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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 29, 2023 14:48:38 GMT -5
Reds @ Red Sox Tuesday, 30th May 2023 7pm @ Fenway
Lively 2-2/ 2.65
Bello 3-2/ 4.08
Reds bring hot streak into series at Boston FLM
The visiting Cincinnati Reds can build on their momentum Tuesday night when they kick off a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox.
The Reds enter the series with four wins in their last five games and are coming off a three-game road sweep of the Chicago Cubs. The Reds outscored the Cubs 25-10.
"Everyone is really proud of how we're playing, and how hard we're playing," Cincinnati manager David Bell said. "I don't see that changing ever with the guys we have. It's a good feeling. We've got a long way to go. We've got a lot left yet to accomplish and ways we have to keep getting better. It's a good feeling when guys feel this good about how they're going about it."
No Cincinnati player is hotter than rookie shortstop Matt McLain, who will carry a seven-game hitting streak into the game. McLain, 23, had four hits in Cincinnati's 8-5 victory over Chicago on Sunday. He's 15-for-31 during his seven-game hitting streak.
McLain, a first-round pick in 2021, is batting .380 with two home runs and eight RBIs since making his major league debut on May 15. He was 9-for-15 with two RBIs and scored four runs in the three victories over the Cubs.
"I just try to live in the present and no matter what happens, I'm going to be locked in the next step, next pitch, next ground ball," McLain said. "I don't look at my stats that much."
The Red Sox return home after posting a 4-5 record during a road trip out west. Boston took two of three games at San Diego and Arizona but was swept in a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels.
"We won two (against the Padres), the (series) in Anaheim the first two games we pitched great and we weren't able to win the games," Boston manager Alex Cora said. "That was the hiccup of the whole trip. ... We've got to figure out Sundays, that's the next step."
The Reds are expected to start right-hander Ben Lively (2-2, 2.65 ERA) on Tuesday night. Lively's only career start against Boston came in 2017, when he pitched for the Phillies. He allowed three runs on eight hits in seven innings but wasn't involved in the decision.
The Red Sox are 15-19 against right-handed starters this season.
Brayan Bello (3-2, 4.08) is Boston's probable starter. Bello pitched a career-high seven innings in a 4-0 loss to the Angels on Tuesday. He surrendered two runs on six hits and struck out six. It was the only time in his seven starts this season that he didn't issue any walks.
Bello allowed eight earned runs in his first two starts this season but hasn't given up more than two runs in any of his five starts since then. He earned the win in his only career start against the Reds, which came last year. He allowed a run on eight hits in five innings of Boston's 5-3 victory. Bello struck out five and walked two.
Boston's Rafael Devers went hitless in five at-bats Sunday after missing the previous two games with a calf injury.
--Field Level MediaReds bring hot streak into series at Boston FLM
The visiting Cincinnati Reds can build on their momentum Tuesday night when they kick off a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox.
The Reds enter the series with four wins in their last five games and are coming off a three-game road sweep of the Chicago Cubs. The Reds outscored the Cubs 25-10.
"Everyone is really proud of how we're playing, and how hard we're playing," Cincinnati manager David Bell said. "I don't see that changing ever with the guys we have. It's a good feeling. We've got a long way to go. We've got a lot left yet to accomplish and ways we have to keep getting better. It's a good feeling when guys feel this good about how they're going about it."
No Cincinnati player is hotter than rookie shortstop Matt McLain, who will carry a seven-game hitting streak into the game. McLain, 23, had four hits in Cincinnati's 8-5 victory over Chicago on Sunday. He's 15-for-31 during his seven-game hitting streak.
McLain, a first-round pick in 2021, is batting .380 with two home runs and eight RBIs since making his major league debut on May 15. He was 9-for-15 with two RBIs and scored four runs in the three victories over the Cubs.
"I just try to live in the present and no matter what happens, I'm going to be locked in the next step, next pitch, next ground ball," McLain said. "I don't look at my stats that much."
The Red Sox return home after posting a 4-5 record during a road trip out west. Boston took two of three games at San Diego and Arizona but was swept in a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels.
"We won two (against the Padres), the (series) in Anaheim the first two games we pitched great and we weren't able to win the games," Boston manager Alex Cora said. "That was the hiccup of the whole trip. ... We've got to figure out Sundays, that's the next step."
