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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2023 2:56:31 GMT -5
Red Sox send down lefty reliever, expected to make 2 bullpen moves Tuesday
Published: May. 15, 2023, 11:50 p.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON — The Red Sox are expected to add not one, but two relievers to their bullpen mix before Tuesday’s game against the Mariners.
In addition to replacing righty John Schreiber, who is expected to be placed on the 15-day injured list after leaving Monday’s loss with lat tightness, the Red Sox will also have to replace lefty Brennan Bernardino on the active roster. Bernardino was seen hugging and shaking hands with teammates after the game and was indeed optioned to Triple-A Worcester, according to a baseball source.
It’s unclear who the Red Sox will call up to take the spots of Schreiber and Bernardino. Two righties on the 40-man roster — Kaleb Ort and Justin Garza — are the most logical fits, but the team has an open 40-man spot after designating Ryan Brasier for assignment and could choose to add a non-roster pitcher. Long man Jake Faria was called up in a similar situation last month and would theoretically be a candidate but he started Sunday’s game. Righties Andrew Politi, Taylor Broadway and Joe Jacques are potential options to be called up, as well as lefties Ryan Sherriff and Oddanier Mosqueda, though the Sox probably don’t want a third lefty (along with Joely Rodríguez and Richard Bleier on the roster).
Bernardino was acquired via waivers from the Mariners on April 16 and pitched pretty well over the last few weeks, logging a 3.65 ERA (5 earned runs in 12 ⅓ innings) while striking out 10 batters in 11 games. The 31-year-old allowed a run and three hits while tossing 23 pitches in Monday’s loss.
Bernardino described his unique journey to the majors in a recent interview with our Chris Smith.
“Money was tight,” Bernardino said. “So my first couple years of pro ball, they couldn’t come at all. We couldn’t afford it. We were making $600 a paycheck, trying to pay rent and child care. My wife worked. I didn’t see them for like five months at a time.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2023 2:57:35 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 6h Have a night, Cal Raleigh. Holy smokes.
Vermont native showing out at Fenway. Red Sox pitching is under siege.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2023 2:58:35 GMT -5
Julian McWilliams Retweeted Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 7h Via our fine stats and research team at MLB. Houck first time time through order: Batters are slashing .111/.197/.127 and he's posted a 2.33 ERA. Second time thru: .369/.408/.523 and 5.40 ERA Third time thru: .303/351/.636 and 13.50 ERA.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2023 3:00:41 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 6h Cal Raleigh is the first catcher with two homers and a caught stealing at Fenway since Rich Gedman did so on August 18, 1984.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2023 3:04:58 GMT -5
With a crowded rotation and beat-up bullpen, Red Sox pitching staff is coming to crossroadsBy Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated May 15, 2023, 9:18 p.m. What does bottom look like? For the Red Sox, they hope that it’s the form the team took in the ninth inning of Monday’s game against the Mariners. With the Sox being blown out by Seattle and their bullpen thinned by the injury-induced departure of John Schreiber, recently acquired utility infielder Pablo Reyes moved from shortstop to the mound. Reyes began his thankless task with a 34-mile-per-hour lob, ultimately allowing one run on two walks and two hits. Somehow, his performance was the best of the night by a Red Sox pitcher in a 10-1 loss to Seattle. “It sucks, man,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora lamented of his usage of Reyes, but said it had been necessitated by other relievers being “banged up” and limited in availability. “That’s the worst feeling as a manager.” Presumably, Reyes won’t soon return to the mound, but his brief cameo underscored that the Red Sox pitching staff is amidst a shakeup — partly by design, partly by necessity. On one hand, the impressive return of lefthander James Paxton last Friday, bookended by outstanding outings from Brayan Bello last Wednesday and Chris Sale on Saturday, offered a glimpse of a potential anchors for the team’s competitive aspirations. Yet almost everything surrounding those three has fallen apart. The Sox have allowed 31 runs over their current four-game losing streak (7.8 per contest), and 48 while going 1-6 over their last seven games (6.9 per game). In the last week, starters Nick Pivetta and Corey Kluber have been shelled. On Monday against the Mariners, Tanner Houck