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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 13, 2023 2:27:09 GMT -5
Kenley Jansen blows save, Red Sox lose after James Paxton K’s 9 in comeback Published: May. 12, 2023, 10:28 p.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com BOSTON — The evening began well for Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen. It didn’t end well though.
The team honored the righty before Friday’s game for reaching 400 career saves Wednesday in Atlanta. But Jansen then blew a save opportunity in the ninth inning, giving up three runs, including a two-run homer to Cardinals’ Nolan Gorman.
The Red Sox lost 8-6 to St. Louis at Fenway Park on Friday.
Jansen allowed a homer, double, single and walk.
He’s converted 9-for-11 save opportunities this season.
Red Sox take 6-5 lead in the eighth Cardinals reliever Génesis Cabrera couldn’t throw strikes in the eighth inning and the Red Sox made him pay.
Cabrera opened the inning with walks to Masataka Yoshida and Justin Turner.
Rafael Devers then connected for the game-tying RBI double on a 2-0 fastball. It left his bat at 108.2 mph.
Righty Ryan Helsley replaced Cabrera. Raimel Tapia grounded to second baseman Tommy Edman who couldn’t make a play at the plate with Bobby Dalbec, the pinch runner for Turner, scoring from third base. Edman failed to transfer the ball cleanly from his glove to his hand and had to settle for the out at first base.
James Paxton K’s 9 James Paxton, who hadn’t pitched in a major league game since April 6, 2021, returned Friday to strike out nine batters in 5 innings.
Paxton underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2021. A Grade 2 lat tear ended his comeback attempt last season. He then began this season on the 15-day injured list because of a strained left hamstring.
He gave up a two-run homer to Nolan Arenado in the first inning, then settled in nicely. He allowed just two runs, four hits and one walk.
He threw 53 four-seam fastballs, averaging 96.3 mph and topping out at 97.8 mph, per Baseball Savant. He added 20 cutters and 14 knuckle-curveballs.
He got 10 whiffs with his fastball and two with his curve.
Enmanuel Valdez homers with family in stands Red Sox rookie Enmanuel Valdez put the Red Sox ahead 3-2 in the fifth inning with a 381-foot solo home run to right field.
Valdez’s family traveled from the Dominican Republic to watch him play for the first time Friday. They will be here for all three games against the Cardinals, then two games against the Mariners on Monday and Tuesday.
“I really don’t know how to explain it,” Valdez said earlier this week. “That’s going to be a great experience to be able to do that for them. And for them to be coming to the states, coming to a big league park for the first time, and to see their son play in the big leagues, it’s gonna be a big moment.” e. Valdez, Connor Wong goes back-to-back Connor Wong followed Valdez’s homer with one of his own. He crushed a 420-foot homer that left his bat at 104.8 mph. It put Boston ahead 4-2.
Winckowski, Bleier squander lead Josh Winckowski replaced Paxton to start the sixth inning. The righty has dominated this season but he gave up three runs on four hits (one homer) and recorded just two outs.
He left with the game tied 4-4 and a runner at third base. Lefty Richard Bleier replaced him to face the left-handed hitting Lars Nootbaar who doubled to put the Cardinals ahead 5-4.
Bleier has been terrible against left-handed hitters this year. Lefties are 9-for-19 (.474) with two homers and one double against him.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 13, 2023 2:28:59 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 6h Winckowski struck out 15 of 64 to start the year (23%). He's struck out 4 of his last 33 (12%). Something to monitor as he's earned more important innings.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 13, 2023 6:06:29 GMT -5
Wasteful Red Sox lineup and bullpen implosions spoil James Paxton’s strong season debut Despite Paxton’s 9 strikeouts, the Red Sox fell to the Cardinals 8-6.
By Gabrielle Starr | gstarr@bostonherald.com | PUBLISHED: May 12, 2023 at 11:04 p.m. | UPDATED: May 12, 2023 at 11:14 p.m.
It had been 767 days since James Paxton’s last start in the majors.
Back then, he had just returned to the Seattle Mariners after two seasons with the New York Yankees. On April 6, 2021, he made his season debut, threw 1.1 innings, and departed with left elbow discomfort.