The Reds are expected to start right-hander Ben Lively (2-2, 2.65 ERA) on Tuesday night. Lively's only career start against Boston came in 2017, when he pitched for the Phillies. He allowed three runs on eight hits in seven innings but wasn't involved in the decision.
The Red Sox are 15-19 against right-handed starters this season.
Brayan Bello (3-2, 4.08) is Boston's probable starter. Bello pitched a career-high seven innings in a 4-0 loss to the Angels on Tuesday. He surrendered two runs on six hits and struck out six. It was the only time in his seven starts this season that he didn't issue any walks.
Bello allowed eight earned runs in his first two starts this season but hasn't given up more than two runs in any of his five starts since then. He earned the win in his only career start against the Reds, which came last year. He allowed a run on eight hits in five innings of Boston's 5-3 victory. Bello struck out five and walked two.
Boston's Rafael Devers went hitless in five at-bats Sunday after missing the previous two games with a calf injury.
--Field Level Media
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 29, 2023 14:50:01 GMT -5
Here’s the schedule (and pitching probables) for that series:
Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. ET — RHP Ben Lively (2-2, 2.65 ERA) vs. RHP Brayan Bello (3-2, 4.08 ERA)
Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. ET — RHP Luke Weaver (1-2, 5.45 ERA) vs. LHP James Paxton (1-1, 5.14 ERA)
Thursday, 7:10 p.m. ET — RHP Hunter Greene (1-4, 4.18 ERA) vs. LHP James Paxton (5-2, 4.72 ERA)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 29, 2023 14:51:12 GMT -5
Red Sox continue exceeding modest expectations, but in the American League East, not bad isn’t good enough By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated May 28, 2023, 9:03 p.m.
PHOENIX — There is nothing necessarily bad about going 4-5 on a West Coast road trip. Plenty of better Red Sox teams have come back battered and bruised from this arduous annual segment on the schedule.
But there is little room for error in the American League East this season. As the Sox were getting started against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Sunday afternoon, the Blue Jays, Orioles, Rays, and Yankees were finishing off victories.
A 4-2 loss against Torey Lovullo and Co. left the Sox 10 games out of first in the division, two games worse than they were before the trip and a half-game out of last. Run in place in the American League East this season and you’re falling behind.
“It wasn’t bad,” manager Alex Cora said. “Of course we wanted to go 5-4, or win every series. We won two.”
The third was a three-game sweep at the hands of the Angels in Anaheim.
At 28-25, the season is nearly a third over. The Sox have, for the most part, outperformed modest expectations coming out of spring training. The hope is to hang in there, then make a run for a playoff berth once Adam Duvall and Trevor Story return.
Duvall, who starts a rehab assignment Tuesday, isn’t eligible to return until June 9. Story isn’t expected back until some point in July. He has not yet progressed to playing in games.
“They have a good team,” Lovullo said. “The pitching is probably better than what was expected and they’re dangerous offensively. They’ve done a good job of getting the ball to [Kenley] Jansen when they have a lead.”
The Sox never had that chance Sunday. After Tanner Houck allowed four runs in the first two innings, they were left chasing and never quite caught up. Alex Verdugo singled in a run with two outs in the seventh inning, but Rafael Devers struck out swinging on the sixth pitch from Andrew Chafin.
Devers, who came into the game hitting .327 with runners in scoring position, slammed his helmet on the dirt.
“We had the bases loaded with the big boy and it just didn’t happen,” Cora said.
Justin Turner homered leading off the eighth, but the Sox stranded two runners when pinch-hitter Raimel Tapia’s drive to left was caught on the warning track. Based on the initial screams followed by a collective groan, at least half of the crowd of 26,051 was rooting for the Sox.
Verdugo, who was 5 for 12 over the weekend playing in his home state, singled again in the ninth. But former Yankees setup man Miguel Castro retired Devers on a groundout and struck out Turner.
The Sox were 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position the last three innings. That was the difference between a winning road trip and a losing road trip.
“We should have won this trip,” said Jarren Duran, who was 3 for 31 over the three series, striking out 15 times. “It wasn’t bad, but it could have been better.”
An eight-game streak earlier this month sparked hopes that this season would be more than a flirtation with .500. The Sox are 7-11 since, losing whatever momentum was gained.