continued his pattern of excelling early in games — he raced through three perfect innings and retired the first 11 batters he faced — before going off the rails when navigating an opposing lineup for the second time. He allowed four runs on five hits and a walk to the last 10 batters he faced. In 28 career starts, Houck has held hitters to a .164/.248/.205 line the first time through a lineup, while getting blasted at a .288/.352/.447 clip thereafter. “If I had an answer [for the struggles after the first time through the order], I think we wouldn’t be talking about it,” said Houck. “It’s an ongoing conversation.” It’s one of many, as the Sox try to patch their pitching staff. The loss of multi-innings reliever Kutter Crawford to the injured list with a hamstring strain has left a gaping hole in the bullpen. While Crawford is nearing a return — he’s slated to throw for Triple A Worcester on Tuesday, then be activated in San Diego on Friday — Schreiber is expected to be placed on the injured list Tuesday with a lat injury that forced him from Monday’s game. The back-to-back meltdowns of Kenley Jansen on Friday and Saturday offered unexpected amplification to the team’s pitching woes and muted the feel-good performances of Paxton and Sale. Ryan Brasier was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot for lefthander Joely Rodriguez. Lefthander Brennan Bernardino was optioned to Worcester after Monday’s game so the Sox can add multiple WooSox pitchers Tuesday while trying to protect a staff that seems thin. For much of the early season, the Red Sox have remained competitive in spite of subpar pitching, thanks to an offense that has forgiven many mound sins. But the ability to do so has limits, particularly now that opposing pitchers (including Mariners starter George Kirby in a brilliant 6⅔ inning, one-run effort Monday) have proven capable of quieting the lineup. Put simply, the Red Sox’ pitching hasn’t been good enough. The staff has a 5.09 ERA, a mark that is fifth worst in baseball, ahead of the rebuilding Reds, Royals, and A’s, and the desperately disappointing White Sox. The rotation (5.82 ERA, third worst in MLB) has been particularly abysmal. There are reasons to believe that improvement is within reach, starting with Sale, Bello, and Paxton. It’s possible the team can reassess Houck’s role — in light of his uneven performances as a starter and Schreiber’s injury, though Cora did note the pending return of Crawford decreases the pressure to shift Houck out of the six-man rotation. The return of Crawford (3.51 ERA, 24 strikeouts, 3 walks in 25⅓ innings) to the bullpen this week and Garrett Whitlock perhaps by the end of next week from the injured list will permit a staff reconfiguration. There are possibilities for a course alteration. With that in mind, the Sox are trying to take a broader view and avoid overreacting to recent struggles — both by individual pitchers and the team. “Sometimes we get drowned in glass of water from one outing or one weekend talking about stuff that really doesn’t matter in the sense [that] it was [just] a bad weekend,” said Cora.
Yet the glass is getting bigger, and for the first time since they suffered a four-game sweep at the hands of the Rays in early April, the Red Sox appear to be flailing to keep their heads above water.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2023 3:07:15 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Ryan Brasier’s time with the Red Sox came to a disappointing end, but his tenure wasn’t without its high points By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated May 15, 2023, 8:11 p.m.
After struggling for much of the last five seasons, the Red Sox designated Ryan Brasier for assignment following Sunday night’s loss to the Cardinals, in which Brasier pitched 2 ⅓ innings and yielded three runs (all earned). Brasier held a 7.29 ERA this season, and with the Sox getting healthier, adding Joely Rodríguez to the fold after he missed the start of the 2023 season with an oblique strain, Brasier was the odd man out.
“We needed to make a move and it was as simple as that,” Alex Cora said prior to Monday night’s series opener against the Mariners.
Cora added that despite Brasier’s struggles — highlighted by his 5.11 ERA over the last five seasons — he should be celebrated for what he did for the Sox in 2018 when he posted a 1.60 ERA, helping the club win a World Series after being a non-roster invitee to spring training that year. After missing much of the season in 2021, Brasier helped punch the Sox’ ticket to the postseason at the end of the year, pitching in four consecutive games without allowing a run.
“A lot of people are crushing him,” Cora said. “A lot of people wanted to get rid of this guy in the offseason. But he didn’t have a job in ‘18. No guarantees he would make a minor league team.
