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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 25, 2023 2:27:23 GMT -5
J.P. Long @soxnotes · 5h Chris Murphy is the first pitcher ever to throw 2.0+ scoreless innings in each of his first 3 MLB appearances, all with the Red Sox.
3.1 IP, 0 R 2.2 IP, 0 R 2.0 IP, 0 R
Total: 8.0 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K 0.63 WHIP .138 opponent AVG (4-for-29)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 25, 2023 5:20:08 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Red Sox’ shortstop situation goes beyond failed Kiké Hernández experiment By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated June 24, 2023, 5:46 p.m.
CHICAGO — Kiké Hernández was confident he could bring stability to the Red Sox at shortstop in the absence of Trevor Story and Adalberto Mondesi.
He adamantly believed he could be a short-term fix.
“To me, it feels like riding a bike,” Hernández said during the Red Sox’ Winter Weekend in January with regard to playing shortstop. “And I mean this in the most humble way possible, I am just an infielder that’s capable of playing the outfield.”
Yet after 14 errors, 12 on throws, the Red Sox were forced to move on from Hernández on a day-to-day basis. His comments on playing shortstop have turned from reflective and confident to aloof and curt.
“I’m throwing the ball in the [toilet],” Hernández said recently. “I’m not making good throws and the ball’s not getting caught.”
The Red Sox’ situation at the position, though, isn’t quite about Hernández. The idea of having him be an everyday shortstop, a position he took on with little experience as a starter, was always a tall order for Hernández, whose true experience falls into the category of a utility player.
More so, the situation is about how the Red Sox’ reliance on Hernández at shortstop, a failed experiment, has led to even more instability at the position.
Yu Chang has been removed from two rehab assignments as he continues to recover from hamate bone surgery. He has missed 54 games while on the injured list. On Friday, Pablo Reyes, who was playing for the lowly Athletics’ Triple A affiliate before the Red Sox acquired him for cash considerations last month, went on the IL because of an abdominal strain.
It’s still just June and the Red Sox have already rolled out seven shortstops, including rookie David Hamilton, who made his second straight start in Saturday’s 5-4 loss to the White Sox.
Besides Hernández, who has played 436 innings at the position, only Chang and Reyes have played 90-plus innings at the position. Last year, Christian Arroyo had the second-most innings played at short (76) behind Xander Bogaerts.
The absence of structure and dependability has made it a daily grind for the coaching staff as it tries to fill such a gaping hole at such a premier position.
“That’s part of our challenge as a front office,” said chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom on Saturday. “We have to try to construct a roster that fits together, a roster that works, and then have layers of depth behind it so that whatever happens, even if you don’t have all of your original 26 available, whatever happens, that you feel that giving your manager and your staff, good options to go win a ballgame.”
Mondesi in restart mode
The Red Sox shut down Mondesi (knee) from all baseball activity a couple of weeks ago. Bloom said Mondesi has restarted his ramp-up with the hope that he could — though there’s still no timeline — get into game action at some point this year.
Mondesi, acquired from the Royals via trade in the offseason as a filler following Story’s elbow injury, hasn’t been able to get beyond the threshold required to play competitively.
“Structurally, he’s fine,” said Bloom. “We knew from the start there was some ground we were going to have to make up in terms of strengthening. We just haven’t been able to get him past the discomfort or soreness, feeling in it. And so it’s been a little bit of a start, stop. We’ve tried different things that just haven’t gotten there yet. Hopefully we will be able to solve it.”
Mondesi will be a free agent at the end of the season. All about defense for Story
Story has said he could return as early as July as a designated hitter and by August at shortstop. Given the roster construction and how crowded the Red Sox are at the DH position, August sounds more likely.
“Shortstop is the end goal [for Story],” said Bloom. “We don’t want to do anything that slows down our progress towards that. I think it’s a really good thing that he feels he’s going to be able to contribute sooner than that. I think that says a lot about him, who he is and how he’s feeling. But there’s obviously a lot of different things that come with that.”