The Sox are off Monday. Cora and several of the players will be at TD Garden for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Cincinnati Reds arrive at Fenway Park for three games starting on Tuesday night, followed by a four-game series against first-place Tampa Bay, who swept four games from the Sox in April. A 4-3 homestand would surely be deemed as not bad, but playing in October will require more than that.
Not bad isn’t good enough.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 29, 2023 14:52:22 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Alex Cora likes the idea of stretching out his long relievers in the bullpen By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated May 29, 2023, 45 minutes ago
It’s customary to carry one or two long relievers in the bullpen, pitchers who can go three or more innings if needed.
In Kutter Crawford, Corey Kluber, Nick Pivetta, and Josh Winckowski, the Red Sox have four.
Manager Alex Cora isn’t just comfortable with the configuration, he prefers it.
“We’ve been talking about this structure for a while,” he said. “Last year it just didn’t happen. This is what we envisioned. If you can get multiple-inning guys, it can help us to reset the other guys.”
In the 27-year-old Crawford and 24-year-old Winckowski, the Sox have two righthanders who were developed as starters and have the durability to pitch three innings.
“From our standpoint, it’s the stuff they present late in the game,” Cora said. “It’s plus stuff.”
Crawford has a 1.29 earned run average in seven relief appearances covering 21 innings. Winckowski has a 2.23 ERA in 18 games over 32⅓ innings.
“I’ll go as far as they want,” Crawford said. “I can pitch three innings, maybe a little more at this point. I like it. I don’t have to hold anything back.”
Crawford’s fastball hit 96 miles per hour against Arizona on Saturday over 2⅓ scoreless innings. Winckowski has averaged 95 with his fastball and pumped it up to 97.
Cora believes Crawford and Winckowski could handle one-inning high-leverage situations late in the game. But he prefers to keep them stretched out in the event they are needed as starters.
“If something happens health-wise with the five [starters], maybe they’ll be the guys to step up,” the manager said. “We have to make sure we protect our rotation now and we have to protect the future, too.
“Early on, we had an idea that Tanner [Houck] was going to be a starter. But I kept saying he’s going to throw as many innings as possible. That’s what you want.”
Crawford went 4⅓ innings on the road trip that ended Sunday, allowing one run. Winckowski gave the Sox six innings and also allowed one run.
“That’s kind of like a start,” Cora said.
Kluber and Pivetta are in the bullpen after being demoted from the rotation.
Kluber has yet to pitch in relief. Pivetta has appeared three times and allowed three runs on seven hits over 8⅓ innings and struck out nine without a walk.
That’s far better than how he pitched as a starter.
“With this structure, we can take care of the starters and at the same time take care of the relievers,” Cora said.
With a doubleheader Saturday against Tampa Bay, the Sox will need one of their long men to pick up some innings, either as a starter or following an opener. Change of direction
Jarren Duran hit .361 with a 1.006 OPS in his first 28 games this season, giving the Sox a needed lift when Adam Duvall landed on the injured list with a broken left wrist.
But he is 3 for 31 in eight games since, with 15 strikeouts.
“[Opponents] are going to make adjustments,” Cora said. “Now it’s time for him to make adjustments. He’ll be fine.”
Sunday’s 4-2 loss to Arizona was a good example of how teams are approaching Duran. He saw 19 pitches, only four of them four-seam fastballs.
There were six changeups, four breaking balls, three cut fastballs, and two sinkers.
“Everything is on the edge or off the plate,” Duran said. “I’ve got to keep grinding. I can’t let it bother me. They’ve been pitching really well to me lately, but that’s the game. It’s cat-and-mouse.”
Duran has crushed curveballs this year, and he saw only four against Arizona over three days.
“It’s just making sure I get my pitch,” he said. “Just being patient and understand that striking out is part of the game. We break down pitchers so much, I know they’re breaking me down.” Reds next
The team the Sox have faced the fewest times in the regular season — the Cincinnati Reds — will be at Fenway Park for a three-game series starting Tuesday. The Sox have played only 17 games against the Reds since interleague play began in 1997. They are 14-3, 6-1 at Fenway Park. Brayan Bello is scheduled to face righthander Ben Lively Tuesday. Lively joined the rotation May 19 and since has allowed four earned runs over 11⅔ innings … Masataka Yoshida’s .379 on-base percentage is second among qualified rookies to Oakland’s Ryan Noda (.400). Yoshida also is second in RBIs with 29. Josh Jung of Texas has 35 … The Sox are 18-22 in interleague games the last two seasons … Duvall is scheduled to start his minor league injury rehab assignment Tuesday. He broke his left wrist April 9. He is on the 60-day injured list and cannot return until June 9.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 30, 2023 12:42:51 GMT -5
Welcome to Red Sox season, everyone, home of a mildly pleasant surprise There's a lot to enjoy about the 2023 Red Sox, but we'll find out whether or not they're fit to play in October in the coming weeks.