“You make the team. You pitch for a World Series. You contribute. You pitch four games in a row during the last week of the season in ‘21. That’s definitely good. He struggled and we stayed with him all the way to the end. It just didn’t work out.”
Cora said Rodríguez was available Monday if need be. The lefthander signed a one-year deal with a team option for the second year. The Sox are in need of depth in that area, particularly with Richard Bleier’s struggles.
“He’s a lefty that can get lefties and righties [out],” Cora said. “We’ll get him in the mix little by little. He’s available today. We were very excited to get him in the offseason. When he’s in the zone, it’s hard to hit. And we just got to make sure we get him in the zone.” Mic’d up
Triston Casas was miked up for the first time in his career during ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball broadcast against the Cardinals.
Casas, known for his eccentric personality, wore a microphone during the bottom of the third inning of the Red Sox’ eventual 9-1 loss, and called it a new — and good — experience. But it was one that required a high-level of focus to both the game and the broadcast.
That wasn’t easy.
“I’ve never really done that in the middle of the game,” Casas said. “I felt like there were pitches I wasn’t paying attention to because they were saying stuff to me that I was trying to catch. So, I felt like there were pitches that if a ball would have come my way, I might have been caught off guard. But there were also times where I was engaged and I was focused, but I was also talking and I felt like I didn’t know what I was talking about. My answers weren’t resonating with myself because I was focused.”
You saw Casas interact with players as they reached base, including superstar Nolan Arenado. Casas asked Arenado if they could do a jersey swap at the end of the game, to which Arenado agreed. But Casas withdrew his initial request.
“I told him later in the game that I was just doing it for the mike,” Casas intimated. “Hopefully I get one, one of these years.” Hernández on the mend
Kiké Hernández (left hamstring tightness) is considered day-to-day. Hernández was out of the lineup Monday for the second night in a row after trying to leg out a double play in the sixth inning Saturday.
“That’s what happens when you hit too many ground balls and you try to run faster than you can at first base,” said Hernández. “I could probably play but it wouldn’t be smart to run at 100 percent. But knowing myself, I tend to forget about those things. Better to be safe than to go out there and [for it to] blow out. Then, instead of missing two or three days, to miss a month. So, it’s just precautionary.”
Hernández is hitting .234/.292/.348 with three homers. His nine errors at shortstop were the most in the majors entering Monday.
Kutter Crawford (hamstring) and starter Garrett Whitlock (right ulnar neuritis) will pitch Tuesday for Triple A Worcester. The Sox are hopeful Crawford will rejoin the big league club for their upcoming road series against the Padres.
Whitlock will pitch again Sunday before the team makes a decision on what’s next for the righthander.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2023 3:11:01 GMT -5
Mariners @ Red Sox Tuesday, May 16th 2023 7pm @ Fenway
Castillo 2-1/ 2.70
Pivetta 2-3/6.23
With bats on fire, Mariners face skidding Red Sox FLM
The Seattle Mariners will look to keep the hits coming for a second straight night when they continue a three-game series against the host Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.
Seattle has won 10 of its last 14 games after dominating Monday's series opener, racking up 15 hits in a 10-1 victory.
"We are riding the coattails of our pitching," Seattle manager Scott Servais said before George Kirby logged a quality start to begin the series. "And we should."
After Kirby tossed 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball, Seattle leads the major leagues with a 3.24 ERA. The Mariners have prevented opponents from scoring more than one run in nine games this season.
The difference on Monday, however, was the Mariners' season-high hit total. Cal Raleigh went 3-for-5 with four RBIs while becoming the first catcher to ever homer from both sides of the plate in a game at Fenway Park.
"I can't believe (Jason) Varitek never did it," Raleigh, who has strong family ties to Vermont, told Root Sports in a postgame interview. "That's pretty cool."
Eugenio Suarez also went deep for Seattle.
On Tuesday, the Mariners will give the ball to Luis Castillo (2-1, 2.70 ERA).
Castillo, who did not allow a run in three of his first four starts this year, is looking to bounce back after taking his first loss on Wednesday against Texas. He fanned nine Rangers but allowed three runs on eight hits through five innings during a 4-3 setback.
Castillo's only career start against Boston was a great one, as he surrendered just one hit and struck out 10 in six shutout innings during a 2-1 victory on May 31, 2022.
