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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2023 5:27:57 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK After long layoff from Red Sox, Adam Duvall giving himself time to get back in the swing By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated June 10, 2023, 7:57 p.m.
NEW YORK — Adam Duvall returned to the Red Sox lineup in Friday’s win over the Yankees and immediately knew what was missing from his game after two months lost to a broken wrist.
“I was getting beat by the fastball,” Duvall said before going 1 for 3 with a walk in Saturday’s 3-1 loss. “There was no question about that. But, you know, that’s something we’ll work on and get that timing right. [Get] that contact point where it needs to be and then go from there. But I thought overall, you know, I put together some good at-bats.”
Duvall had a tough opponent for his return Friday — Yankees ace Gerrit Cole fanned him twice on seven pitches before a sixth-inning walk. Boston’s No. 5 hitter followed the 0 for 3 with an infield single off Domingo Germán on Saturday.
Yet his importance in the Sox lineup is evident. The threat of his power is real. l
“My goal every night is to drive in runs and put runs on the board,” said Duvall. “Hopefully I’m an asset to the lineup. That’s kind of how I see my at-bats.”
Duvall was the lineup’s biggest asset prior to going on the injured list. He hit .455 (15 for 33) with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, 11 runs scored, and 14 RBIs in eight games.
He doesn’t think about the wrist much, he said, and considers it a non-issue. He knows there’s a progression in finding his timing and tries not to drown himself in the results at the plate, instead attempting to find the player he was prior to the injury.
“I think that goes back to just knowing what I was doing well. Then just focusing on that, because if I get caught up in trying to hit a home run every at-bat, then obviously the results might not be where I want them to be,” he said. “It’s just knowing what I do well, staying within myself.”
Pivetta’s place
Nick Pivetta might have found his role as a reliever.
Since joining the bullpen, the righthander has a 3.09 ERA in 11⅔ innings, opponents hitting .182 against him. In his last five appearances, the ERA is 1.42 with eight strikeouts, including stranding the potential tying run in the seventh inning Friday.
Although John Schreiber — the Sox’ usual seventh inning reliever — is progressing and out to 75 feet in his throwing program, there’s no timeline for his return. The initial plan was for Pivetta to be a multi-inning reliever. It remains the plan, but manager Alex Cora has brought Pivetta in for the seventh in his last three appearances.
“The role for Nick is bigger,” Cora said. “You saw it [Friday]. He came in and did a good job and passed the baton to Chris Martin. We can use them in multiple innings. [Josh Winckowski] was actually under the weather, so he wasn’t available. But now he’s back.
“I believe him and Nick are going to be the guys that we’re going to go to in certain situations. We can use them in the seventh or eighth when Chris is down, or we can use them earlier.”
Winckowski got the call with two out in the seventh Saturday, after Brennan Bernardino allowed a leadoff single. Kyle Higashioka hit a first-pitch single up the middle to make it 3-1, the first inherited runner of four this season that Winckowski has allowed to score.
Bleier slow to recover
Richard Bleier (shoulder), who last pitched May 21, is still feeling soreness and hasn’t reacted well to treatment. Another MRI showed shoulder inflammation, and he’s been shut down from all baseball activity . . . Yu Chang (broken hamate bone) felt soreness in his hand area after Thursday’s rehab game for Triple A Worcester. Chang won’t play this weekend and the team will check on him Monday, with the hope that he will continue his rehab assignment Tuesday. Cora reiterated it’s a matter of pain tolerance for Chang, who had the hamate bone removed during surgery. “This is about feel now,” Cora said. “It’s just about him getting used to it and we’ll see how it goes.” The same pain happened in Chang’s first rehab assignment, forcing a shutdown . . . Trevor Story (elbow) is throwing out to 110 feet at the team’s complex in Fort Myers, plus hitting on the field for the first time. He will travel to Fenway for the series with his former team, the Rockies, beginning Monday so the club can check his progress . . . Adalberto Mondesi (knee) still isn’t progressing much, according to Cora.RED SOX NOTEBOOK knee) still isn’t progressing much, according to Cora.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2023 5:33:56 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Yankees Sunday, 11 June 2023 7pm @ Boogie Down
Bello 3-4/ 3.97
Schmidt 2-6/ 4.96
Written by Mark Ruelle
The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will wrap up their three-game series in the Bronx on Sunday night. The long-time rivals are meeting for the first time this season with both teams chasing the first-place Rays in the AL East standings. The pitching matchup on Sunday will feature Red Sox righty Brayan Bello (3-4, 3.97) taking on Yankees' righty Clarke Schmidt (2-6, 4.96). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM EST.
