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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2023 9:21:32 GMT -5
Bello vs Burnes
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. Jarren Duran (L) CF 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. Brian Anderson (R) 3B 6. Victor Caratini (S) C 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 23, 2023 12:28:13 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1h Tte #RedSox emergency catcher is … Triston Casas.
McGuire doesn’t need the IL, although they may stay away from him for a day or two.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2023 19:00:50 GMT -5
Masataka Yoshida homers twice (with grand slam) in 9-run inning as Red Sox beat Brewers, 12-5
Updated: Apr. 23, 2023, 6:14 p.m.|Published: Apr. 23, 2023, 5:14 p.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
MILWAUKEE -- For a moment late Sunday afternoon, it looked like the Red Sox had squandered a three-run lead and would travel to Baltimore having wasted an opportunity. Then came Boston’s best offensive inning in quite some time.
Boston plated nine runs in the eighth inning — including five on two Masataka Yoshida homers (a solo shot and a grand slam) — to come back and blow out the Brewers, 12-5, in the rubber match of a three-game series at American Family Field. Shortly after handing Milwaukee the lead in the seventh, Boston’s offense exploded to secure a win; the Sox are back above .500 at 12-11.
Any good feelings the Brewers had after taking the lead from a wild Kaleb Ort in the seventh inning quickly faded. Facing reliever Matt Bush, Justin Turner tied the game, 4-4, with a leadoff solo shot in the eighth, then Yoshida went back-to-back with a solo shot of his own that put the Sox ahead. Two more runs scored on a Connor Wong single, then the Sox took a four-run lead when Javy Guerra walked Turner with the bases loaded. With two outs, Yoshida launched a 407-foot grand slam to right field to break things open at 12-4.
Before the late madness was a tight game the Red Sox let the Brewers back into. In the first, the Sox got on the board quickly in the first when Alex Verdugo led off with a single and Yoshida drove him home with a sacrifice fly. In the second, Boston used small ball to put two more runs on the board. A Triston Casas walk was followed by a Jarren Duran single, then after Wong bunted both runners into scoring position with a single, Verdugo worked a bases-loaded walk to make it 2-0. Rafael Devers’ sacrifice fly put the Sox up, 3-0.
Brayan Bello cruised through three innings before Brian Anderson took him deep on an opposite-field solo homer in the fourth. In the fifth, Joey Wiemer hit a leadoff double, then scored to make it a one-run game on a Christian Yelich RBI single. Willy Adames’ sacrifice fly tied the game. Bello was better than he was in his brutal season debut Monday but still failed to get through five innings, surrendering three runs on five hits in 4 ⅔ frames.
Ort handed the Brewers the lead in the seventh by issuing three walks and bouncing a wild pitch that allowed the go-ahead run to score. Anderson hit a solo shot off John Schreiber to make it 12-5 in the bottom of the eighth.
The Red Sox won their third straight series, marking the first time they have accomplished that feat since June 3-26, 2022, when they won seven straight. They are now 6-3 in series this season and have won seven of their last 10. Boston is 4-10 when trailing after seven innings this season.
Yoshida breaks out
Yoshida, who rode an 0-for-17 slump at one point last week, had his best game in a Red Sox uniform. The rookie was 2-for-4 with two homers, six RBIs and two runs in the victory. In a single game, his OPS rose from .619 to .729.
Per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, Yoshida became the first Red Sox player to hit two home runs in a single inning since David Ortiz did it in 2008. A total of five Sox players have ever done it (Yoshida, Ortiz, Nomar Garciaparra, Ellis Burks and Bill Regan).
Orioles up next
The Red Sox will travel to Baltimore on Sunday night ahead of a three-game divisional series against the Orioles at Camden Yards. It will be the second of four series between the clubs this year; the Sox took two of three from Baltimore to open the series at home.
Here is the schedule (as well as pitching probables):
Monday, 6:35 p.m. ET -- LHP Chris Sale (1-1, 8.00 ERA) vs. RHP Dean Kremer (1-0, 6.16 ERA)
Tuesday, 6:35 p.m. ET -- RHP Corey Kluber (0-4, 8.50 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Bradish (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Wednesday, 1:05 p.m. ET -- TBD (likely RHP Tanner Houck) vs. RHP Tyler Wells (0-1, 2.70 ERA)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2023 19:02:33 GMT -5
Red Sox’s Masataka Yoshida ‘honored’ to match David Ortiz’s home run achievement 15 years later
Published: Apr. 23, 2023, 7:08 p.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
MILWAUKEE -- Masataka Yoshida joined elite company in the eighth inning Sunday — and had his Red Sox coming-out party in the process.