The offense will take care of itself. Defense, specifically throwing, remains the priority.
“It’s obviously [more focus] on the defense and all the different throws he’s going to have to make,” said Bloom. “Just the overall workload.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 25, 2023 5:27:11 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Pale Hose Sunday, June 25th 2pm @ South Side
Krawford 2-3/ 3.74
Cease 3-3/ 4.22
Sunday, June 25, 2023 at 2:10pm EDT Written by Chris King
It’s the conclusion of a weekend series between the hosiery department of major league baseball on the diamond in the south side of the Windy City. The Boston Red Sox are on the road as they finish up a three-game set with the Chicago White Sox Sunday afternoon. In the opening game of the series Friday night, it was the Red Sox earning a 3-1 win in a well-pitched contest on both sides to draw first blood. Will Boston lock down the win on getaway day or will the White Sox find a way to regroup in the finale of the set? This article was published prior to the conclusion of the middle game of the series at Guaranteed Rate Field Saturday afternoon.
Boston Red Sox Trying to Climb Out of AL East Basement Boston snapped a two-game slide as they won a low-scoring affair in the opening game of this series with the White Sox Friday night. The Red Sox entered Saturday 40-37 on the year and stood in the basement of the AL East, 12 games behind the Rays for the top spot in the division. On Friday, Boston finished with only four hits as Masataka Yoshida (run) was the lone player with two. Rafael Devers hit his 18th homer of the season, a two-run shot, in the fourth inning, to break a 1-1 tie and that held up as the margin of victory. Brayan Bello (5-4) earned the win on the mound as he threw 6.2 innings, allowing one run on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Kenley Jansen worked a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out one, for his 16th save of the year.
Kutter Crawford is on the hill for the Red Sox as he makes his 15th appearance and seventh start of the season in the series finale. He comes in 2-3 with a 3.74 ERA, a 1.139 WHIP, nine walks and 46 strikeouts over 45.2 innings of work this season. Crawford earned the win in his last start, which came against the Twins at home Tuesday night. He threw five scoreless innings, allowing six hits with no walks and five strikeouts in a game the Red Sox went on to win 10-4. In his last three starts, Crawford is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA, a 1.67 WHIP, three walks and 13 strikeouts over 12 innings of work. Crawford, in his 37th career major league appearance and 20th start, pitches against the White Sox for the first time here. As a result, this marks his first career outing at Guaranteed Rate Field.
White Sox Looking to Get Back in Win Column Chicago lost for the ninth time in 12 games as they wasted another solid pitching performance in the opening game of this set Friday night. The White Sox entered Saturday 32-45 on the season and stood fourth in the AL Central, seven games behind the Twins for the division lead. On Friday night, Chicago had eight hits with Eloy Jimenez recording three while Andrew Benintendi added two. The White Sox went zero for seven with runners in scoring position in the game, wasting a solid pitching performance. Lucas Giolito (5-5) took the loss on the mound as he threw six innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits with one walk and 10 strikeouts. All told, White Sox pitchers fanned 17 Boston hitters in the loss.
The White Sox have yet to officially name a starter for this game though Dylan Cease would be able to go on regular rest for his 17th start of the season here should they go that route. He is 3-3 with a 4.22 ERA, a 1.324 WHIP, 39 walks and 100 strikeouts over 85.1 innings of work this season. Cease didn’t factor in the decision in his last start, which came Tuesday night at home against the Rangers. He threw six innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and nine strikeouts in a game the White Sox rallied to win 7-6. In his last three starts, Cease has no record with a 2.60 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, seven walks and 26 strikeouts over 17.1 innings of work. Cease makes his fifth career start against the Red Sox in this contest. He is 0-1 with a 9.98 ERA, a 2.283 WHIP, 13 walks and 23 strikeouts over 15.1 innings of work against them. Cease is 17-13 with a 3.38 ERA, a 1.251 WHIP, 142 walks and 356 strikeouts over 301.1 innings in 55 career starts at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Red Sox at White Sox Sunday, at 2:10 PM EST Partly Cloudy It's expected to be 85° F with a 20% chance of rain and 21 MPH wind blowing right to left in Chicago at 2:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 25, 2023 9:25:35 GMT -5
Line Ups are out write up from the Globe is not...