By Jon Couture May 30, 2023 | 9:55 AM
COMMENTARY
So, yeah. It’s Red Sox season now.
You can roll your eyes at that; I rolled them writing it. But here we are just after Memorial Day weekend. Being spared two more weeks of muttering some version of Charles Barkley’s righteous halftime dissection is good for our collective hypertension, but the healthy is often hard to commit to.
Speaking strictly about their defeats, the Celtics were the least likable Boston team in a very long time. A group whose ouster Monday flabbergasted so many, but hardly felt out of character to those of us who knew them.
Thankfully, these Red Sox offer no nasty expectations of success, and annoyances of their own flavor. Sitting 9.5 games out of first in the AL East after Tampa Bay got one-hit on Monday, I am struck that Boston’s 86-win pace (28-25, .528) is on the high side of my preseason hopes.
Not a great feeling when focused on, but they have been a pleasant surprise to all but the super pessimists. The Red Sox play for Alex Cora. They play an enjoyable brand of their sport. They have shown some level of adaptability, Saturday’s win coming on a bases-loaded bunt as the pitching retired 25 of the final 26 Arizona hitters.
We didn’t get a lot of those days in April.
That one-run recovery was Boston’s only come-from-behind win in its last 18 games — a stretch in which they’ve lost 11, worst in the AL outside of Oakland. Little harder to find comebacks the way the Sox were when your pitching isn’t putting you multiple runs down in the first inning, but that resilience didn’t disappear.
They are not the Rays, but they have shown a similar ability to surmount injuries, plugging in replacements for replacements and still keeping their heads above water. They are not the Orioles, but the young talent they do have at or near the top is getting its chance to shine — Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock are taking to it better than Triston Casas (.200/.317/.371 for the season) and Jarren Duran (3 of 31, 15 strikeouts for the road trip) are of late.
They could be the Blue Jays, though — a roller-coaster ride which opened 18-9, with Matt Chapman and Yusei Kikuchi two of the best players in the AL, then went through five series sweeps in May to sit just behind the Sox in division. (Toronto’s a 2022 Sox-like 6-15 in the East.)
Could they be the Yankees? New York being so close in the standings, just 3.5 games ahead after it won in Seattle Monday, feels more a function of the Yankees being slowed by injuries. (And sticky-stuff suspensions.) The Sox host Tampa this weekend and visit the Bronx the next . . . it’s striking to see all three are about the same team against better-than-.500 teams.
Rays — 19-14 Red Sox — 19-16 Yankees — 19-19
And yet, consider how different they look thinking about the start of All-Star voting this week. The Red Sox will have one, but it might just be because the rules say they must.
Rafael Devers? His .500 slugging is second among qualified American League third basemen, but he’s hitting .242 and his fWAR is tied for sixth. The aforementioned Chapman is first despite hitting .188 in May, but excluding the incumbency bias Devers has, Tampa’s Isaac Paredes and Texas’s Josh Jung feel like better candidates.
Alex Verdugo and Masataka Yoshida? Verdugo’s been Boston’s best all-around player, and he could certainly be the one-from-every-team call. But he’s also only tied for eighth in fWAR among AL outfielders, behind no doubters Aaron Judge, Randy Arozarena, Yordan Alvarez, and Mike Trout, plus Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins.
Yoshida’s batting .303 and exceeding most expectations, but he’s another step down, tied for 15th in fWAR. Combined with Red Sox fans historically not getting out the vote at near the rate of their peers . . . they’ll hopefully be other years.
They’re obviously not getting any pitchers to Seattle barring something odd happening, but I was mildly surprised to see Chris Sale’s worked his way to 16th in fWAR among AL starters. Not bad for a guy whose ERA was 8.22 a month ago Monday.