Yoshida became the first Sox player to hit two home runs in the same inning since David Ortiz did so in Aug. 2008, and he did it in style. His solo shot off Matt Bush put the Sox up, 5-4, and his upper-deck grand slam off Javy Guerra later in the inning broke things open in an eventual 12-5 win.
Yoshida became just the fourth Red Sox hitter since 1969 to smash two homers in a single inning, joining Ortiz, Nomar Garciaparra (2002) and Ellis Burks (1990). He finished the game with six RBIs and saw his OPS rise more than 100 points (from .619 to .729) in a single afternoon.
For a player who has struggled in his first month in the majors, the display served as something of a relief. Yoshida appreciated being mentioned in the same breath as Ortiz, a Hall of Famer.
“I’m really honored to hit the same as a Red Sox legend,” he said through interpreter Keiichiro Wakabayashi.
Yoshida rode an 0-for-18 slump into Thursday, when he had two hits and two RBIs in Boston’s series-clinching home win over the Twins. In the last four games, he is 7-for-17 (.411) with nine RBIs. He credits the improvement to some mechanical changes he made with the coaching staff in recent days. Yoshida said he has tried to have a more open stance that allows him to see the pitcher with both eyes.
“I feel more comfortable than before this series,” he said.
In Japan, Yoshida always hit for average but also showed power throughout his career, launching 133 homers in 762 NPB games. He hit 29 bombs in 2019 and was the NPB’s home run derby winner just two years ago. Before Sunday, power had not been a huge part of his performance in the majors. Yoshida had not homered since April 3, when he launched an opposite-field shot against the Pirates at home.
In the eighth inning Sunday, he got two pitches he didn’t miss. First, he sat on a Bush curveball that he lined over the right field fence with an exit velocity of 108.9 mph. After the Sox batted around, he crushed a Guerra slider into the second deck at American Family Field, hitting it 407 feet with an exit velocity of 105.4 mph.
“Obviously, there are some adjustments and there are some things that he knows he needs to do as far as hitting the ball hard in the air,” said manager Alex Cora. “He got two pitches today. The second one, that was fun to watch.”
Yoshida’s homers helped power Boston to its best offensive inning of the young season. Trailing, 4-3, after Kaleb Ort handed the Brewers the lead with walks and a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh, the Sox tagged Milwaukee’s bullpen for nine runs. Justin Turner (solo homer, bases-loaded walk) and Connor Wong (two-run single) did their part. But Yoshida was the star.
“I told him I was going to do the same thing but he didn’t throw me a strike my second at-bat,” Turner said. “Happy for him. Obviously, grinding a little bit early and for him to take these quality at-bats, this whole series really, it has been spectacular. To get some good results, not only is it good for him, but it’s good for the Red Sox.”
Yoshida said Sunday was the first time he had ever hit two homers in a single inning at any level. He hopes it’s a sign of good things to come.
“This is a really good day for me, but we are in the beginning of the season so I would like to keep preparing and playing hard during the season,” he said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2023 19:05:25 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 2h The Red Sox have won 5 of 7 series so far. (Would have been nice not to have been obliterated in the other 2.)
Frustrating few weeks there for Yoshida, but he's clearly coming around and after today he's at 76 PA, 3 HR, 8 BB, 9 K, 102 wRC+.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2023 19:07:35 GMT -5
J.P. Long @soxnotes · 2h The Red Sox are 7-3 in their last 10 games.
They have won 3 consecutive series, each against a team that entered the series in first place (3-1 vs. LAA, 2-1 vs. MIN, 2-1 at MIL).
The Red Sox have won 4 games in which they trailed after 7 innings. That already matches their total from 2022.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2023 19:12:13 GMT -5
Bring out the dumbbells! Yoshida homers twice, hits grand slam in 8th Japanese slugger's two-HR inning continued the Red Sox's knack for comeback wins 58 minutes ago
Tim Stebbins
MILWAUKEE -- Masataka Yoshida couldn’t recall a time in his baseball life where he had hit two home runs in one inning. But in the eighth inning Sunday at American Family Field in Milwaukee, one turn with the Red Sox’s celebratory inflatable dumbbells just wasn’t enough. Yoshida hit two homers -- including his first MLB grand slam -- in the eighth as the Red Sox scored nine times to knock off the Brewers, 12-5. He became the first player to hit two home runs, including at least one grand slam, in one inning since Edwin Encarnación did so with the Blue Jays on July 26, 2013.