Help Coming Back The Red Sox got some bad news this week with the announcement that starter Chris Sale was being moved to the 60-day IL with a shoulder issue but the team has welcomed back CF Adam Duvall to a lineup that is desperate for right-handed power. Duvall could soon be followed by Trevor Story as well, which would give a slumping Red Sox lineup a shot in the arm. On Friday night, the Red Sox lineup produced just three runs but it was enough to upend the Yankees to end a two-game losing streak. On Saturday night, the Red Sox offense left 10 runners on base and starter Tanner Houck allowed two solo home runs in a 3-1 loss to even the series at a game apiece. Help Coming Back The Red Sox got some bad news this week with the announcement that starter Chris Sale was being moved to the 60-day IL with a shoulder issue but the team has welcomed back CF Adam Duvall to a lineup that is desperate for right-handed power. Duvall could soon be followed by Trevor Story as well, which would give a slumping Red Sox lineup a shot in the arm. On Friday night, the Red Sox lineup produced just three runs but it was enough to upend the Yankees to end a two-game losing streak. On Saturday night, the Red Sox offense left 10 runners on base and starter Tanner Houck allowed two solo home runs in a 3-1 loss to even the series at a game apiece.
The Red Sox will close out the series on Sunday night with hard-throwing Brayan Bello taking the hill at Yankee Stadium. Bello is 3-4 in nine starts with a 3.97 ERA. He's allowed 50 hits in 45.1 innings pitched thus far and has three quality starts to his credit. Bello's K/9 rate is 9.1 and his WHIP is 1.43. On the road, Bello is 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA and has two quality starts out of his three starts. Bello's K/9 rate is 7.1 on the road but his WHIP drops to 1.13. The Red Sox will close out the series on Sunday night with hard-throwing Brayan Bello taking the hill at Yankee Stadium. Bello is 3-4 in nine starts with a 3.97 ERA. He's allowed 50 hits in 45.1 innings pitched thus far and has three quality starts to his credit. Bello's K/9 rate is 9.1 and his WHIP is 1.43. On the road, Bello is 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA and has two quality starts out of his three starts. Bello's K/9 rate is 7.1 on the road but his WHIP drops to 1.13.
Bombing Out The Yankees are trying to navigate the offensive waters without the team's top hitter in Aaron Judge. Judge remains out with a toe injury and the Yankees have gone 2-3 heading into Saturday night's game in his absence. The Bombers' offense has produced just 16 runs in that span including just two runs on Friday night against Boston. Gerrit Cole lost his first game of the season on Friday night, continuing a slow downward trend in his last five starts since looking like a Cy Young favorite in his first seven starts of the season. On Saturday night, the Yankees got six solid innings from Domingo German and solo home runs from Gleyber Torres and Willie Calhoun on their way to a 3-1 win to even the weekend series.
Righty Clarke Schmidt will get the call for the Yankees in Sunday night's finale. Schmidt is 2-6 in 13 starts this season with an ERA just under 5.00. He has two quality starts on the season with a K/9 rate of 9.6 and a WHIP of 1.46. Schmidt is just 1-5 at home with an ERA of 4.66 and has his only two quality starts of the season in eight overall. Schmidt's K/9 rate at home drops to 9.1 while his WHIP lowers slightly to 1.38. He has given up an alarming eight home runs in just over 30 innings at home.