Since then, he’s had Tommy John surgery, signed a contract with the Red Sox, suffered a season-ending Grade 2 lat tear in his first rehab game last summer, and missed the first several weeks of the ongoing season.
Finally, on the 768th day, he took the mound again during an 8-6 loss to the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.
The veteran southpaw’s rehab games had been a very mixed bag, with far too many walks and earned runs, and after more than two years out of the game, expectations were low.
That made it easy for him to clear the bar. Over five innings in his season debut (and Red Sox debut), Paxton held the St. Louis Cardinals to two earned runs on four hits, issued a walk, and struck out nine. His velocity was consistent, and he induced 12 swings and misses. Even with the two-run homer to Nolan Arenado in the first inning, it was an impressive season (and Red Sox) debut.
“That was fun to watch,” manager Alex Cora said. “He looked like the guy that was pitching in Seattle a while ago.”
“I felt like myself out there again,” Paxton said with a smile. “It was really nice to be pitching in a big-league stadium again, with all that adrenaline.”
“Honestly, it kind of felt like my debut all over again,” he added. “After it being so long, all those emotions, you know? You’re nervous, you’re excited.”
The good vibes continued in the bottom of the fifth when Enmanuel Valdez led off with a 381-foot go-ahead home run, and Connor Wong followed with a 420-footer to dead-center.
When Valdez made his major league debut on April 19, his first call was to his father, who told him, “We finally made it.”
Unfortunately, the rookie’s call-up happened so quickly that his parents were unable to get to Boston in time. On Friday night, they were finally able to come see their son in a major league game, just in time for his second career homer.
If only the story of this game ended there.
But things took a sharp turn into bad-vibes territory in the following frame. Paxton felt like he could’ve pitched another inning, but his manager decided it was better to be safe than sorry with the newly-returned starter.
It turned out, they’d end up being sorry for different reasons. Josh Winckowski took over and immediately gave up a 408-foot home run to Willson Contreras, followed by three straight singles. Paul DeJong hit into a double play to re-tie the game, but the damage was done, and so was Winckowski.
Richard Bleier replaced him and gave up a go-ahead RBI double to Lars Nootbaar before finally getting out of the inning. The southpaw continues to struggle against lefties, who are 9-for-19 against him this year.
On the whole, the Red Sox lineup has been markedly quieter this week. Entering Friday night’s game, they’d scored 16 runs over their last four games, after plating 33 runs over the previous four.
They entered the game 21-7 when they score four or more runs, and tagged legendary Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright for four earned runs on seven hits.
Even so, the home team struggled to get out of their own way.
It’s not that they couldn’t hit; they collected nine hits to the Cardinals’ 14. But the home team also went 1-2-3 in each of the first three frames, and hit into three inning-ending double plays by the end of the sixth. By game’s end, they’d had six 1-2-3 innings.
Thanks to an RBI double by Rafael Devers and a game-tying ground-out by Raimel Tapia, the Red Sox took a one-run lead into the ninth, and turned to their closer. But fresh off earning his 400th career save in the previous game, Kenley Jansen wasn’t his usual dominant self. He walked the leadoff batter on four straight pitches, gave up a game-tying single to blow the save, then gave up his first home run of the season, a towering shot by pinch-hitter Nolan Gorman.
Tommy Edman was 0-for-4 before following Gorman’s homer with a double, and he was the last batter Jansen faced before Cora called for Ryan Brasier. In a ‘Freaky Friday’-esque switcheroo, Brasier proceeded to get three quick outs.
At least the Red Sox aren’t concerned about Jansen being injured. He took a few days off with back discomfort a couple of weeks ago, but this time, his manager said it was just a rough outing, possibly tied to his significant career milestone earlier in the week. Jansen became just the seventh pitcher in MLB history to reach the 400-save mark on Wednesday night, and was honored on the field alongside his wife and children before Friday night’s game.
“(Bad games) gonna happen, right? The last two days have been very heavy emotionally,” Cora explained.
The flame-throwing Ryan Helsley remained in the game for the bottom of the ninth, and overpowered the Red Sox. The righty began the frame with 10 consecutive pitches of at least 100 mph, and struck the Boston batters out 1-2-3.