1. Rob Refsnyder (R) RF 2. Justin Turner (R) DH 3. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 4. Adam Duvall (R) CF 5. Masataka Yoshida (L) LF 6. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B 7. Christian Arroyo (R) 2B 8. Enrique Hernandez (R) SS 9. Caleb Hamilton (R) C
1. Andrew Benintendi (L) LF 2. Andrew Vaughn (R) 1B 3. Luis Robert Jr. (R) CF 4. Eloy Jimenez (R) DH 5. Yasmani Grandal (S) C 6. Jake Burger (R) 3B 7. Gavin Sheets (L) RF 8. Elvis Andrus (R) SS 9. Zach Remillard (R) 2B
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 25, 2023 12:47:52 GMT -5
Who will Red Sox start on mound Wednesday? ‘Probably’ will use an opener
Updated: Jun. 25, 2023, 1:26 p.m.|Published: Jun. 25, 2023, 1:17 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
CHICAGO — The Red Sox have Garrett Whitlock scheduled to start Tuesday when they return to Fenway Park to begin a three-game series against the Marlins.
Boston, which has Monday off, will give Brayan Bello an extra day of rest and start him Thursday.
The Sox have their Wednesday starter list as TBD.
“We’ll see where we’re at,” manager Alex Cora said before the Red Sox’s game against the White Sox on Sunday. “Probably we’ll go opener and see where Piv (Nick Pivetta), Wink (Josh Winckowski) and Murph (Chris Murphy) are. And we’ll go from there.”
It wasn’t long ago the Red Sox were using a temporary six-man rotation and appeared to have plenty of starting pitching depth. They are down to four starters after Tanner Houck (facial fracture) joined Chris Sale (left shoulder inflammation) on the injured list. Corey Kluber, who was demoted to the bullpen, also is on the IL with right shoulder inflammation.
Boston used Justin Garza as an opener in Houck’s spot Thursday, then went to Brandon Walter (MLB debut) as the bulk reliever and lost 6-0 to the Twins. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom spoke with MassLive before the game Saturday about the trade market for starting pitching.
James Paxton was removed from his start Saturday after just 4 innings because of right knee soreness. But the Red Sox think he’ll likely be able to make his next start Friday in Toronto.
“He said he’s feeling well,” Cora said about Paxton on Sunday morning. “Everything is lined up for him to start on Friday. We’ll see how he keeps reacting to the treatment but that’s where we’re at right now.”
As Cora mentioned, Murphy can give the Red Sox length Wednesday. The lefty has thrown 8 scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out 11 in three relief outings for Boston. He pitched two scoreless inning against the White Sox on Saturday.
“He can get righties out,” Cora said about the left-handed Murphy. “Like yesterday, they had a bunch of righties and we went with him. We really like this role. As long as he’s around the plate, he’s going to be good. His stuff is that good. I think he gives us a lefty that can out-power the opposition with his stuff. And so far, he’s been really, really good.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 25, 2023 19:08:48 GMT -5
Red Sox injuries: ‘Everything is lined up for’ James Paxton to start Friday
Updated: Jun. 25, 2023, 1:58 p.m.|Published: Jun. 25, 2023, 1:55 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
CHICAGO — James Paxton was removed from his start vs. the White Sox on Saturday after just 4 innings because of right knee soreness. But the Red Sox think he’ll likely be able to make his next start Friday in Toronto.
“He said he’s feeling well,” manager Alex Cora said Sunday. “Everything is lined up for him to start on Friday. We’ll see how he keeps reacting to the treatment but that’s where we’re at right now.”