The Reds, 24-29 and only a half-game farther from a playoff spot than Boston because the National League is a gulag, offer a nice welcome present to anyone only now tuning back in to baseball. Then comes a measuring stick series with the Rays, a visit to underachieving Cleveland, and a pair of Yankees sets sandwiching one with dreadful Colorado.
It’s a nice sample of teams the Red Sox should show their class against, such as it is, and a sample of the ones who’ll ultimately decide what they’re doing in October.
Tuesday’s about the one-mile mark if the season was a 5K. The Red Sox are in it now. They’ve broken a sweat. They’re judging their limitations. Now, it’s about putting in the steps.
With a New England TV schedule suddenly bereft of other options.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 30, 2023 13:04:56 GMT -5
Game 54: Reds at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated May 30, 2023, 23 minutes ago After going 4-5 on their West Coast trip, the Red Sox return home to friendly Fenway for a six-game homestand, beginning with a three-game series against the Reds. Cincinnati is five games below .500, but after winning three in a row and four of five, is just four games out of first place in a National League Central division that has just one team above .500 (Milwaukee, at 28-25). The Red Sox are three games above .500, but 9½ behind the division-leading Rays, who will be at Fenway for a three-game series starting on Friday. Here are the standings. Lineups REDS (24-29): 1. TJ Friedl (L) CF 2. Matt McLain (R) SS 3. Jonathan India (R) 2B 4. Jake Fraley (L) DH 5. Tyler Stephenson (R) C 6. Spencer Steer (R) 1B 7. Nick Senzel (R) 3B 8. Will Benson (L) LF 9. Stuart Fairchild (R) RF Pitching: RHP Ben Lively (2-2, 2.65 ERA) RED SOX (28-25): 1. Raimel Tapia (L) RF 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. Justin Turner (R) DH 4. Masataka Yoshida (L) LF 5. Jarren Duran (L) CF 6. Triston Casas (L) 1B 7. Enrique Hernandez (R) SS 8. Enmanuel Valdez (L) 2B 9. Reese McGuire (L) C Pitching: RHP Brayan Bello (3-2, 4.08 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Reds vs. Bello: Jose Barrero 0-2, Stuart Fairchild 1-1, Jake Fraley 3-3, TJ Friedl 1-3, Jonathan India 0-2, Nick Senzel 0-1 Red Sox vs. Lively: Has not faced any Boston batters Stat of the day: The Red Sox are 8-0-0 in series when they win Game 1. Notes: Rookie shortstop Matt McLain, a first-round pick in 2021, is batting .380 with two home runs and eight RBIs since making his major league debut on May 15. McLain, 23, was taken by the Reds with the 17th selection, 13 picks after the Red Sox landed Marcelo Mayer, who was recently promoted to Double A Portland. … Bello has not given up more than two runs in any of his last five starts, including his most recent outing when he tossed a career-high seven innings against the Angels, striking out six and allowing two runs on six hits. In his only start against the Reds last season, he struck out five and walked two, allowing one run on eight hits in five innings to get the win. … Lively has only faced the Red Sox once, back in 2017 when he was with the Phillies. He went seven innings, allowing three runs on eight hits. Song of the Day: The Cars - Drive www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuZA6qiJVfU
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 30, 2023 13:34:17 GMT -5
After an off day a rest day for Verdugo
figures
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 30, 2023 14:34:34 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 5m Corey Kluber to paternity list. Ryan Sherriff recalled
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 30, 2023 16:43:43 GMT -5
Red Sox injuries: Slugger begins rehab assignment, Yu Chang pulled off his
Published: May. 30, 2023, 5:13 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Red Sox slugger Adam Duvall will begin a rehab assignment for Triple-A Worcester in Louisville on Tuesday.
Duvall, who suffered a broken left wrist during the second week of the season, is not eligible to return from the 60-day injured list until June 9 and he’s targeting a return that day when the Red Sox open a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.
“I think he’s DH’ing today, playing the outfield tomorrow,” manager Alex Cora said Tuesday at Fenway Park. “I believe the third day is an off day and we keep building him up.”
Duvall went 15-for-33 (.455) with a .514 on-base percentage, 1.030 slugging percentage, four homers, five doubles, one triple, 14 RBIs and 11 runs in eight games before breaking his wrist. He landed on the wrist while diving for a ball in Detroit on April 9.