It’s a frustrating loss on many levels. The Cardinals came to town with a 13-25 record, the Red Sox were 19-0 when leading after eight innings. In many ways, it was a winnable game; they’ve won several like it this year.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 13, 2023 6:09:47 GMT -5
James Paxton offers a glimpse of hope for the Red Sox rotation By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated May 12, 2023, 11:35 p.m.
From the time that he arrived at Fenway Park, almost exactly four hours before his scheduled first pitch, Friday marked a landmark in the career of James Paxton.
It had been 766 days since the lefthander stepped on a big league mound in a game on April 6, 2021, an outing that lasted just 21 pitches before he walked off the field with a torn ulnar collateral ligament. Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2021 season with the Mariners, and he endured enough setbacks in his recovery as a Red Sox in 2022 that he proved unable to pitch at all last year.
And so, the mere fact that he took the mound — more than 17 months after he signed a one-year, $6 million deal in November 2021 that included a player option for the 2023 season — represented a watershed moment.
“Honestly, it kind of felt like my debut all over again after being so long,” said Paxton. “All those emotions — you’re nervous, you’re excited, all that.”
The excitement only built for the Red Sox once he took the mound. Though he was credited with a no-decision in an eventual 8-6 loss to the Cardinals, Paxton’s performance proved eye-opening for a team whose surprisingly strong early season start will require substantial improvement from its rotation if the Red Sox are to remain in the postseason hunt.
Over five innings, the 34-year-old allowed just the two runs on four hits (two each for reigning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt and star third baseman Nolan Arenado, and none for any other Cardinals), walking one and striking out nine. He gained steam as the outing progressed, striking out the side in the fourth — all looking at fastballs — as part of an outing-ending run of six strikeouts in a seven-batter sequence.
“He looked like the guy that was pitching with Seattle a while ago,” said manager Alex Cora, referencing Paxton’s peak from 2017-19 when he posted a 30.1 percent strikeout rate that ranked seventh among all big league starters. “The fastball was playing, the breaking ball got better throughout the outing, the cutter — he dotted a few of those. He was in control.”
Paxton’s first pitch of the game hummed at 94 miles per hour, and his fifth crossed the corner at 97 to strike out leadoff man Tommy Edman looking. Though Paxton hit a speed bump later in the first when Goldschmidt singled and Arenado sent a 96-m.p.h. heater screaming into the Monster Seats for a two-out, two-run homer, he was dominant over the remainder of his night.
Paxton’s fastball was electric, registering 94-98 m.p.h. and averaging 96.3. Only two other lefthanded starters in the big leagues this year — Rays ace Shane McClanahan (7-0, 1.76 ERA) and the Marlins’ Jesús Luzardo (3-2, 3.38 ERA) — have featured such a high-octane four-seamer. The 10 swings-and-misses Paxton elicited on four-seamers were the most by any Sox starter in a game this season.
As the outing progressed, Paxton showed increasing feel for his curveball, which he threw 14 times, 10 for strikes, including a strikeout of Goldschmidt on his final pitch. He also showed flashes of promise with his cutter toward the end of the outing.
“I felt like myself out there,” said Paxton, who beamed about the adrenaline rush of pitching back in a big league ballpark at full capacity.
Indeed, Paxton came off the field after the fifth — at a time when the game was tied, 2-2 — prepared to return for the sixth. But Cora told the lefthander that his 87 pitches had been enough, then embraced the starter. Other members of the Sox quickly followed suit.
“Watching him pitch today gave me goosebumps,” said closer Kenley Jansen. “The first thing I did was give him a hug and tell him welcome back. He’s going to be a huge part of us.”
There’s still plenty of unknown with Paxton. It remains to be seen if the top-end fastball that he featured Friday will be a constant. But for a Red Sox rotation that entered the night with the third worst rotation ERA in the big leagues (6.01), and without minor league reinforcements on the horizon, Paxton’s performance was tantalizing.
If anything close to his peak self, Paxton is a pitcher with a chance to raise the team’s ceiling. The Sox recognize that, and are prepared to bump a starter out of the rotation.
Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom talked in the offseason about the Sox’ quest to find a starter who the team could comfortably slot into a postseason rotation. On Friday, Paxton took a first step toward looking like such a player.
“He’s here for the long run, not one start,” said Cora. “We’ll take care of him. If we do that, he can take care of us in the long run.”
For his part, Paxton is elated that he can now transition from a long-awaited return to the big leagues to preparation for a start under more normal conditions next week. He’s slated to start Friday in San Diego, a prospect Paxton can relish after having erased some of the career uncertainty that had defined his last two years.
In that sense, as much as Friday’s outing against the Cardinals represented a milestone, Paxton is hopeful it was only a beginning.
“I can’t wait to do it again,” he said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 13, 2023 6:12:08 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Red Sox silence Chaim Bloom’s offseason doubters by slugging their way to a strong start By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated May 12, 2023, 8:05 p.m.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom heard the noise all last offseason.
The criticisms, some valid, centered on his roster construction and letting homegrown talent like Xander Bogaerts walk. There were questions about how a team comprised of mostly average big leaguers could compete in the best division in baseball.
So far, the Sox and Bloom have answered that doubt by winning, emerging from Friday’s 8-6 loss to the the Cardinals a half-game out of the second Wild Card spot (22-17).
“I think we can’t worry about the noise outside of this group,” Bloom said before the los. “And I think [the players] did a remarkable job from Day 1 of spring training of knowing what was important, focusing on what’s going to help us win ball games. We felt all along this was going to be a fun team, and I think people can see why.”
The Sox’ bats have been their motor. Kenley Jansen, too, at the back end of the bullpen. Friday’s blown save notwithstanding.
The Sox’ offense entered Friday leading the league in doubles. It ranked second in hits, third in runs scored and OPS, and was fourth in batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage.
The relentlessness of the lineup has been anchored by a sound approach at the plate that forces opposing pitchers to work. That approach had wavered last year, but has been reignited by the Sox coaches and veteran Justin Turner.
The Sox have gotten contributions from younger players, including rookie Enmanuel Valdez, but most notably Jarren Duran, who seems to have found himself after two disappointing seasons. That’s a good sign for Bloom, who has preached development and building depth internally.
“We’ve felt that way consistently,” said Bloom of the organization’s trust in its talent depth. “But on the other hand, you’re never satisfied and you lose sleep thinking about the pieces that aren’t clicking. So to see so many guys come in and each, in their own, way find ways to contribute. It’s really great for the organization because there’s a lot of fingerprints on every one of these guys.”
Yet starting pitching is still an issue. The Sox had the third-worst ERA (6.01) in the majors as of Friday. If they want to continue winning, their starting pitching must go on a run of its own.
“If we want to accomplish what we want to accomplish, we’re going to need to get to a higher and more consistent level [pitching-wise],” Bloom said. “But with that said, I think every single one of them has shown us things we really want to see, it’s just a question of getting to that next level consistently.”
Rodriguez getting close
Joely Rodriguez will pitch in a rehab game for Double A Portland on Saturday. If all goes well, the Sox will activate him for their upcoming series against the Mariners, which begins Monday.
“I don’t worry about anything. My body feels 100 percent,” said Rodriguez, who has pitched in four rehab games. “I’m just doing what I have to do down there, doing my thing. I’m trying to be consistent and throw strikes.”
The Red Sox signed Rodriguez to a one-year deal with a team option for 2024 last offseason in an effort to help bolster their bullpen. But Rodriguez suffered a Grade 2 right oblique strain during spring training, which sidelined him for the start of this season.
Soon enough, however, Rodriguez will get to experience what it’s like to pitch for the Red Sox, a dream of his.
