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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2023 2:53:32 GMT -5
Red Sox’s Josh Winckowski the team’s unsung hero so far: ‘He has been outstanding’
Published: Apr. 22, 2023, 1:42 a.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
MILWAUKEE -- Twenty-one games into the season, it might be too early to name an unsung hero of this Red Sox season. But if there is one, it’s righty Josh Winckowski.
On a night Nick Pivetta threw 5 ⅔ solid innings, Alex Verdugo homered again and Kenley Jansen posted yet another easy save, Winckowski may have been the most important part of Boston’s 5-3 series-opening win over the Brewers. Pitching in relief of Pivetta, the righty struck out four batters in 2 ⅓ scoreless innings as his ERA dropped to 1.65 on the season. With the Red Sox operating with a six-man rotation, they are one man short in the bullpen. Having someone come in and dominate like Winckowski has so far has made life easier on manager Alex Cora.
“(Winckowski) has been outstanding,” Cora said. “We can talk all we want about Dugie and whatever, but this kid, Winc, he put the work in the offseason. He cleaned up a lot of stuff physically, mechanically, mentally. We’re very pleased with the way he’s throwing the ball.”
Winckowski’s up-and-down rookie year as a starter ended poorly as he struggled down the stretch and finished with a 5.89 ERA in 70 ⅓ innings. Entering 2023, he found himself pretty far down the club’s rotation depth chart and was not expected to make the club out of spring training. A strong camp and a series of rotation injuries put Winckowski in the mix for a long relief role. So far, he has savored the opportunity.
Winckowski has already appeared in eight games for the Red Sox, logging 16⅓ innings in the first three weeks of the season. He has allowed just three earned runs and 11 hits while striking out 15 batters. Quietly, he has aptly served a bridge relief role similar to Garrett Whitlock’s dominant multi-inning part in 2021.
On Friday, Winckowski got a quick third out in the sixth inning after Pivetta issued a two-out walk to Brian Anderson with the Red Sox clinging to a 5-3 lead. He tossed a 1-2-3 seventh, then escaped trouble in the eighth by striking out Anderson with runners on the corners and two outs. Winckowski was demonstrative as he came off the mound, screaming and pumping his arms. He bridged the gap to the closer, Jansen, who continued his dominant start to the season with a 1-2-3 ninth.
“Winc did a tremendous job,” Pivetta said. “Kenley closing it down. All in all, a good game.”
Over the winter, the Red Sox made a significant investment in their bullpen, signing Jansen and setup man Chris Martin to multi-year deals while also giving Joely Rodríguez a multi-year contract and obtaining Richard Bleier in a trade for Matt Barnes. The fact that both Winckowski and Kutter Crawford, who allowed one hit in 6 ⅓ scoreless innings as a reliever Monday, have emerged as multi-inning weapons is something of a bonus in a group that is much-improved from last year.
As the Red Sox finish off a stretch of 19 games in 19 days with a six-game road trip to Milwaukee and Baltimore, the fact Winckowski was able to save the bullpen with a pristine performance Friday was meaningful.
“He came in and did his job,” Cora said. “That’s what we’re going to do with Winc and Kutter. When we use them, go multiple innings.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2023 2:58:37 GMT -5
Jarren Duran is making things happen, and the Red Sox are on a bit of a roll By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 22, 2023, 2 hours ago
MILWAUKEE — In what has been a season of stops and starts, the Red Sox are gaining some momentum. The surge has coincided with the return of Jarren Duran.
A more refined approach at the plate has made the center fielder a consistent threat in the bottom third of the lineup and added an element of speed to the offense.
Duran drove in the go-ahead run in Friday night’s 5-3 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers, slamming a single to the left side in the sixth inning.
The Sox have won six of their last eight games and at 11-10 are over .500 for the first time since April 9.
This was a particularly impressive victory as the Brewers came into the game 14-5 and riding a four-game win streak.
Duran is 7 of 17 with four extra-base hits and six RBIs in the last five of those games since being recalled from Triple A Worcester.
“It’s a more athletic lineup,” manager Alex Cora said. “When we play him, he’s explosive … he’s hitting the ball hard.”
Nick Pivetta (1-1) pitched effectively into the sixth inning before Josh Winckowski and Kenley Jansen combined for 3⅓ shutout innings.
It was the fifth save for Jansen, who struck out two in a perfect ninth inning. He has pitched seven scoreless innings in his first season with the Sox and struck out 11.
