0 Red Sox
Twins just plated
7-1 Red Sox in the 5th
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2023 14:07:59 GMT -5
Few singles, sac fly 2 run jack by Chang over the monster
10-1 Red Sox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2023 14:12:00 GMT -5
Jen McCaffrey @jcmccaffrey · 10m Through five innings, Houck has allowed one run on four hits, one walk and has struck out six. He's at 74 pitches, 46 strikes, 15 swing and miss. He's been strong today but will be facing the third time through the order in the sixth so something to watch how his stuff plays
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2023 14:36:07 GMT -5
Houcks Line
7ip/6/3/3/1bb/7k/96-63
Darn nice afternoon, and pen gets a break.
10-3
7th
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2023 15:16:43 GMT -5
With a big lead, Cora puts in Ort in the 8th he plunked the first batter then wiggled out of it.
Brasier, who should not be pitching at any time, has been awful again, few hits, a run scored.
11-4 now.
and he walks the bases loaded
Sickening pitching
can't watch this clown
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2023 17:49:16 GMT -5
Alex Verdugo leads off Red Sox’s win with homer, everyone in lineup records at least 1 hit
Updated: Apr. 20, 2023, 4:19 p.m.|Published: Apr. 20, 2023, 4:18 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — For the first time in his career, Alex Verdugo led off a game with a home run.
Verdugo’s 386-foot blast to right field was just the beginning. Every player in the Red Sox starting lineup had at least one hit. Boston won 11-5 over the Twins at Fenway Park on Thursday.
The Red Sox won the three-game series, 2-1. They finished their homestand vs. the Angels and Twins with a 5-2 record to improve to 10-10 this season.
Tanner Houck dominated. He went 7 innings, allowing three runs, six hits and one walk while striking out seven. He gave up a two-run homer with two outs in the seventh.
Yoshida ends slump during six-run third
Rafael Devers’ double off the Green Monster put Boston ahead 2-0 in the third. Verdugo scored after hitting a one-out single.
Masataka Yoshida broke an 0-for-18 slump when he ripped an RBI single into center field to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead during Boston’s six-run third inning.
Connor Wong made it 5-0 with his two-run single to center field.
Jarren Duran’s two-run double to left-center field made it 7-0 Red Sox.
Boston’s six runs in the third inning came against Emilio Pagán after Twins starter Kenta Maeda left the game after suffering a left ankle contusion on a liner back to the mound.
Chang homers
Yu Chang was reinstated from paternity leave before the game. He crushed a two-run homer that went 388 feet with a 109.7 mph exit velocity into the Monster seats.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 20, 2023 17:51:40 GMT -5
Alex Cora, Red Sox have rotation decisions to make soon, Tanner Houck just made it tougher
Updated: Apr. 20, 2023, 6:26 p.m.|Published: Apr. 20, 2023, 6:25 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Tanner Houck went 7 innings for the first time in his career to beat the Twins on Thursday. The Red Sox won 11-5 at Fenway Park.
In the process, Houck created a tougher decision for manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom who soon must pick five starters out of seven candidates.
The Red Sox have used six starters — Houck, Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock, Corey Kluber, Nick Pivetta and Brayan Bello — over the past six games. They are expected to stick with those six starters over the next six games (three games in Milwaukee, three games in Baltimore).
But Boston then likely will return to a five-man rotation. The Sox also have James Paxton nearing a return from the IL. And so they have seven starters for five spots. That doesn’t even include Kutter Crawford who deserves a spot in the starting rotation but is pitching out of the bullpen right now.
Houck is an obvious candidate to move to the ‘pen because he has had success as a reliever. He has a 2.68 ERA in 33 career relief appearances (53 ⅔ innings). But he also has a 3.41 ERA in 24 career starts.
Why choose the 37-year-old Kluber (18 innings, 17 earned runs in 4 starts) or the 34-year-old Paxton (7 runs in less than an inning in his latest rehab outing) over the 26-year-old Houck who means so much more to the future of this organization?
“Can’t we just enjoy this one?” Cora joked when asked if Houck is making upcoming rotation decisions more difficult. “They all want to start. That’s the bottom line. Wink (Josh Winckowski), Kutter, Tanner, everybody that’s here wants to start. Obviously we can only go five or six. But we’ll talk about that when we have to talk about it. But competition is always good. That’s very important. It wasn’t a tryout for him today. It was kind of like, this is what you’ve gotta do to go deep into the game and he did.”
Houck allowed three runs and six hits while striking out seven. He allowed a two-run homer with two outs in the seventh.
The righty had all his pitches — slider, sinker, four-seamer, splitter and cutter — working. He recorded 16 swings-and-misses, including six each with the slider and splitter.
He used his splitter, which the Red Sox have wanted him to throw more against left-handed batters, 20% Thursday. He threw it only 6% last year. It’s obvious he’s gaining much more confidence with the pitch, which still is relatively new to his mix.