Red Sox at Yankees Sunday, at 7:10 PM EST Partly Cloudy It's expected to be 77° F with a 11% chance of precipitation and 10 MPH wind blowing right to left in New York City at 7:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Jun 11, 2023 10:21:54 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 5h 8 games, 2 wins, 6 losses, 2.38 runs scored per game. One multi-run inning in the last 72 times to bat.
30 games, 11 wins, 19 losses, 3.77 runs per game.
This is spiraling. Bad plate discipline catching up big-time for Duran & Valdez. And alarming number of strikeouts for Casas, who I thought would have better plate discipline. And since we shouldn't expect too much from SS and catcher, there won't be enough offense from the other positions to make up for it.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2023 12:37:52 GMT -5
John Sterling getting hit by a foul ball last night, in pain, and carrying on with the call last night was pretty damn funny.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2023 12:52:13 GMT -5
Game 66: Lineups and notes for Red Sox-Yankees series finaleBy Amin Touri Globe Staff,Updated June 11, 2023, 1 hour ago The Red Sox have seen their bats go quiet, producing just nine runs over the last four games; they’ll need a little more offense on Sunday night to take the first series of the season against the Yankees. Brayan Bello will take the ball hoping for that run support, looking to continue his strong performances against New York. The young righthander has a 0.82 ERA in two starts against the Yankees. Clarke Schmidt will go for the hosts in the finale. Schmidt has struggled this season with a 4.96 ERA in 13 starts. Lineups RED SOX (32-33): 1. Jarren Duran (L) CF 2. Alex Verdugo (L) RF 3. Masataka Yoshida (L) LF 4. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 5. Justin Turner (R) DH 6. Triston Casas (L) 1B 7. Enrique Hernandez (R) 2B 8. Reese McGuire (L) C 9. Pablo Reyes (R) SS Pitching: RHP Brayan Bello (3-4, 3.97 ERA) YANKEES (38-28): 1. Willie Calhoun (L) RF 2. Gleyber Torres (R) 2B 3. Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B 4. Josh Donaldson (R) DH 5. Jake Bauers (L) LF 6. DJ LeMahieu (R) 3B 7. Billy McKinney (L) CF 8. Jose Trevino (R) C 9. Oswaldo Cabrera (S) SS Pitching: RHP Clarke Schmidt (2-6, 4.96 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: ESPN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Schmidt: Christian Arroyo 0-1, Triston Casas 1-2, Rafael Devers 0-3, Kiké Hernández 1-3, Reese McGuire 1-1, Rob Refsnyder 0-1, Alex Verdugo 0-1 Yankees vs. Bello: Oswaldo Cabrera 2-6, Josh Donaldson 1-3, Isiah Kiner-Falefa 0-2, Anthony Rizzo 0-3, Giancarlo Stanton 0-3, Gleyber Torres 3-5, Jose Trevino 1-5 Stat of the day: The Red Sox have averaged 6.92 runs per game with Bello on the mound this season. Notes: Rafael Devers homered for the second straight game on Saturday after a a 16-game homerless drought ... On Saturday, the Red Sox were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11. In the series, they are 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and 4 for 34 over the past four contests ... Since winning three straight starts from May 4-17, Bello is 0-3, but with a respectable 3.18 ERA. Bello has allowed three runs or less in his past eight outings ... Bello lost both of his starts against the Yankees in 2022. He allowed three unearned runs in five innings of a 5-3 loss at Boston on Sept. 14 and allowed an earned run in six innings of a rain-shortened 2-0 loss in New York on Sept. 25. Song of the Day: Sheryl Crow - Everyday Is A Winding Road www.youtube.com/watch?v=khrx-zrG460
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2023 19:02:20 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 3h LHP Matt Dermody cleared waivers. The Red Sox outrighted him to AAA as opposed to releasing him.