What’s more, he’s only the fourth Red Sox player to hit multiple home runs in an inning, joining Hall of Famer David Ortiz (Aug. 12, 2008), Nomar Garciaparra (July 23, 2002) and Ellis Burks (Aug. 27, 1990).
“I'm really honored to record this,” Yoshida said through an interpreter. “I'm really honored to [be alongside] Red Sox legends.”
He also happened to pull off the feat on the 24-year anniversary of former Cardinal Fernando Tatis hitting two grand slams in one inning against the Dodgers.
The Red Sox trailed 4-3 entering the eighth, a deficit they quickly erased on a solo homer by Justin Turner to lead off the frame. Yoshida made it back to back against Brewers reliever Matt Bush, crushing a 374-foot blast to right field that gave Boston the lead.
The Red Sox tacked on three insurance runs by the time Yoshida’s spot in the lineup came up again with the bases loaded. And when Milwaukee’s Javy Guerra left him a slider on the inner part of the plate, he made him pay, sending it 407 feet to right field for the slam.
“Masa, he doesn’t miss those,” manager Alex Cora said of the two homers, which had 108.9 and 105.4 mph exit velocities.
It was an encouraging performance for both Yoshida and the Red Sox. He was one of their top signings this past offseason but has gotten off to a slow start at the plate his first few weeks in Major League Baseball. Yoshida entered the day hitting .213/.324/.295 with only three extra-base hits in 16 games. His average exit velocity ranked in the ninth percentile, and his hard hit rate ranked in the 34th percentile. However, there were a few signs recently hinting towards a breakout performance. “Intent,” Cora said. “Staying the other way. He swings at the right ones, obviously. There are some adjustments, and there's things that he knows he needs to do to start hitting the ball hard in the air. He got two pitches today. The second one, that was fun to watch.”
Yoshida mentioned an adjustment to open his batting stance slightly to help see pitchers with both of his eyes better. He feels more comfortable timing-wise now and felt a day like Sunday coming. “This is a really good day for me,” Yoshida said. “But still, we are in the beginning of the season. So, I would like to keep preparing, keep playing hard during the season.”
The Red Sox improved to 7-3 over their last 10 games. They’ve won three straight series for the first time since last June, and Sunday continued one of their more impressive early-season trends: showing a knack for pulling off comeback victories.
Boston entered the day first in Major League Baseball with eight comeback wins. Nine of the Red Sox's 12 wins this season have been of the come-from-behind variety, but only one other came when trailing as late as Sunday. They were down 2-1 to the Twins after seven innings Tuesday and won 5-4 in 10 innings.
“Shouldn’t be a surprise by now,” Turner said. “We’ve been seeing it all year. It doesn’t matter what the score is. These guys don’t give anything away, keep fighting, clawing, taking good at-bats. We’re never out of a game.”
“That's our team, that's our chemistry and that's how we are,” third baseman Rafael Devers said Saturday through interpreter Carlos Villoria -- after Boston nearly pulled out another comeback win. “No matter how many runs we're down, we'll fight back. That's our mentality. That's something that we're not going to stop doing. We're going to fight until the last out, even if we’re down a lot of runs or one run.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 23, 2023 19:15:52 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Triston Casas throws mask in as potential Red Sox emergency catcher By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated April 23, 2023, 57 minutes ago
MILWAUKEE — Connor Wong caught the first six innings for the Red Sox against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night before Reese McGuire pinch hit for him.
McGuire took a foul ball off his right hand in the eighth inning, and needed a few minutes before he got back behind the plate. He finished out the game despite his hand swelling up, but it raised the question: Who is the emergency catcher?
Manager Alex Cora didn’t have an answer at first. But he found one on Sunday: Triston Casas. The first baseman told Cora over breakfast he would be able to catch if needed.
“Oh, I can catch,” Casas said after the Sox beat the Brewers, 12-5. “I caught some games in high school.”
Asked who he resembled most as a catcher, Casas didn’t pause.
“Matt Wieters all day,” he said. “One knee down, just nice and easy. I can frame pitches, too.”