The 34-year-old lefty — who initially felt soreness in his right knee (landing leg) during his start against the Twins in Minnesota this past Monday — said Saturday evening that he should be good to make his next start.
Paxton has a 3.19 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in eight starts. Opponents are batting only .204 against him. Other Red Sox injury updates
~ Lefty Joely Rodriguez, who has been on the injured list since June 4 because of left shoulder inflammation, likely is nearing a return. He has made rehab appearances for Triple-A Worcester this past Tuesday and Friday. He recorded two outs in both outings. He also allowed one run and multiple hits in each appearance.
“He’s pitching again. Maybe one more,” Cora said. “We’re not sure. It depends. He hasn’t finished the innings. But he’s feeling good.”
~ Lefty Richard Bleier (left shoulder inflammation) has been playing catch. “Up to 120 (feet) I want to say,” Cora said. Cora added that righty John Schreiber (right teres major strain) is doing the same thing as Bleier.
~ Yu Chang, who Boston transferred to the 60-day injured list June 22, is taking swings and “feeling better,” Cora said. The Red Sox removed him from his rehab assignment earlier this month after he felt soreness in his surgically-repaired wrist.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 25, 2023 19:10:03 GMT -5
Red Sox offense leaves 8 men on base, records 5 hits in loss to White Sox
Updated: Jun. 25, 2023, 5:21 p.m.|Published: Jun. 25, 2023, 4:43 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
CHICAGO — Starting pitcher Kutter Crawford gave up two homers to White Sox slugger Luis Robert Jr. and the Red Sox offense provided little run support for him.
Boston recorded five hits and left eight runners on base in a 4-1 loss to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sunday.
The Red Sox lost two of three games here to a Chicago team that is 11 games below .500. They finished the seven-game road trip with a 3-4 record after winning the first two games in Minnesota.
Triston Casas doesn’t throw home
Andrew Benintendi doubled down the right field line in the fifth inning and Gavin Sheets scored from first base.
Triston Casas caught the relay throw from right fielder Rob Refsnyder who missed the cutoff man, Christian Arroyo. Casas had a play at the plate. But Casas decided not to throw it home. Benintendi, meanwhile, ran to third base. Casas threw behind the runner to second base instead of throwing to third and forcing Benintendi into a rundown. Kutter Crawford pitches 6 innings
Kutter Crawford pitched 6 innings and allowed four runs, five hits (two homers) and one walk while striking out four. Red Sox’s only lead
Adam Duvall put the Red Sox ahead 1-0 in the third inning with an RBI double to left field. It was Boston’s only lead. The White Sox went ahead 2-1 in the fourth.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 25, 2023 19:14:48 GMT -5
Did Red Sox’s Triston Casas have play at plate? Rob Refsnyder takes ‘fault’
Updated: Jun. 25, 2023, 5:56 p.m.|Published: Jun. 25, 2023, 5:48 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
CHICAGO — Andrew Benintendi’s double down the right field line wasn’t hit too hard. It left his bat at 88.7 mph.
What followed was a series of mistakes by the Red Sox defense.
Gavin Sheets scored from first base on the double, putting the White Sox ahead by two runs in the fifth. Chicago beat Boston 4-1 at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sunday.
Right fielder Rob Refsnyder fielded it and threw over the cutoff man, second baseman Christian Arroyo.
First baseman Triston Casas, the second cutoff man, caught the ball and had a play at the plate. But Casas decided not to throw it home. Benintendi, meanwhile, ran to third base. Casas threw behind the runner to second base instead of throwing to third and forcing Benintendi into a rundown.
“First we’ve got to hit the cutoff man, the first one,” manager Alex Cora said. “We overthrew that one. So on that one, it’s a tough situation there.”
Cora said Casas also needed to be more alert of Sheets’ location.
“As an infielder, you’ve got to keep looking back, keep looking back,” Cora said. “He caught it and then he looked. But I think we can point the finger at him but if we hit the cutoff man, we get the guy out at the plate.”