With 396 saves Jansen moved past Craig Kimbrel for seventh on the all-time list.
Winckowski has worked 16⅓ innings out of the bullpen and allowed only three earned runs.
In their first game at American Family Field since 2017, the Sox took an early 2-0 lead on Brewers starter Freddy Peralta.
It started with some small ball and got much bigger.
Duran led off the third inning with a single and was sacrificed to second by Yu Chang. Alex Verdugo then drove a slider down the right-field line for his third home run, continuing his hot start to the season.
“He’s getting on base and hitting homers but I think the quality of the at-bats have been really good,” Cora said. “He’s doing a lot of stuff well.” Related: Offseason conditioning has made Alex Verdugo lighter, quicker, and stronger
Pivetta could not hold the lead.
After retiring six of the first seven batters he faced, the righthander allowed a single by No. 8 hitter Owen Miller.
Miller stole second and scored on a two-out single to left field by Christian Yelich.
Long-time Red Sox nemesis Rowdy Tellez homered to right field in the fourth inning. The former Blue Jay had not faced the Sox since 2021 but as usual did damage against them.
The home run was his 13th in 36 career games against the Sox.
“That guy always hits against us,” Rafael Devers said. “It’s crazy.”
William Contreras followed with a double to right field. With two outs, Brice Turang singled to shallow right and was waved to the plate by third base coach Jason Lane.
Verdugo had a play, but his strong throw was up the third base line and Contreras scored.
The Red Sox took back the lead in the sixth inning.
Kiké Hernández and Triston Casas drew two-out walks off Peralta, who was replaced by Hoby Milner, a lefty sidearmer.
Cora went to the only righthanded hitter on his bench, Rob Refsynder. He took two strikes, didn’t offer at a curveball in the dirt then singled to right field to drive in Hernández and send Casas to third.
“We had a matchup we liked with Ref, but it all started with the walk,” Cora said.
Duran followed with a low line drive to the left side that had an exit velocity of 100.4 mph. Miller, the third baseman, dove and got his glove on the ball but could not make a play.
“I was just happy he didn’t catch it,” Duran said.
Duran struggled against lefties last season but this year has worked with the hitting coaches on looking for pitches in certain locations. He’s become better at processing the information they provide.
“Before I used to be nervous to ask them. I didn’t want to be that annoying guy,” Duran said. “But now I ask questions and it’s a big difference. It helps.
“I feel so much more comfortable than last year. That’s the biggest thing. I just come in and try to help these guys and not put pressure on myself.”
The Sox had another two-out rally in the seventh inning. Justin Turner drew a walk off Bryse Wilson and came around when Masataka Yoshida doubled deep to the gap in left.
It was Yoshida’s first extra-base hit since April 6.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2023 3:03:35 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Offseason conditioning has made Alex Verdugo lighter, quicker, and stronger By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 21, 2023, 9:05 p.m.
MILWAUKEE — Alex Verdugo was an above-average player in his first three seasons with the Red Sox, but that was as far as it went.
He thought there was more to give.
“I focused in the offseason on just getting better in every aspect,” Verdugo said. “Get faster, feel better swinging, slim down. Just more baseball ready and I think I did that.”
The work had paid off. Verdugo was 2 for 5 with a double and a two-run homer in Friday night’s 5-3 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers. Verdugo has a team best .931 OPS through 21 games along with 10 RBIs.
The Sox list Verdugo at 209 pounds. He said he played most of last season at 215-220 pounds.
“It wasn’t that I lost a lot of weight. I just cleaned it up,” Verdugo said. “I feel quicker on my feet, more athletic and stronger.”
Preparing to play for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic put a priority on offseason conditioning. But it was more than that.
Verdugo turns 27 next month and can be a free agent after the 2024 season. He’s at a point where the Sox will soon have to decide whether he’s worth more than a year-to-year commitment.
“I just want to go out there and play hard,” Verdugo said. “If money is your motivation, you can make anything about it. Run hard and you’ll make more than if you dog it, right?
“For me, the money would be nice. It gives you some reassurance. But I want to win. I want to put up numbers I’m proud of. I know I’m a good baseball player but I want to take that next step and carry a team and get to the postseason.
“If you do that, the money takes care of itself.”
Verdugo, who lives in Arizona, has come to like Boston more than he initially expected when he was acquired from the Dodgers in 2020.