“I felt like I had kind of everything working from the cutter, splitter,” Houck said. “And those are pitches I’ve been pushing myself to learn, develop and grow with as well as throwing sliders, two-seams, four-seams. I just felt like I had a really good mixing going on today. (Connor) Wong behind the plate hitting the right buttons. So it was good to go out there, be able to attack hitters right away.”
The cutter is new to his repertoire this season. He’s combined to throw the cutter and splitter approximately 26% of the time this season. That’s much different from last year when he used his two fastballs and slider approximately 94% of the time.
“As a starter, it’s huge,” Houck said. “It just helps set up my two best pitches between the sinker and the slider. It just gets them (hitters) off those two. It gets lefties off of the sinker a little bit more with the cutter. The splitter obviously adds a different element as well that they have to respect.”
Houck said he’s ready to put his “best foot forward” regardless of whether he’s starting or relieving.
“Go out there, put a quality product on the field, let them make the decision,” Houck said. “That’s all you can really do.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 21, 2023 4:01:56 GMT -5
Houck making strong case to stay in Sox's crowded rotation April 20th, 2023 Molly Burkhardt
Molly Burkhardt @mollyburkhardt
BOSTON -- With Brayan Bello making his return on Monday and James Paxton’s Red Sox debut on the horizon, Boston’s rotation is getting crowded. In the coming weeks, the club will face a difficult decision in who stays and who moves to the ‘pen.
On Thursday afternoon, Tanner Houck made a strong case for one of the five (or six) spots, going a career-high seven innings in Boston’s 11-5 win over the Twins in the series finale at Fenway Park. Houck gave up three runs, with two coming on a seventh-inning homer by Willi Castro, scattered six hits, walked one and struck out seven on 96 pitches (63 strikes).
“Very aggressive in the zone,” manager Alex Cora said. “Set the tempo for that outing in the first inning. If he can harness his stuff in the strike zone, he can go deeper into the game. It’s not about his ability or third time through the lineup, it’s kind of like, [if he’s] efficient, the stuff is going to be better, and then he can do that.”
Houck, who underwent back surgery on Sept. 6, spent the offseason working to fill out his pitching arsenal, adding a cutter and upping his splitter usage.
On Thursday, Houck favored his slider (30 pitches), generating 18 swings and six whiffs on the pitch. In the third inning, Houck got Castro to swing on an 82.7 mph slider that hit the Twins’ third baseman in the ankle.
“I felt like I had kind of everything working from the cutter, splitter and those pitches that I’ve been pushing myself to learn, develop and grow with,” Houck said. “As well as throwing sliders, two-seams, four-seams. Just felt like I had a really good mix going on today. [Connor] Wong behind the plate hitting the right buttons. So it was good to go out there and be able to attack hitters right away.”
Houck has been one of Boston’s most consistent starters this season, going at least five innings in three of his four starts and never letting up more than three earned runs. He’s also been the beneficiary of run support, with his offense scoring six or more runs in three of his four starts.
Alex Verdugo gave Houck an early 1-0 lead to work with on Thursday after a leadoff homer in the first inning, before the offense worked a six-run third to give the right hander an early 7-0 cushion.
Rafael Devers got an RBI double off Emilio Pagán, who relieved Twins starter Kenta Maeda after he took a liner off his left ankle to end the second. With two outs, Masataka Yoshida crushed a 103 mph RBI single, Wong added a two-run single and Jarren Duran continued his hot streak since being recalled from Triple-A Worcester with a two-run double (his fourth double in as many games).
Seeing the lineup for a third time, Houck gave up one run in the fifth on a Max Kepler RBI ground-rule double before inducing a Carlos Correa groundout to end the inning. His only other blemish came with two outs in the seventh, when Castro homered on an 0-1 slider before Houck retired Kepler.
“Mechanically, I felt a lot better,” Houck said. “During Spring Training, I was landing a bit more directionally toward home plate. I was opening up my lead hip just a little bit more, causing a little bit of a fly-open, and so my timing was just off. And after talking to [pitching coach Dave Bush] and [bullpen coach Kevin Walker] and everyone here, we got back to landing a bit more crossfire.”
Cora noted that while Thursday wasn’t a rotation “tryout” for Houck, some healthy competition among pitchers vying for a rotation spot, including Josh Winckowski and Kutter Crawford, can be a good thing until the Red Sox have to make a decision.
As far as when that decision will come, Boston will continue to use a six-man rotation through the end of its next road trip (beginning Friday with a three-game series in Milwaukee before three in Baltimore), meaning Houck should get one more start before it's decided who will move to the bullpen.
“I think, for me, I can just go over there and put my best foot forward each time I get the ball,” Houck said. “Regardless of the situation, regardless of starting, relieving, whatever it is. Go out there and put a quality product on the field, let them make the decision from there, and that’s all you can really do.”
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