Refsnyder took the blame.
“Benintendi hit the ball down the line. That would be kind of risky if I charged it and the ball got by me,” Refsnyder said. “I tried to get a good bounce off the wall. I think it was Arroyo and Triston who were the cut-(off men). I tried to make a strong throw. Obviously got it to Triston. So yeah, that’s my fault. I take accountability for that, for sure. I’ve just gotta make the first cut and kind of see what’s going on there.”
Sheets had reached base on a leadoff walk, starter Kutter Crawford’s only walk in 6 innings.
“The Benintendi double started with a leadoff walk and that can’t happen. So that’s on me,” Crawford said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 25, 2023 19:18:31 GMT -5
Boston Sports Info @bostonsportsinf · 3h Red Sox batters this weekend
18 hits 38 strikeouts
just gruesome
Matt McCarthy @mattmccarthy985 As I've said all year, they're not actually a very good offensive club. Mediocre.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 25, 2023 19:23:01 GMT -5
Instead of riding momentum toward season’s second half, Red Sox downshift and it comes as no surprise By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated June 25, 2023, 1 hour ago
CHICAGO — The Red Sox won the first two games of their road trip, scoring 19 runs against the Twins. That put them four games over .500, on the doorstep of building tangible momentum going into the season’s second half.
They staggered backward instead, closing the trip with four losses in the last five games, the latest a 4-1 setback against the White Sox on Sunday afternoon.
It does not come as a surprise at this point. The Red Sox are what their 40-39 record suggests they are, a slightly better than average team with as many weaknesses as strengths.
The Red Sox scored 12 runs in the last five games, striking out 58 times. They were 6 for 33 (.182) with 11 strikeouts with runners in scoring position.
As they have all season, opposing pitchers worked carefully to Rafael Devers — the White Sox walked him four times in three days — and took their chances with the rest of the lineup.
Chicago pitchers retired 19 of the final 22 batters they faced Sunday. The Red Sox had two hits after the third inning.
“Every team can figure out how to win when they score seven or eight runs,” designated hitter Justin Turner said. “We’ve got to figure out how to win games when we’re losing 3-1 in the seventh inning.”
The Red Sox lost games started by Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, and Lance Lynn during the trip. But the White Sox used an opener Sunday and followed him with a rookie long reliever.
The Red Sox tried to get creative. They had Bobby Dalbec in the lineup against lefthander Tanner Banks. He struck out with two runners on in the second inning.
Christian Arroyo also struck out before Kiké Hernández reached on an infield single to load the bases. Backup catcher Caleb Hamilton struck out on four pitches. He is 1 for 20 with 16 strikeouts in 24 major league games.
When Dalbec’s spot came up again in the third inning, this time against righthander Jesse Scholtens, Alex Cora went to Triston Casas.
With a run in and runners on second and third with two outs, Casas popped out to left field, chasing a low curveball.
“We took our shot there,” Cora said.
Devers came up as the tying run in the seventh inning. But Chicago had lefty Aaron Bummer ready and Devers was retired on a fly ball to right field.
It was frustration time after time against one of the worst teams in the American League.
“It’s just baseball. That’s the way it works,” said Turner, who reached base two more times (single, walk). “You can go out there and beat up on really good pitchers and sometimes pitchers that on paper that you’re supposed to beat up pitch really well.
“We had a winning streak going but can’t take anything for granted. You have to show up and do things the right way … things change quick in this game.”
The Red Sox play their next nine games against playoff contenders: the Marlins, Blue Jays, and Rangers. If they fall under .500 as the All-Star break approaches, the Red Sox will have little choice but to become sellers before the trade deadline and salvage something out of this season.
These two weeks will likely determine which direction this season takes.
“Yeah, it’s important,” said Cora, whose succinct postgame comments in recent days showed his irritation. “There’s a lot of good teams out there. We’ve just got to play good baseball.”
Red Sox ownership asked for patience when they named Chaim Bloom chief baseball officer in 2019, saying he needed time to build a consistent winner.