“Growing up, this was my favorite team,” Rodriguez said. “And now I get the opportunity to be part of it. It’s special for me and my career to be representing Boston.” Dalbec down again
Bobby Dalbec was optioned to Triple A Worcester following Friday’s game. Earlier in the day, the Red Sox acquired infielder Pablo Reyes from the Athletics for cash considerations. Reyes, who will take Dalbec’s roster spot, signed with the A’s on a minor league deal. Righthander Zack Littell was claimed off waivers by the Rays Friday. Littell appeared in two games for the Sox before he was designated for assignment earlier this week . . . Jansen was honored on the field during pregame ceremonies after picking up his 400th career save Wednesday against the Braves. He’s the seventh major leaguer to reach the milestone . . . Starter Garrett Whitlock (right ulnar neuritis) emerged from Thursday’s simulated game without incident. He will likely pitch in a rehab contest Tuesday. Manager Alex Cora said he would ideally like to see Whitlock pitch in at least two games before rejoining the team’s big league staff . . . Chris Sale will host a group of 22 breast cancer survivors and staff members Sunday, Mother’s Day, from the New England Chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The group will watch the game from a Fenway suite donated by Sale.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 13, 2023 6:17:11 GMT -5
Cards @ Red Sox 13th May 2023 4pm @ Fenway
Matz 0-4/5.70
Sale 3-2/ 6.37
Red Sox turn to Chris Sale in bid to level set vs. Cards FLM
The Boston Red Sox hope Chris Sale continues to trend in a positive direction when he takes the mound for a Saturday afternoon home game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Sale, a seven-time All-Star who was hampered by injuries the previous two seasons, is coming off his best performance of the year. He struck out 10 in six innings as Boston beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 on May 5. He allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk.
Sale, 34, also threw a four-seam fastball clocked at 99 mph. It was his fastest pitch in a major league game since 2018.
"It's part of the process, right?" Sale said after the May 5 game. "Not gonna be a finished product right out of the gate, especially with all the stuff that's happened."
Sale (3-2, 6.37 ERA) signed a five-year, $145 million deal before the 2019 season. He went 6-11 in 2019, had Tommy John surgery in March 2020, and was limited to nine starts in 2021 and two in 2022.
He pitched a total of 12 innings in his first three starts this season, during which he allowed 16 runs (15 earned), five home runs and seven walks while striking out 19. In his four starts since then, he has allowed 10 runs, no home runs and four walks while fanning 26 in 23 1/3 innings.
The left-hander lasted five innings once in his first three starts but has pitched at least five innings in each of his past four outings, including three starts in which he pitched at least six innings.
In his only career start against St. Louis, Sale allowed one run and six hits in eight innings during a no-decision for the Chicago White Sox in 2015.
He will be opposed on Saturday by left-hander Steven Matz, who got off to a rocky start this season. Matz (0-4, 5.70) also is coming off his best performance of the season. He allowed a run on five hits over 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.
"I thought I did well," Matz said after that game, a 12-6 victory that ended St. Louis' eight-game losing streak. "A lot of soft contact, which was good. ... I still think there's a lot of room for improvement for me. I was working behind (in the count) to a lot of guys. Just trying to be more consistent with (the curveball). I think getting that pitch going is going to be huge."
Matz is 1-2 with a 5.75 ERA in four career starts against the Red Sox.
St. Louis won the opener of the three-game series 8-6 on Friday in a game that featured five home runs, including a pinch-hit, two-run shot from Nolan Gorman that broke ninth-inning tie.
"The biggest thing is to make sure you're ready before they call your name," Gorman said. "I go down there (in the indoor cage) to make sure my body's ready, make sure my swing's good, and really just in between innings look at the pitchers that might be coming in."
St. Louis' Nolan Arenado had four hits, including a two-run home run, in the victory. Arenado is 8-for-16 with three home runs and six RBIs in his past four games against Boston dating to last June.
--Field Level Media
Cardinals at Red Sox Saturday, at 4:10 PM EST Partly Cloudy It's expected to be 77° F with a 2% chance of precipitation and 9 MPH wind blowing left to right in Boston at 4:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 13, 2023 7:48:41 GMT -5
Peter Gammons @pgammo · 2h In a week, the Red Sox hadSale, Jansen hit 99 on the gun,Paxton 98, Bello get 4 or 5 swings and misses on four different pitches in a 6 inning start. June 15 seems 1st turn for 162 G season. Yanks@ Fenway on 16th. 6 weeks to trade deadline
Connor Wong leads AL catchers in Def. R Saved(Min 20 G), caught stealing %, ave. exit velocity(113.6)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 13, 2023 8:54:25 GMT -5
The Red Sox found a significant win within their gut-wrenching loss
By Rob Bradford WEEI 93.7 an hour ago
On the surface, this 8-6 loss to the Cardinals Friday night. should have been one of the more painful for these Red Sox. Full house. Beautiful night. One-run lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, setting the stage for Save No. 401 for Kenley Jansen. And then ... oops.