OF Raimel Tapia was released.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2023 19:03:22 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 2h Sox spent time doing team infield fundamentals before batting practice today. More group focused than their usual individual work.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 12, 2023 4:20:26 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 8h Bello matches his career best with 7 innings.
#RedSox 3, #Yankees 2 (10).
Jansen the winner, save for Martin, the big hit by Hernández.
Sox (33-33) take 2 of 3 in the Bronx to end a 3-3 road trip.
Rockies at Fenway tomorrow night.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 12, 2023 4:23:18 GMT -5
Kiké comes through as Red Sox take series in Bronx Hernández drives in winner in 10th for Boston after Bello keeps it close with 7 strong innings 1:30 AM ADT Bill Ladson
NEW YORK -- The Red Sox did something they haven’t done since May 27 against the D-backs. Boston won a series, and it was against the Yankees in a 3-2 victory in 10 innings Sunday night at Yankee Stadium.
The game was tied at 2 when Kiké Hernández singled to left field off Ron Marinaccio, driving in automatic runner Adam Duvall. It was Boston’s first hit with runners in scoring position during the game.
“I felt really good to come through for the team,” Hernández said. “It was a big series for us. … We were in all three games. We pitched well, we played good defense. We ran the bases well. We did the little things. We did it all tonight.”
Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello received a no-decision in Sunday’s game, but he was the highlight of the game for Boston. He pitched a season-high seven innings, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out three.
“He was amazing,” manager Alex Cora said about Bello. “... He was throwing strikes, using his changeup against righties. That was good to see.”
What was impressive was that Bello was dealing in front of a sellout crowd of 46,138.
“It was an exciting opportunity to be out there and pitch on a Sunday night,” Bello said through interpreter Carlos Villoria-Benitez. “I had that opportunity last year as well. I was very excited to be out there today.” Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.
If it weren’t for the second inning, Bello would have had seven shutout innings. The ball didn’t bounce his way that inning.
The Yankees had runners on second and third with two outs. Jose Trevino hit what looked to be a routine ground ball, but the ball hit the second-base bag and bounced past Hernández for a hit, scoring two runs to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.
“I felt like saying, ‘Let’s go home,’” Cora admitted.
But Bello didn’t panic. He held New York scoreless for the next five innings.
“I thank God I kept my focus,” Bello said. “It could have been a groundout to get out of the inning. I did my work and I executed my pitch. I was glad I was able to keep my focus through that situation.”
Hernández was not surprised that Bello kept his focus and had a quality outing.
“This is who we believe [Bello] is,” Hernández said. “This is a kid who came into the league with all the hype in the world and struggled a little bit. It seemed like he got better with each start.
“This year, he really didn’t get a Spring Training. He had to basically go through Spring Training during the regular season, The first couple of outings were not what he wanted. He was sent down for a little bit. He came back up with a great attitude. Same story as last year; he takes the mound. He seems like he gets better. I think he is mature beyond his years.”
During the three-game series, Bello, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock gave Boston a combined 19 1/3 innings, allowing six runs (five earned) and striking out 15. Cora likes the way his rotation is shaping up for the rest of the season with the young kids.
“From my end, to come here with those three kids and pitch the way they did, hopefully we could build off of this. That was really good from Whit, Tanner and Bello. That was impressive,” Cora said. “Obviously, we need to pitch. The offense is going to be OK. It’s just a matter of time. … I’m impressed with the way [the team] went about it during the three days. That was fun to watch in this scenario against a good team. They grew up the last three days.”
With the victory, the Red Sox found themselves back at .500 with a 33-33 record.
“We won the series,” Cora said. “We came to Yankee Stadium and we took two out of three. Now we just have to go home and keep going.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 12, 2023 4:27:57 GMT -5
Red Sox get RBI single from Kiké Hernández in comeback win over Yankees
Updated: Jun. 11, 2023, 10:16 p.m.|Published: Jun. 11, 2023, 10:04 p.m.