Twenty of the 26 players in uniform Sunday were acquired by Bloom, as are 11 of the 13 players on the injured list. This is his team, something made clear by watching Andrew Benintendi go 7 for 12 with three doubles over the weekend for the White Sox.
If the Red Sox finish in last place for the third time in four seasons, how much more patience are fans supposed to have?
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 25, 2023 19:24:29 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Given an option to rest, Adam Duvall chose to try to work on his timing at the plate By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated June 25, 2023, 1 hour ago
CHICAGO — Adam Duvall has been struggling at the plate since the Red Sox reinstated him from the injured list June 9 for their series opener against the Yankees.
In 14 games heading into Sunday’s 4-1 loss against the White Sox, Duvall was hitting just .133 with a homer and 20 strikeouts in 52 plate appearances.
It’s a large reason why manager Alex Cora wanted Duvall in the lineup for a third consecutive day. Cora believes Duvall needs reps.
“I talked to him yesterday and I [told] him if you need a day physically, we’ll give you the day,” Cora said. “But if not, I want you to play because I think timing wise, that’s what he needs. And he said he was good to go.”
Choosing to knock off the rust over electing rest might have been the best thing for Duvall, who provided the only spark for a Red Sox club that had just five hits. Duvall had two of them, going 2 for 4 with two doubles and an RBI. He put the ball in play in his four plate appearances which also included a hard line out to the pitcher in the eighth inning.
Duvall, who is known to be a streaky hitter, has a singular focus at the dish: driving in runs. The Sox outfielder believes Sunday is a sign that his path toward more production is trending in the right direction.
“I felt much better today than I had in the past week,” said Duvall. “Personally, it was a step in the right direction.” Who will start?
The Red Sox have Monday off before a three-game series against the Marlins set to begin Tuesday. Garrett Whitlock is scheduled to start Tuesday. The Sox will push Brayan Bello back to Thursday in order to give him an extra day of rest, so Wednesday’s starter is still to be determined.
However, Cora has an idea on how he will navigate that game.
“We’ll see where we are at, but we will probably see where [Nick Pivetta], Josh Winckowski, and Chris Murphy [are] and we’ll go from there.”
The injuries to Chris Sale (stress reaction in shoulder) and Tanner Houck (facial fracture) have put the pitching staff in a tough situation. Their three upcoming opponents in the Marlins, Blue Jays, and Rangers certainly won’t make it any easier.
As Cora mentioned, Murphy could be one of the arms the Sox call on, potentially, as the bulk guy following the opener Wednesday. Murphy has been stellar since his initial call-up during the Cleveland series this month. Murphy has allowed just four hits and a walk in eight scoreless innings while striking out 11.
“”He can get righties out,” Cora said. “Like [Saturday], they had a bunch of righties and we went with him. We really like this role. As long as he’s around the plate, he’s going to be good. His stuff is that good. I think he gives us a lefty that can out-power the opposition with his stuff. And so far, he’s been really, really good.” Winckowski struggling
Winckowski allowed three homers Saturday after surrendering that amount over his previous 42⅓ innings.
Winckowski had a 2.14 ERA through May. However, the reliever holds a 5.06 ERA in June, allowing six runs in 10⅔ innings. Opponents are slashing .349/.429/.605 with a 1.033 OPS against him this month.
“I do believe hitters are more aggressive the last probably 15 days because he’s such a great strike thrower,” Cora said. “They’re hunting pitches in certain zones and they’re swinging. Guys are very aggressive on the first pitch, so we’ll take a look at it and if we have to make adjustments we will.” Paxton good to go
James Paxton (right knee soreness) played catch Sunday morning. Paxton left Saturday’s game after just four innings and 63 pitches after experiencing pain in his right knee, something that initially occurred during his June 19 start against the Twins. Paxton is expected to make his next start this week.