“I love this place. I’m happy here,” he said. “It’s far from home and that part of it really does [stink]. But the other part that makes up [for] it is the historic field, a great organization, the training staff. There’s so many things that I like.
“We’ll talk whenever we talk.”“I love this place. I’m happy here,” he said. “It’s far from home and that part of it really does [stink]. But the other part that makes up [for] it is the historic field, a great organization, the training staff. There’s so many things that I like.
“We’ll talk whenever we talk.”
Sticking with six
For now the Sox are staying with a six-man rotation. Chris Sale is scheduled to face the Orioles in Baltimore on Monday with an extra day off. The same would be true for Corey Kluber on Tuesday.
Cora said it would “most likely” be Tanner Houck on Wednesday unless he is needed in relief before then.
“We’re trying to stretch this as much as possible. I think it’s beneficial for us,” Cora said.
With a day off coming on Thursday, the Sox will likely trim back to a five-man rotation.
“At one point we’re going to have to,” Cora said.
Houck steps up
One of the messages given the Sox players during spring training was about the importance of getting involved in the community, something that had fallen off in recent years.
Houck was listening.
He has established a relationship with The Home for Little Wanderers, the oldest child welfare agency in the country and plans to visit their facilities at least once a month during the season.
It started by spending time at the Harrington House, a group home in Dorchester, on Wednesday.
“If I can do something to help one person it’ll be worth it,” said Houck, who also hosted 10 children at Fenway on Thursday.
For Houck, it’s personal. His sister, Reanna, was adopted by his family when she was 4.
“It’s a big issue, kids finding homes,” he said. “I know from talking to her what it means to them. Anything I can do to help, I want to do.” Getting in balance
With Adam Duvall on the injured list, the Sox are carrying four lefthanded-hitting outfielders (Verdugo, Jarren Duran, Raimel Tapia, and Masataka Yoshida) and one righthanded hitter in Rob Refsynder. To achieve some balance, Cora plans to use righthanded-hitting Kiké Hernández in center field against lefthanded pitchers. He’ll play the infield against righthanders. “I’m really good with that,” Cora said … Righthander Chris Martin, who was placed on the injured list Sunday with shoulder inflammation, has made good progress and should start playing catch during the road trip. “That one is trending in the right direction as far as strength,” Cora said … Lefthander Joely Rodriguez, who has been out all season with an oblique strain, has started throwing in the bullpen in Fort Myers. That’s the start of a progression likely to take at least 3-4 weeks.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2023 3:10:17 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Brewers Saturday, 22nd 2023 7pm @ American Family Field
Whitlock 1-1/ 4.50
Miley 2-1/ 4.50
Written by Kevin V.
On Saturday, the Boston Red Sox (10-10, 5th AL East) play the middle game of a three-game interleague series on the road against the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers (14-5, 1st NL Central). Boston defeated the Minnesota Twins 11-5 on Thursday, scoring six runs in the third inning. The Red Sox have won five of the last seven. Milwaukee defeated the Seattle Mariners 5-3 on Wednesday for their fourth consecutive win and the sixth win in the last seven. Boston will play without four pitchers as well as position players Trevor Story, Adalberto Mondesi and Adam Duvall. Milwaukee will play without 7 pitchers as well as position players Garrett Mitchell, Tyrone Taylor and Luis Urias.
Boston’s strength is at the plate The Boston Red Sox have scored the third most runs in baseball with 111. Boston has a team batting average of.247 which is 17th, an on-base percentage of .327 which is 14th and the 10th-best slugging percentage at .420. Rafael Devers has hit a team-best 7 home runs while the next closest is Adam Duvall with four dingers, but the center fielder is on the injured list. Devers is the leader in RBIs with 18 and the next closest active player is Enrique Hernandez with nine RBIs. Boston has hit 41 doubles, two triples and 24 home runs in 20 games.
Boston has shown signs of better performances on the mound, but the Red Sox continue to struggle. Boston is 24th in team ERA at 5.19 and 18th in WHIP at 1.36. The starting rotation for Boston has only three Quality Starts which is 26th and the pitching staff as a whole is allowing opponents to average .255 at the plate, which is 21st. Chris Sale has a team-best 30 strikeouts and Tanner Houck has a team-high three wins. Garrett Whitlock gets the nod on the mound Saturday for Boston. This season the right-hander is 1-1 with an ERA of 4.50 and 10 strikeouts.