By
Sean McAdam | sean.mcadam@masslive.com
NEW YORK - In search of a big hit for seemingly a week, the Red Sox finally got one Sunday night.
Kiké Hernandez slapped a single through a drawn-in infield in the top of the 10th inning, scoring pinch-runner Adam Duvall from third base and sending the Red Sox a hard-fought 3-2 win over the New York Yankees.
With the potential tying run on third in the bottom of the 10th, Chris Martin notched his first save of the season when he fanned both Jose Trevino and Anthony Volpe to close it out.
Trailing by a run in the eighth, the Sox pulled even with some help from the Yankees.
Hernandez led off the inning with a single to left, and when the throw came back in from the outfield, second baseman Gleyber Torres mishandled, carelessly letting the ball get away and allowing Hernandez to move into scoring position.
After a walk to Reese McGuire, Pablo Reyes laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both baserunners, after which Jarren Duran hit a grounder to the right side, enough to plate Hernández from third, tying the game at 2-2.
For the entire series, the Red Sox found offense to be at a premium and Sunday was no different.
For the first seven innings, the lone Red Sox run, as was also the case in Saturday’s setback, was a solo homer. Justin Turner went the other way to right field leading off the second for his eighth homer.
Red Sox starter Brayan Bello certainly was deserving of a better fate, and the case could be made that Sunday was the best start of his brief major league career.
He allowed just two runs over seven innings and seemingly got better as the night wore on. Over his final three innings, he allowed just two batters to reach base - Anthony Rizzo with a leadoff walk to start the sixth, and Trevino, who was the beneficiary of a throwing error by Rafael Devers.
BAD BREAKS
The Red Sox were victims of some bad luck twice in the first three innings.
In the bottom of the second, Bello got Trevino to hit a routine grounder up the middle, which looked to be the final out of the inning. But as Hernández stationed himself behind second to make the play, the ball struck the second base bag and shot into the outfield, scoring two baserunners.
An inning later, in the top of the third, a similarly odd play also worked against the Sox.
Duran (single) was on first when Verdugo hit a grounder to the right side. Duran, who was already on the go, stopped in the baseline for a second and was struck by the ball, resulting in him being ruled out.
It was that kind of night for the Sox.
BACK HOME
Having finished their two-city, six-game road trip, the Red Sox return home to Fenway for the start of a six-game homestand.
The Colorado Rockies visit Monday. The Sox will send LHP James Paxton (2-1, 3.81) to the mound to face former Sox minor leaguer RHP Connor Seabold (1-2, 5.10).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 12, 2023 4:30:03 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 8h Bello allowed 5 ER in his first start of the year and has allowed 17 ER in his next 48.2 innings (3.14 ERA).
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 12, 2023 4:37:38 GMT -5
Jon Couture @joncouture · 7h In eight games and 72 trips to the plate, the #RedSox have *one* multi-run inning since the doubleheader split against the Rays.
The Manfred Man on second in extra innings figure to help that, but who knows?
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 12, 2023 6:45:58 GMT -5
Offense anemic, Red Sox lean on young starters to gain series win | McAdam
Updated: Jun. 12, 2023, 6:11 a.m.|Published: Jun. 12, 2023, 6:00 a.m.
By
Sean McAdam | sean.mcadam@masslive.com
NEW YORK - Through the first 27 innings of their series against the Yankees, the Red Sox could claim exactly one base hit with runners in scoring position.
One.
Eventually, even such offensive futility had to give way, and so it was that Kiké Hernandez slapped a single through the drawn-in infield in the 10th inning Sunday night to propel the Red Sox to a 3-2 win and a win of the series.
It had to happen sometime.
But the reason the Red Sox got to slink out of the Bronx with two wins in three tries had less to do with that slump ending and more to do with the superb starting pitching the Red Sox received over the weekend.