The Red Sox are riding a four-game losing streak and have dropped six of their past seven since an eight-game winning streak.
Boston has been outscored 19-2 in the past two games, including a 9-1 setback against St. Louis. The Red Sox also lost leads in the first two games of the three-game set against the visiting Cardinals.
A positive sign could be Rafael Devers regaining his footing at the plate. The star third baseman is on a five-game hitting streak and logged Boston's lone RBI on Monday with a double.
Boston right-hander Nick Pivetta (2-3, 6.23 ERA), who is scheduled to start on Tuesday, has failed to complete five innings in only two of his first seven starts. However, one of those outings came in his latest appearance, on May 9 at Atlanta, where he allowed seven runs on eight hits in four innings.
Despite the recent struggles, Pivetta fully expects to remain as a regular in the rotation, which could experience some alterations in the coming week.
"I've started for this team my whole entire career," Pivetta said. "I'm going to continue to do that. By the end of the year, I'm going to continue to do that, then next year and the year on out."
Boston manager Alex Cora isn't ready just yet to discuss changes to the starting staff.
"You have 26 (roster slots) and have to make tough decisions at the end of the day," Cora said. "But as far as conversations, we don't have to do that right now."
Pivetta has made only one career start against Seattle, when he held the Mariners to two runs on one hit over six innings in a no-decision on April 22, 2021.
--Field Level Media
Mariners at Red Sox Tuesday, at 7:10 PM EST Partly Cloudy It's expected to be 78° F with a 5% chance of precipitation and 14 MPH wind blowing out in Boston at 7:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2023 8:45:07 GMT -5
chadjennings22 Chad Jennings @chadjennings22 2h The Red Sox are going to add a couple of fresh relievers today, but the bigger question is how much longer they’re going to stick with this six-man rotation, and who exactly are their five best starters?
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2023 13:09:05 GMT -5
Game 43: Mariners at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated May 16, 2023, 2 hours ago The Red Sox’ struggles continued in a 10-1 loss to the Mariners Monday night. They have now lost four in a row and six of their last seven, and have been outscored 19-2 in their last two games. While the Sox have dropped back to last place in the American League East, the Mariners have been hot. They’ve won 10 of their last 14 overall, and seven of their last eight on the road to move above .500 and four games behind the first place Rangers in the AL West. Here are the standings. Nick Pivetta, who struggled in his most recent outing when he allowed seven runs on eights in four innings against the Braves, will get the nod for the Sox. Lineups MARINERS (21-20): 1. J.P. Crawford (L) SS 2. Ty France (R) 1B 3. Julio Rodriguez (R) CF 4. Jarred Kelenic (L) LF 5. Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B 6. Cal Raleigh (S) C 7. Teoscar Hernandez (R) RF 8. Taylor Trammell (L) DH 9. Kolten Wong (L) 2B Pitching: RHP Luis Castillo (2-1, 2.70 ERA) RED SOX (22-20): 1. Alex Verdugo (L) RF 2. Masataka Yoshida (L) LF 3. Justin Turner (R) DH 4. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 5. Jarren Duran (L) CF 6. Triston Casas (L) 1B 7. Enmanuel Valdez (L) 2B 8. Reese McGuire (L) C 9. Pablo Reyes (R) SS Pitching: RHP Nick Pivetta (2-3, 6.23 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Mariners vs. Pivetta: J.P. Crawford 0-1, Ty France 2-4, Teoscar Hernández 2-18, Tom Murphy 1-2, AJ Pollock 1-8, Eugenio Suárez 1-7, Taylor Trammell 0-2, Kolten Wong 2-6 Red Sox vs. Castillo: Rafael Devers 1-3, Kiké Hernández 0-5, Pablo Reyes 0-1, Raimel Tapia 7-11, Justin Turner 2-6, Alex Verdugo 0-4 Stat of the day: The Mariners have prevented opponents from scoring more than one run in nine games this season. Notes: Rafael Devers has 20 RBI in his last 21 games and has recorded a hit in five straight games. … Seattle’s Cal Raleigh became the first catcher to ever homer from both sides of the plate in a game at Fenway Park. … Pivetta has made just one start against Seattle, when he allowed two runs in six innings of a no-decision on April 22, 2021. … In his one start against the the Sox, Castillo struck out 10 and allowed just one hit in six shutout innings of a 2-1 win on May 31, 2022. Song of the Day: Johnny Cash "I've Been Everywhere" www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNj6spCtUE0
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Post by Kimmi on May 16, 2023 14:49:35 GMT -5
The pitching matchup for tonight doesn't look much better. Let's hope the offense shows up tonight.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2023 15:03:49 GMT -5
Red Sox To Select Ryan Sherriff
By Darragh McDonald | May 16, 2023 at 2:15pm CDT
The Red Sox are calling up relievers Justin Garza and Ryan Sherriff, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. Sherriff isn’t on the 40-man roster but the Sox already have an opening there after designating Ryan Brasier for assignment on the weekend. The corresponding moves to get Garza and Sherriff onto the active roster are righty John Schreiber going on the 15-day injured list and lefty Brennan Bernardino being optioned, per Ian Browne of MLB.com.