It will be a homecoming for Duvall who is a Louisville native and played baseball at the University of Louisville.
Duvall also suffered a broken left wrist last season.
“It’s about feel with him,” Cora said. “Obviously coming from this one and what happened last year, get that feeling back. Hopefully it’s the same as earlier in the season. We’ll take it day by day with him but he feels really good.” Yu Chang pulled off rehab assignment
Yu Chang (broken left hamate) was pulled off his rehab assignment, Cora said.
“Just sore,” Cora said. “Obviously nothing structurally. Nothing there. We’ve just gotta make sure he feels OK. Whenever he feels OK, he’ll go out and play.”
Chang experienced soreness after playing in a rehab game for Worcester on Friday. Christian Arroyo continues rehab Wednesday
Christian Arroyo, who appeared in three rehab games for Worcester last week, is scheduled to play in his fourth rehab game Wednesday.
Arroyo has been on the 10-day injured list since May 7 with a right hamstring strain.
“The hope is for him to play second, short, DH and then we reassess his situation toward the end of the week,” Cora said.
Richard Bleier plays catch Tuesday
Lefty reliever Richard Bleier (left shoulder inflammation) played catch Tuesday for the first time since being placed on the 15-day injured list May 22.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 30, 2023 16:46:19 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 1h Cora said they wanted to take advantage of yesterday and today for Verdugo, who has "been playing hard and hustling and all that stuff."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 30, 2023 17:50:05 GMT -5
NESN feed after the long road trip.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 31, 2023 4:50:14 GMT -5
That was some treat last night shitty pitching an appearance from the Gas Can Gang Kiki throwing the ball all over the place, base running mistakes and Yoshida lost track of how many outs there were......
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 31, 2023 4:50:43 GMT -5
Unpacking the Red Sox's loss to the Reds 1:33 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- Ideally, the revival of the Red Sox’s offense would have come in a win on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.
Instead, Boston was forced to settle for a near-miss comeback in a 9-8 loss to the Reds to open a seven-game homestand.
Here are some things to unpack from a disjointed defeat.
Bello’s command way off Nobody doubts the talent of Red Sox righty Brayan Bello, who has a nasty arsenal of pitches.
Over his past six starts, Bello has a 2.53 ERA. But the 24-year-old didn’t command enough to pitch deep into the game, throwing 97 pitches (61 strikes) over four innings. He at least minimized the damage, including throwing a 33-pitch first inning without allowing a run. Bello left with his team down, 1-0. Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.
But that left the bullpen with five innings to carry. And when the middle-relief crew had some struggles, it made Bello’s abbreviated start all the more costly.
“No command,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Bello. “A lot of pitches in four innings. Obviously, he got out of a man on third with no outs jam and did a good job there. But a lot of pitches. He was inefficient. He was behind in the count. Slider wasn’t great. They fouled off a lot of pitches and put us in a bad spot.”
What did Bello think the issue was?
“One of the things I noticed in the first inning was my mechanics were slow,” Bello said. “And so that was part of the command issues, and that’s something I tried to fix in the third and the fourth, but it was already too late and I had too many pitches in the first inning.”
Offense awakens late During the previous nine-game road trip out West, the Sox hit .235 and scored 25 runs (an average of 2.78 per game).
It looked like it was carrying over even as they returned to familiar Fenway. The Sox were down 8-0 as they came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, and suddenly the hits started to come.
In fact, they generated a three-run rally with two outs and nobody on base in that seventh. Rafael Devers had the third run-scoring hit of the inning, a single for his 500th career RBI.
This was significant because Devers, Boston’s best hitter, has struggled of late and isn’t having the type of season you’d expect. In a wild bottom of the ninth, in which the Sox scored five times, Devers ripped another RBI single.
“The past few weeks haven’t been very consistent,” Devers said. “But I need to make adjustments and that's what I've been trying to do. Today was a good sign.”
Devers came to the ballpark early on Tuesday to get some extra swings and make some adjustments.
“Of course, those two hits boosted my confidence, and coming in here early today to get some swings in, it’s very good,” Devers said. “Let’s see what happens tomorrow.”