The Man of the Week gives up three runs without getting an out and the good times that had been built up thanks in large part to a two-run eighth inning flew out the window.
But this felt like a big picture type of takeaway. That was thanks to James Paxton. ADVERTISING
While the hiccups from both Josh Winckowski and Jansen - who combined to give up six runs while recording just two outs - would seem to be simple bumps in the road, the true development of note came via the Sox starter.
Pitching in a major league game for the first time since April 6, 2001, Paxton elicited the kind of reaction and results that certainly seemed best-case-scenario.
There was just two runs in five innings, striking out nine along the way. Thanks in part to a fastball that topped out at 97.8 mph, Paxton presented about as optimistic an image as anyone could hope for.
"He looked like the guy that was pitching in Seattle a while ago," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "The fastball was playing, the breaking ball got better through the outing, the cutter, he dotted a few of those. He was in control."
"Honestly, it kind of felt like my debut all over again after being out for so long," said Paxton. "All those emotions -- you’re nervous, you’re excited, all that. I just focused on getting ready for the game with everything I had."
Suggesting that this Paxton offered similarities to what the lefty presented while pitching for the Mariners was something significant. That was a guy who struck out 208 batters in just 160 1/3 innings on his way to a 3.76 ERA in 28 starts during the 2019 season.
That year, Paxton threw his fastball almost 60 percent of the time, averaging 95.4 mph on the pitch. After that, there was the cutter and curveball, both of which were offered around 20 percent of the time.
Friday night sure seemed familiar.
Paxton ended up throwing his heater 53 times (61 percent), totaling an average velocity of 96.3 mph. The offering got 10 whiffs on 28 swings. There were also 20 cutters and 14 curves.
If this is the Paxton the Red Sox have ended up with after all this time - and on a $4 million deal for 2023 - it's a development far more important than one loss to the Cardinals.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 13, 2023 10:09:05 GMT -5
Game 40: Cardinals at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Amin Touri Globe Staff,Updated May 13, 2023, 32 minutes ago After James Paxton’s strong return was squandered by a bullpen blowup on Friday, another resurgent veteran lefty will take the ball Saturday when Chris Sale makes his eighth start of the season. After a disastrous start to the year, the lanky southpaw has found his groove with positive outings in three of his last four starts. It’s an all lefty-affair at Fenway Park, with the Cardinals turning to Steven Matz, who is still in search of his first win of the season. Lineups CARDINALS (14-25): 1. Tommy Edman (S) 2B 2. Paul Goldschmidt (R) 1B 3. Willson Contreras (R) DH 4. Nolan Arenado (R) 3B 5. Juan Yepez (R) LF 6. Dylan Carlson (S) CF 7. Paul DeJong (R) SS 8. Lars Nootbaar (L) RF 9. Andrew Knizner (R) C Pitching: LHP Steven Matz (0-4, 5.70 ERA) RED SOX (22-17): 1. Alex Verdugo (L) RF 2. Justin Turner (R) 1B 3. Rob Refsnyder (R) LF 4. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 5. Masataka Yoshida (L) DH 6. Enrique Hernandez (R) SS 7. Jarren Duran (L) CF 8. Connor Wong (R) C 9. Pablo Reyes (R) 2B Pitching: LHP Chris Sale (3-2, 6.37 ERA) Time: 4:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Cardinals vs. Sale: Nolan Arenado 1-3, Willson Contreras 0-3 Red Sox vs. Matz: Bobby Dalbec 2-7, Rafael Devers 4-9, Jarren Duran 1-1, Kiké Hernández 7-23, Rob Refsnyder 2-3, Justin Turner 3-15, Alex Verdugo 4-11 Stat of the day: The Red Sox suffered their first loss when leading after eight innings on Friday (they were 20-0 previously). Notes: Sale has thrown at least five innings in his last four starts, completing six innings on three of those occasions, and striking out 26 batters in 23 ⅓ innings ... Sale has only faced the Cardinals once, allowing one run and six hits in eight innings during a no-decision for the White Sox in 2015 ... Matz is 1-2 with a 5.75 ERA in four career starts against the Red Sox ... Cardinals star Nolan Arenado had four hits, including a two-run home run, on Friday. Arenado is 8-for-16 with three home runs and six RBIs in his past four games against Boston dating to last June. Song of the Day: Eagles - In The City www.youtube.com/watch?v=J39LK_wDzKw
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 13, 2023 14:16:57 GMT -5
How Red Sox’s Alex Cora plans to use new trade acquisition Pablo Reyes
Updated: May. 13, 2023, 2:37 p.m.|Published: May. 13, 2023, 2:35 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — The Red Sox needed to add middle infield experience with Christian Arroyo and Yu Chang on the injured list.