That drew a chuckle from teammate Nick Pivetta.
“Let’s just focus on catching the ball first,” he told Casas.
Casas was undeterred in his confidence.
“If they need me, I can catch,” he said. “No problem.”
At 6-foot-5, 244 pounds, Casas would be a good target, at least. Cora joked that the pitchers won’t have trouble seeing the signs because Casas has taken to painting his fingernails.
“Hopefully we don’t have to use him,” Cora said.
Super utilityman Kiké Hernández seemed like a good candidate. He has played every other position on the field, including pitcher, but not catcher.
“I caught a few bullpens with the Dodgers but that was it,” he said. “That’s not for me.”
Said Cora: “Kiké gets paid by the Red Sox. If we need him, he’s going to do it.”
Kenley Jansen came up as a catcher before becoming one of the best closers of his generation, but Cora and every coach on the staff would get fired if they put a pitcher making $16 million a year behind the plate.
McGuire didn’t play Sunday, and will probably get Monday off as well. But he’s feeling better.
“I’ll be OK,” he said. “I was doing better [Sunday]. The way that ball hit me I was worried at first, but whenever they need me, I can go.” Running O’s next
The Sox open a three-game series at Baltimore on Monday night with Chris Sale facing Dean Kremer. The Orioles lost two of three at Fenway Park in the first series of the season, but scored 23 runs on 38 hits and stole 10 bases in as many attempts.
Baltimore is 25 of 28 on stolen bases for the season. Cedric Mullins and Jorge Mateo have 17 of the swipes.
“Avoid Mateo and Mullins getting on base, that’s very important,” Cora said. “There were so many base runners in that first series it was crazy.”
Opposing teams have stolen only 10 bases in 15 attempts against the Sox in the 20 games since that opening series, three in the last 11 games.
“I think the pitchers have done an amazing job using the pitch clock to their advantage, slowing it down and being quick when they have to be and giving the catchers a chance to throw guys out,” Cora said. Duran on a roll
Jarren Duran is 9 of 21 (.429) with 4 runs, 2 stolen bases, 3 walks, and 6 RBIs in six starts . . . James Paxton is scheduled to continue his minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday night with a start for Triple A Worcester at Polar Park. The lefthander has already made four minor league appearances. How he would fit into the major league staff is uncertain . . . Javy Guerra, who pitched 1⅔ innings for the Brewers and allowed five runs, is a former Red Sox shortstop prospect who went to the Padres in the deal that sent Craig Kimbrel to Boston in 2015. Guerra, who played with Rafael Devers in the minors, became a pitcher in 2019 . . . NESN’s Jahmai Webster and Will Flemming of the Sox Radio Network took a pre-game trip down the Bernie Brewer slide in left field at American Family Field and managed to avoid any injuries. (Dodgers broadcaster David Vassegh broke his wrist and six ribs on it last summer.) Joe Castiglione declined a trip.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 23, 2023 21:22:43 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 That's a huge factor, imo. I don't think anyone wanted to close last year. We had enough guys that could pitch the 6-7-8, but you need someone that looks forward to the 9th inning.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 23, 2023 21:23:54 GMT -5
Boston Globe for the 2nd straight Saturday Line up and notes no where to be found......
That's because they have nothing negative to say.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 23, 2023 21:27:55 GMT -5
He gets the hook with Rowdy coming up Blier is on the bump Red Sox turn 2 run plates 5- 2 Brew Crew
5th Rowdy is a Red Sox killer. It's uncanny how a player can have such good numbers against a particular team.
It's not the outcome we wanted, but it was a good game. That said, I'm not a fan of our heavy right-handed line up when we face a lefty starter.
Let's take the series today.The Cubs use to have someone that absolutely owned Tom Seaver. The guy wasn't even a regular, but He must've hit .500 against Seaver.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Apr 23, 2023 21:40:12 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
================================
Most of the writers continue to ignore BABIP. They look at the stats on the back of his BB card. His true stats are:
-0- HRs with a 7/2 K/W. If he continues on the pace, his OPS will be about .600. He either needs more HRs, or fewer strikeouts.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Apr 24, 2023 1:33:55 GMT -5
Boston Globe for the 2nd straight Saturday Line up and notes no where to be found......
That's because they have nothing negative to say. Odd, nothing negative on the Bruins, Celtics or Pats.
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