“He say he’s feeling well and I think everything is lining up for him to start on Friday,” Cora said. “We’ll see how he keeps reacting to treatment.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 26, 2023 6:46:32 GMT -5
‘Come take it away:’ Kenley Jansen wants Red Sox teammate to want to close
Published: Jun. 26, 2023, 6:00 a.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
Josh Winckowski is having a lot more fun this season than he did in 2022. It makes sense because he’s pitching much better.
The 24-year-old Red Sox righty has a 2.84 ERA in 27 relief outings (44 ⅓ innings) after posting a 5.89 ERA in 15 outings (14 starts) last year.
Winckowski spent nearly all of his professional career before this season as a starting pitcher. Eighty-four of his 90 minor league appearances were starts.
He sounds open to staying in this role and becoming a reliever permanently beyond this season.
“Obviously I know the game has seen more value in long guys in the bullpen who can kind of give you three (innings) two times a week instead of six one time a week or whatever it is,” Winckowski told MassLive earlier this month. “I haven’t really thought about starting too much. I’m just trying to stay in the moment this year and whenever the phone rings, be ready for it. But if they decide next year they’d like to see me start a little bit, I’d be ready for it. Kind of just whatever the team needs at that time.”
Winckowski struggled Saturday, giving up three solo homers in the Red Sox’s 5-4 loss to the White Sox. He was dominant in April. He has experienced ups and downs the past two months. But overall, he has pitched effectively. Saturday marked only the second time this season he has given up more than one earned run in an outing.
Winckowski enjoys the role he’s in as a high-leverage multi-inning reliever. It suits him well. He doesn’t strike out a lot of batters but he throws hard (his sinker has average 95.7 mph, per Baseball Savant) and he pounds the strike zone (2.2 walks per nine innings). Those qualities also might someday make him an effective eighth-inning man or even a closer. He certainly wouldn’t shy away from closing if that’s something that presents itself in a few years.
“Yeah, I think outside of a starter, that’s probably the next highest job on a team pitching-wise,” Winckowski said. “Obviously you always need guys that get you there to that point but obviously closing is a really tough thing to do. Probably the three hardest outs of the game. So if I ever pitched well enough for a long enough time to be in that spot, obviously that’d be something that would be super cool, for sure.”
Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen thinks Winckowski has the ability to be a closer someday.
“I think he could,” Jansen said. “I encourage him to feel that way and think that he could close now. That means that we’re going to have a really good bullpen. Of course, I have a couple years here. So I want that. I encourage that. Trust me. I do. That makes me feel relieved and positive when a young guy thinks that way in the bullpen. That means we’re going in a good direction. Because at the end of the day, it’s not only one person that has to do the job. It takes multiple persons to do the job. So I applaud him for feeling that way and keep encouraging him. Come take it away. That’s how we’re going to have a filthy bullpen.”
Like teammate Chris Martin, who’s the ultimate strike-thrower with 0.8 walks per nine innings, Winckowski needs to hit his spots in the zone.
“I do believe hitters are more aggressive the last probably 15 days. Because he’s such a great strike-thrower, they’re hunting pitches in certain zones and they’re swinging,” manager Alex Cora said.
“The sinker location has been off, too,” Cora added. “He was really good early in the season just dotting that pitch, especially away to righties. And now it’s kind of running back to the middle of the plate and guys are putting good swings on it.”
Winckowski said people often ask him if he prefers starting or relieving.
“There are pros and cons to both,” he said. “With starting, there are no surprises and you get your day. But then I also kind of do like in the bullpen, the phone rings and you get going. And obviously there are some times when you anticipate when the call will be you and what not. But in the bullpen, you just kind of get the call and get going, which I kind of enjoy in a sense. So there are pros and cons to both but I’ve definitely enjoyed myself a lot more this year.”
Young pitchers tend to want to start because starters make more money. But relievers, not just closers, are being valued more these days.
Astros reliever Rafael Montero signed a three-year, $34.5-million contract this past offseason. In November 2019, ex-Red Sox pitcher Drew Pomeranz signed with the Padres as a multi-inning reliever for four years, $34 million. The Red Sox signed Martin for two years, $17.5 million.