In three games, the trio of Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello combined to allow just five runs in 19.1 innings. For the series, that translates to a 2.33 ERA. For the future, that translates into so much more.
“From my end,” said Alex Cora, “to come here with those three kids and pitch the way they did, hopefully we can build off of this. That was really good by Whit, by Tanner and by Bello. That was impressive. Obviously, we need to pitch to get back (into contention); the offense is going to be OK. It’s just a matter of time to get good at-bats and get people healthy.
“But I’m impressed the way (the young starters) went about it over the three days. That was fun to watch. In this scenario, against a good team, they grew up a lot in these three days.”
Bello, in particular, seemed to take the biggest step forward. He didn’t rattle when the Yankees got two gift runs in the second when Jose Trevino’s routine grounder up the middle managed to struck the second base bag and shoot into the outfield.
“Somebody his age could have very easily gotten distracted,” noted Hernández. “But he didn’t lose focus. We should have gotten out of the inning instead of giving up two runs. But he just kept pitching.”
Moreover, he made a critical adjustment for Sunday’s start, toying with a new grip on his changeup to reduce the pitch’s velocity and achieve greater separation from his two-seam fastball. Accustomed to throwing his changeup at 88-89 mph, he worked to take something off the pitch and dropped it to 85 mph or so.
“That difference throws you off as a hitter,” said Cora, “and the action (on the changeup) is very similar to the sinker and you saw a lot of swings and misses on that one.”
“This is who we believe the kid is,” said Hernández approvingly. “He’s a kid who came into the league last year with all the hype in the world and struggled for a little bit. But it seemed like he got better with every start. This year (thanks to some forearm tightness that sidelined him in February), he didn’t really get a spring training and had to basically go through spring training in the regular season. The first couple of outings weren’t really what he wanted.
“This year, it’s the same story as last year - every time he takes the mound, it seems like he gets better. I think he’s very mature, beyond his (years).”
That the trio shone over the weekend just as the Red Sox announced that Chris Sale was being transferred to the 60-day IL and would be lost until early August at a bare minimum was perhaps more than a little symbolic. It was if the torch was being passed from the brittle, 35-year-old Sale to the three younger starters, the oldest of whom, Whitlock, observed his 27th birthday Sunday.
As frustrating as the lineup has been for the last two weeks, it’s not hard to imagine a course correction coming before too long. The offense performed as a Top 5 unit for most of the first two months, and much of that was achieved without Adam Duvall, who was lost for two months, but now is found - and healthy.
The prospect of that lineup producing again and meshing with the emerging rotation pieces is a tantalizing one, enough to produce some fanciful thoughts.
“If we keep doing this from the mound...” said Cora, his voice trailing off.
Three games do not translate to a season-long guarantee. But those same three games at least offered some promise going forward, and for a team in search of an escape hatch from the division basement, a potential way out.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 12, 2023 13:11:01 GMT -5
The Red Sox are decidedly average, but their young pitching staff is proving itself more Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, and Garrett Whitlock were all impressive in their starts at Yankee Stadium over the weekend.
By Jon Couture June 12, 2023 | 12:08 PM
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COMMENTARY
If you think you don’t like the Yankees, ask one of their fans how they feel about them.
I’m hardly the only person to point this out, but it was striking to read each side of the rivalry shouting the same thing this weekend: We need depth. Without Aaron Judge since injuring his foot in Los Angeles last weekend, New York is averaging three runs per game. It’s not hard to believe, given their years-long profile as a homer-or-bust group.
The Yankees split a six-game homestand with the White Sox and Red Sox giving Jake Bauers, Willie Calhoun, and Billy McKinney 55 plate appearances. That trio was your starting New York outfield for Sunday night’s 3-2 Boston victory, won when four Sox pitchers held the hosts to three hits — the only damaging one getting a major assist from the second-base bag.