Boston did that Friday when it acquired Pablo Reyes from the Athletics. Reyes is in the Red Sox starting lineup against the Cardinals on Saturday at Fenway Park. The right-handed hitter is playing second base and batting ninth.
“I think versatility is important,” manager Alex Cora said about Reyes who has played second base, shortstop, third base, left field and right field. “He’s going to play second against lefties. But late in the game, we can do other stuff with him.”
The Red Sox obviously feel more comfortable with Reyes at shortstop and second base late in games than they do with Bobby Dalbec who they optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Friday night.
Dalbec has played 22 innings at shortstop and 6 ⅓ innings at second base in his major league career. He has totaled 45 innings at shortstop and zero innings at second base during his minor league career.
Reyes has logged 47 innings at shortstop and 54 ⅔ innings at second base during his big league career while playing 3,007 ⅓ innings at second base and 1,560 ⅓ innings at shortstop in the minors. He said he’s comfortable at shortstop.
“He’s played the outfield, too,” Cora added about Reyes. “He’s comfortable with that. We like the at-bat, which is important for us. And versatility. He has experience playing up the middle and that’s something we took into consideration, especially late in games. We know Bobby can make plays and all that but he doesn’t have experience up the middle. And towards the end of the game, not that I was hesitant, but I feel more comfortable with a guy that has played the position before.”
Reyes provides that more experienced depth at shortstop behind starter Kiké Hernández. The Red Sox have nobody else on the active roster but Reyes and Hernández who could start there or be a late-game replacement until Arroyo returns.
Arroyo (right hamstring strain) took swings against righty Kutter Crawford who pitched a live batting practice at Fenway Park on Saturday. He’s eligible to return Wednesday but it’s expected to take longer.
“He’s progressing well,” Cora said about Arroyo. “I don’t think it’s going to be 10 days. It’s probably a few days longer than that. But hopefully, he can join us as soon as possible.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 13, 2023 14:22:34 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 2h Kutter Crawford is throwing a live batting practice session to Christian Arroyo, Adam Duvall, and Yu Chang. (Duvall and Chang can’t swing yet, but are standing in the box, which creates a definitional question of whether it is indeed live batting practice.)
Kutter Crawford will pitch in a rehab game on Tuesday (behind Garrett Whitlock, who’s starting), with Alex Cora hoping for 3 innings from Crawford. … Cora thinks Christian Arroyo will need a few days more than the 10-day IL stint to return… Story is throwing at 75 ft.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 13, 2023 16:37:18 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 45m Pablo Reyes, acquired to hit lefties, opens his Red Sox career with a double off the Wall in left-center off a Matz changeup. Reyes was pretty fried after flying in from Vegas last night following the trade with the A's, but he has an .810 career OPS against lefties.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 13, 2023 16:37:55 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 22m Another quick inning for Sale. He's at 65 pitches through five innings.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 13, 2023 16:43:00 GMT -5
Arenado leads off the 7th takes Sale over the monster Sox bullpen waking up 3-1 Red Sox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 13, 2023 17:06:09 GMT -5
Sale looks like he is back pretty damn nasty today and those last fastballs sitting at 96 mph
His Line: 8ip/ 3/1/1/1bb/9k/ 110-77
Sox up 3-1
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