“You obviously factor in money but I think if you’re out here every day thinking about the paycheck and what not, I think it kind of takes away from the game and what the game is,” Winckowski said. “So obviously I’m here to help the team win and have fun with the guys. I think I’m obviously doing that a lot more this year than last year and I think it’s been helping the performance on the field. So I’m not really too worried about the money aspect at this point.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 26, 2023 9:22:56 GMT -5
The reminder that it shouldn't be too early for the Red Sox to hit the trade market
By Rob Bradford WEEI 93.7 2 hours ago
There is a throw-your-hands-up way to look at these Red Sox, particularly after losing two of three to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field over the weekend.
At three games out of the final Wild Card spot, and one game over .500, it's not a club that should be deemed worthy of giving up much of anything to make a run. Ride it out, hope for the best and look forward to the future.
Watching the team that dropped Sunday's 4-1 decision to the White Sox, that would certainly be the easy narrative to jump aboard. ADVERTISING
But there is another way to go, one which the Seattle Mariners chose one year and one day ago.
It was June 27 and the Mariners were six games under .500, by all accounts on the outside-looking-in when it came to postseason consideration. So when they made the deal for veteran first baseman Carlos Santana - sending Kansas City minor leaguers Wyatt Mills (yes, that Wyatt Mills) and Will Fleming (no, not that Will Fleming) - many wondered what Jerry DiPoto was doing.
Oh, and at that time, the Red Sox were 7 1/2 games in front of Seattle, nine games over .500.
Well, 21 games later, the Mariners had gone 17-4 and ultimately made it to the American League Division Series.
The moral of the story is that sometimes a little late-June push goes a long way. The Red Sox experienced on June 28, 2018 with the acquisition of Steve Pearce. The Mariners reaped the benefits last season. The Angels - who acquired both Eduardo Escobar and Mike Moustakas over the weekend - are currently giving it a whirl while jockeying for Wild Card position (sitting one game out).
And, now, it's a shoe that would seemingly fit Chaim Bloom and Co.
For starters, when it comes to starting pitching, the Red Sox have reached a point where acquiring another starter is almost their only avenue (other than a series of bullpen games). They were reminded of how delicate the depth of this rotation is when James Paxton left due to a knee injury Saturday, and that's already being a man down in the five-man rotation.
The strategy of riding out this razor-thin-room-for-error starting rotation until Tanner Houck and Chris Sale return seems tremendously dangerous. The kind of danger that ultimately pushed the Red Sox right off the late-summer cliff starting in July.
Another benefit of being proactive when it comes to securing a starting pitcher is that with more than a month before the trade deadline, if things do go suddenly south than that same player can be flipped for something of equal (or even better) value.
Then there is that aforementioned notion that it's simply not worth it. In some seasons, that would be the case. But these flawed Red Sox aren't all that worse than any other team in the American League this time around, and are chasing a third Wild Card spot that would be playing a less-than-imposing Central Division first-place club.
The team that we witnessed with eight in a row, and then another six straight, can legitimately compete with any club in the American League with just a tweak here and a tweak there. Yes, even the might Rays might be vulnerable come October because ... well, because they always seem vulnerable in October.
In a season of crossroads, this feels like the Red Sox have come to one yet again. This time, it feels like a well-placed new face might be the best guide to lead them down the proper path.
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Post by Kimmi on Jun 26, 2023 10:58:50 GMT -5
The reminder that it shouldn't be too early for the Red Sox to hit the trade market
By Rob Bradford WEEI 93.7 2 hours ago There is a throw-your-hands-up way to look at these Red Sox, particularly after losing two of three to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field over the weekend. So frustrating. This is what I was talking about. The Sox win 6 in a row, then turn right around and lose 4 out the next 5. We can't seem to win series against teams we should beat, like the White Sox. That said, the season is far from over.
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