Milwaukee's key to success is its pitching staff The Milwaukee Brewers have the second-best team ERA in all of baseball at 2.96 and the fourth-best WHIP at 1.16. Milwaukee's pitching staff is holding opposing hitters to an average .219 which is the fifth lowest in baseball and the starting rotation has posted 8 Quality Starts which is tied for sixth best. Freddy Peralta is the team leader in strikeouts with 19 and Eric Lauer is the leader in victories with three. Milwaukee will hand the ball to Wade Miley on Saturday. This season, the southpaw is 2-1 with an ERA of 1.50 and 14 strikeouts.
Milwaukee has the 8th-best team batting average in baseball at .257 and is also eighth in on-base percentage at .336. Milwaukee's slugging percentage is 14th best at .404 and the Brewers have produced 95 runs which is 11th. Rowdy Tellez is leading Milwaukee in home runs with five and is second in RBI with 14, while Bryan Anderson is the leader in RBI with 15. Milwaukee has hit 24 doubles, one triple and 23 home runs in the first 19 games of the regular season.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2023 8:39:05 GMT -5
Lou Merloni @loumerloni · 2h Duran continues to look like a different hitter. Winckowski continues to dominate. Jansen is a lock. Now Crawford is ready in the pen. Need 1 more and Sox win another Series vs a 1st place team. Every team in AL East is over 500. That’s it
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2023 10:39:02 GMT -5
Red Sox’s Alex Verdugo meeting Alex Cora’s challenge but hungry for more after 21 games Published: Apr. 22, 2023, 11:30 a.m.
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com MILWAUKEE -- On the final day of last season, Red Sox manager Alex Cora challenged outfielder Alex Verdugo to take a leap forward in 2023. So far, that challenge has been met — and more.
Verdugo is off to a torrid start this season, hitting .341 with three homers, 10 RBIs and a .931 OPS while playing in all 21 of Boston’s games to start the season. He has homered in each of the last two games and opened the scoring Friday with a 2-0 shot that put the Sox ahead in an eventual 5-3 win over the Brewers. After an average 2022 season during which his numbers regressed across the board, Verdugo has been as consistent as it gets early this year.
“He’s swinging the bat well,” Cora said. “I thought he swung the bat well in the second part of the season last year. He was getting on base and hitting homers. I think the quality of the at-bats when he started hitting fourth last year, it was really good.”
Cora’s well-documented challenge to Verdugo on Oct. 5 clearly lit a fire under the outfielder. With the team concerned about his conditioning and pregame routine throughout last season, Verdugo entered the winter with a clear goal of showing up to spring training leaner and in better baseball shape. He immediately impressed team officials with his body when he arrived in Fort Myers, passing his first test of 2023.
Almost a month into the regular season, he has passed other tests as well. In right field, he ranks in the 94th percentile in outs above average, up significantly from the 11th percentile in 2022. His sprint speed has increased from 26.8 ft/s to 27.4 ft/s. His arm strength is now in the 93rd percentile in the game. Sometimes, Cora said, it’s like seeing a different player.
“He’s doing a lot of other stuff well,” Cora said. “That throw to the plate (Friday), that was a good throw. We haven’t seen that in a while. He’s running the bases well.
“We’re very pleased with the way he’s playing,” Cora said.
Verdugo directly attributes his hot start to Cora’s challenge but is making a point not to get ahead of himself. He noted that the Sox are just 21 games (or 13%) of the way into a long 162-game season.
“He just wanted me to better in every regard,” Verdugo said. “He wanted my arm to be better, he wanted my defense to be better. He wanted my baserunning to be better. He wanted my running to be better. It was just a generalized everything.
“He was just adamant about making that next step,” he added. “Everybody’s told me there’s another step in there, another gear. I think this year is just the year I’m fully challenging myself to bring it every day, not to have those days where you’re going through the motions. Find a way — whatever you have, whatever percentage your body’s at that day, find a way to get it ready and firing for game speed as best as you can.”
Cora won’t take all the credit.
“I don’t think the challenge has to do with it,” the manager said. “At the end, you look around the league and the business side of it. He’s a good player. You look around, and he probably looks around his class and where they’re at right now. Maybe that’s kind of like, ‘If I want to get paid or I want to be that type of player, I’ve got to be better.’ I think it was more about what he needed to do personally to get to this level.”