Sloppy baseball Shortstop Kiké Hernández made two errors (he now has 11 on the season), including a costly one in the sixth when his double-play feed to second missed the mark. Instead of getting two outs on the play, Boston got none, and the Reds added to their lead. Get the latest from the Red Sox
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In the seventh inning, lefty reliever Joely Rodríguez allowed five runs on two hits and three walks, including one with the bases loaded.
“Joely walked three guys. If you do that at this level, you’re going to pay the price,” Cora said. ”I think at one point, the leadoff hitter had four at-bats in six innings. There was a lot of traffic. In that [previous] inning, we didn’t turn a double play with [Justin] Garza pitching. We didn’t play good defense there. With Joely, he was all over the place, walked three guys, and they did what they’re supposed to do.”
And in the eighth, Triston Casas lined out to right and Masataka Yoshida lost track of the number of outs, getting doubled off to end the inning. Considering the one-run margin of defeat, the Red Sox did a few things to beat themselves.
“We started making adjustments a little bit too late and the game got fast on us,” Devers said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 31, 2023 4:53:01 GMT -5
Injuries & Moves: Duvall opens rehab assignment in hometown May 30th, 2023
LATEST NEWS
May 30: OF Adam Duvall opens Minors rehab assignment The Red Sox slugger, who suffered a distal radius fracture of his left wrist on April 9, opened a Minor League rehab assignment for Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday. Playing in his hometown of Louisville, Duvall went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a flyout to left. He is expected to play the outfield on Wednesday. The Red Sox are hoping Duvall will be activated on June 9, the first day he is eligible to return.
May 30: RHP Corey Kluber placed on paternity list; LHP Ryan Sherriff recalled from Triple-A Worcester Kluber was moved to the bullpen just last week. Sherriff pitched two scoreless innings over two games in a previous stint with the club this season. Players on the paternity list can miss up to three games, which means Kluber should be back by Friday at the latest.
May 30: INF Yu Chang recalled from Minor League rehab assignment Chang was recalled from his Minor League rehab assignment with Double-A Portland due to experiencing pain while swinging in his first game on May 26. The infielder had surgery to repair a left hamate fracture in his wrist in April. The hope is still for Chang to return to Boston in June.
"We’ve got to make sure he feels OK. Whenever he feels OK, he’ll go back out," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora.
LHP Richard Bleier (left shoulder inflammation) Expected return: Some point in June Bleier made some progress on May 30, playing catch for the first time since he was placed on the injured list May 22. (Last updated: May 30)
INF Christian Arroyo (right hamstring strain) Expected return: Early June Arroyo, who hasn't played for the Red Sox since May 6, played rehab games for Triple-A Worcester on May 26-28, going 4-for-10. Cora said Arroyo will play again for Worcester in Louisville on May 31 and the team will reassess the plans after that. It is certainly possible Arroyo will be activated for the four-game series against the Rays that starts on June 2. (Last updated: May 30)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 31, 2023 4:54:41 GMT -5
Red Sox’ five-run ninth-inning rally falls short, Boston loses 9-8 to Reds
Updated: May. 30, 2023, 10:27 p.m.|Published: May. 30, 2023, 10:27 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — The Red Sox rallied with three runs in the seventh inning and five runs in the ninth inning.
But it was not enough to overcome an 8-0 deficit after six and a half innings. Reliever Joely Rodriguez put Boston in a big hole, walking three batters and giving up a grand slam in an ugly five-run seventh inning.
The Red Sox lost 9-8 to the Reds on Tuesday at Fenway Park.
Red Sox starter Brayan Bello had some difficulty throwing strikes in the early innings, leading to a high pitch count and a quick exit.
Bello allowed just one run but lasted only 4 innings.
Bello allowed five hits and two walks while striking out four. He threw 62.9% strikes (97 pitches, 61 strikes).
The righty used his four-seam fastball 32 times, averaging 95.5 mph and topping out at 96.8 mph, per Baseball Savant. But he recorded zero swings-and-misses with it. He got six whiffs in all, five with his changeup and one with his sinker.
The Red Sox offense failed to score in the first six innings.
The Red Sox were down 8-0 after six and a half innings before the offense finally showed life. Rafael Devers took part in a three-run seventh inning rally with an RBI single. He also had an RBI single in the ninth.
The Red Sox did hardly anything against Reds starter Ben Lively who went 5 ⅔ scoreless innings and allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out six.
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