Sherriff, 33 next week, has 44 1/3 innings of major league experience but scattered across multiple seasons. The lefty tossed 20 combined innings for the Cardinals over 2017 and 2018 and then 24 1/3 for the Rays in 2020 and 2021. Tommy John surgery in between those stints wiped out the latter half of his 2018 and then all of his 2019. In all of those seasons combined, he has a 3.65 ERA in the majors along with an 18.7% strikeout rate, 8.8% walk rate and 56% ground ball rate.
The Rays put Sherriff on waivers at the end of 2021 and he was claimed by the Phillies. A shoulder strain limited him to just 14 minor league appearances last year and he was outrighted off the Philly roster in August. He became a free agent at season’s end and signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox. Through 15 Triple-A appearances this year, he has allowed exactly 3.00 earned runs per nine innings, striking out 24.6% of opponents while walking 12.3% and getting grounders on 47.5% of balls in play.
Sherriff will give the Sox a fresh lefty arm after Bernardino has pitched in three of the past four days, including the last two. Richard Bleier is in the same situation while Joely Rodríguez has just come off the injured list, so the Sherriff-Bernardino swap makes their southpaw contingent a bit less weary. Sherriff still has options himself, allowing the Sox to perhaps reverse this lefty swap later in the year whenever the need arises.
As for Schreiber, he’s emerged as a key piece of the bullpen for Boston, posting an ERA of 2.22 last year while striking out 28.8% of opponents, walking just 7.4% and getting grounders at a 56.3% clip. He worked his way up the bullpen chart, earning eight saves and 22 holds on the season. This year, his walk rate has ticked up to 11.4% but he’s still managed to lower his ERA to 2.12 and pick up another six holds. He had departed last night’s game with lat tightness and manager Alex Cora said after the game that an IL stint was likely, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. His spot will go to Garza, 29, whom the Sox just claimed off waivers from the Angels last month. Between the two organizations, he has a 3.95 ERA in Triple-A this year.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2023 15:11:41 GMT -5
Some fresh arms for the Gas Can Gang likely will be needed as Pivetta likely will be hit hard
hope I get the out of town feed again......the NESN feed is insufferable
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2023 16:42:34 GMT -5
Christopher Smith Retweeted Katie Morrison-O'Day @katiemo61 · 36m 3-4 innings, 55-60 pitches is the plan for Whitlock tonight in Worcester and 2-3 innings, 40-45 pitches for Crawford
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2023 16:44:40 GMT -5
Jen McCaffrey @jcmccaffrey · 13m If all goes well tonight Crawford should be activated for the San Diego series. Whitlock is supposed to start one more on Sunday for Worcester.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 16, 2023 16:47:00 GMT -5
Jen McCaffrey @jcmccaffrey · 2h Garza said he’s been working on throwing a harder slider that he had earlier in his career. Red Sox pursued him this winter but he chose to sign with the Angels. Sox picked him up off waivers a couple weeks ago.
-Yu Chang was taking grounders today and has been swinging the bat. He’s ahead of schedule with his rehab -Kiké Hernandez will be back in the lineup tomorrow -Schreiber had an MRI and they’re still waiting on results
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