In Verdugo, the Red Sox are getting something they haven’t in quite some time — consistent production out of the leadoff spot. The 26-year-old has led off 15 times so far and seems to be embracing the role. During spring training, Cora identified Verdugo as a potential table-setter for Rafael Devers, Justin Turner and Masataka Yoshida. So far, so good.
“I’m embracing that I’m going to get five (plate appearances) every day,” Verdugo said. “There’s no, ‘Shoot for one hit.’ Just go out there and have five good at-bats. Whether the results are the results doesn’t matter to me.
“I feel good and the thing is that it’s not me trying to force results or make big swings and hit the ball for power,” he added. “I’m trying to spray it from line to line. I’m trying to hit fastballs to left center, hit off-speed to right. I’m really just trying to stay inside the zone.”
The vociferous Verdugo is never shy, but it’s clear his hot start to the season has led to an even louder and more active presence in Boston’s clubhouse. After a walk-off single to beat the Twins on Tuesday, Verdugo made headlines for dropping multiple expletives on NESN’s live broadcast. Late Friday night, after another strong performance, he was chirping teammates in the visitor’s clubhouse at American Family Field and singing loudly. One teammate playfully joked that Verdugo is “unbearable when he’s on a hot streak.”
Both on and off the field, Verdugo has grown into his own so far this year.
“Just trying to keep everything light, keep it fun,” he said. “This is early in the season. I’m a big believer that when you bring energy, people feed off of it. No matter how much it is, whether it’s fake energy or real energy, it starts feeding off people and it helps everybody loosen up a little bit.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2023 13:42:54 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe It's snowing at Wrigley Field and here in Milwaukee it's 41 degrees and raining.
All hail the roof. 2:02 PM · Apr 22, 2023 ·
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2023 13:43:25 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1h Kenley Jansen is averaging 94.8 mph with his cutter, the hardest he's thrown it in several years.
Several of the Sox pitchers were marveling about Jansen yesterday.
"It's crazy how good he has been," Tanner Houck said. "You watch him pitch and shake your head."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2023 14:38:41 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 9m A few #RedSox notes:
* Hernández has hit safely in 8 games at 12x29 with 9 runs, 3 XBH. * Verdugo has at least one hit in 16 of the 20 games. * Sox 8-0 leading after 6. * Bullpen last 8 games: 31.2 IP, 8 ER, 36 K. * Sox (11-10) have not been two games over .500 since 7-22-22.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2023 15:15:29 GMT -5
Whitlock vs Miley
1. Alex Verdugo (L) RF 2. Justin Turner (R) 1B 3. Rob Refsnyder (R) LF 4. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 5. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF 6. Masataka Yoshida (L) DH 7. Christian Arroyo (R) 2B 8. Connor Wong (R) C 9. Yu Chang (R) SS
1. Christian Yelich (L) LF 2. Jesse Winker (L) DH 3. Willy Adames (R) SS 4. Rowdy Tellez (L) 1B 5. William Contreras (R) C 6. Brian Anderson (R) 3B 7. Brice Turang (L) 2B 8. Joey Wiemer (R) CF 9. Blake Perkins (S) RF
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2023 16:39:43 GMT -5
Tom Caron @tomcaron · 23m How much does it mean to have an established closer? Kenley Jansen has 5 saves (in 5 opportunities) after 21 games this season.
After 21 games last season no Sox reliever had more than 1.
After 162 games last season no Sox reliever had more than 8.
#RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2023 16:40:49 GMT -5
Boston Globe for the 2nd straight Saturday Line up and notes no where to be found......
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2023 17:49:54 GMT -5
Tom Caron @tomcaron · 16m Alex Verdugo’s turnaround from 2022, per @fangraphs
-K rate is 11%, down from 13.4% last year.
-BB rate is 8.8%, up from 6.5 % last year.
-Defense: +0.7 rating, up from -9.6 last year.
#RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2023 18:59:31 GMT -5
Jesus Christ Whitlock serving up a 2 run meatball to Rowdy Tellez Whhitlock, should be in the bullpen in an ideal world
anyway
3-0 Brew Crew
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 22, 2023 19:13:11 GMT -5
and I am still angry about Yoshida getting a hit earlier and then getting picked off.
Red Sox spent big money on this guy, been a clunker, then again most of Bloom Ball is a clunker.
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