That .201 batting average and .697 OPS from Triston Casas got you down? Anthony Volpe, New York’s next-big-thing shortstop, is looking up at both and was out of the starting lineup Sunday for just the sixth time all season. The 22-year-old who nearly walked off Kenley Jansen on Friday pinch-hit and struck out to end the series.
How about Kiké Hernández advancing on somebody else’s error, ultimately scoring the tying run in the eighth and knocking in the winner in the 10th?
“It was a big series for us,” he told reporters Sunday night. “We were in all three games.”
And won two despite totaling just five hits all weekend with a runner on base. Didn’t feel like a 24-hit weekend for the Red Sox, did it? That’ll happen when only two — Casas’s RBI single off Gerrit Cole Friday, and Hernández’s 10th-inning single Sunday — came with a runner in scoring position.
In three games, the Red Sox were 2 for 16 (.125) in those RISP spots and 19 for 56 (.339) with the bases empty. Rafael Devers went 4 for 12 with two home runs, but was 0 for 6 with men on base, two of those coming in Saturday’s 3-1 loss.
An outstanding weekend of pitching made it forgivable.
“We pitched well the whole weekend,” manager Alex Cora told reporters. “So we take that home and hopefully at home, we start hitting the ball the other way, get that feeling back, and have a good week.”
Awaiting them are the Rockies, the National League’s worst staff by a notable margin. That would seem to bode well, though perception is somewhat unreliable in the day-to-day despite these Red Sox being the decidedly average team most of us thought they’d be.
Consider: They’re 33-33 overall, having scored exactly as many runs as they’ve allowed (323). They’re 17-16 at home versus 16-17 on the road. They’re 10-11 in the AL East — admittedly, a massive improvement from a year ago. They’re 10-10 in one-run games despite winning nearly every night they get through five innings either leading (20-3) or tied (5-2).
If we’re going to quibble, two-thirds of their games have been against better than .500 competition, with 55 of their last 96 also against baseball’s top half. (Beyond the AL East, 13 combined remain with Texas and Houston.) It’s a tough slate that’s not really going to get any easier.
Will reinforcements be coming? For a team 14 out in its division and four games adrift of a third wild card? Suffice to say, this appears one way these Red Sox aren’t going to be confused with the Yankees, who still haven’t won an AL pennant since Judge was in high school.
Regardless, there does appear something to take from wherever this meander of a season leads. That pitching Cora mentioned, which might not be deep enough to get them into October baseball, but certainly has made the most of its opportunities to establish itself.
Cora called Brayan Bello’s seven innings on Sunday his best outing yet, and it’s a fair read. (If the bases are 2022 sized, he might’ve thrown seven shutout.) Garrett Whitlock allowed one earned run over 6⅓ innings in Friday’s win, giving Corey Kluber credit for helping him “with pitch selection and reading at-bats.”
Tanner Houck has lost three straight starts, but he’s now a four-pitch pitcher missing as many bats as he ever has, and himself gave up just three hits in six innings Saturday.
Even the worst teams offer silver linings. Andrew Miller’s stellar final decade as one of baseball’s better middle relievers began in Bobby Valentine’s 2012 bullpen. These Sox would need one heck of a tailspin to approach that level of dysfunction, but whatever the young core of the rotation becomes, it will have its seeds with the 2023 team.
Houck’s increased mix. Whitlock’s longest starts and first sustained success. And Bello, who after his opening hiccup has a 3.08 ERA and .236 batting average against in nine starts, a run which includes Toronto, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and a night at Yankee Stadium that very quickly could’ve gone south after that bad break at second base.
“This is who we believe [Bello] is,” Hernández told reporters. “This is a kid who came into the league with all the hype in the world and struggled a little bit. It seemed like he got better with each start. . . . He had to basically go through Spring Training during the regular season. The first couple of outings were not what he wanted. He was sent down for a little bit. He came back up with a great attitude. Same story as last year; he seems like he gets better.”
The Yankees might not be what they once were. The Red Sox certainly aren’t.
But there’s something brewing in both. And it feels like it’s building.
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