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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 8, 2020 17:38:39 GMT -5
chavis bangs once again into GIDP Barnes has 7th
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 8, 2020 17:41:33 GMT -5
hahahaha a lead off walk
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 8, 2020 17:48:09 GMT -5
Barnes as usual pitching draws a walk then a single men on corners one out
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 8, 2020 17:56:46 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 5m -- 'Eck, what do you throw him here on 3-1?' -- 'A strike.'
That's elite broadcasting. So quick and so refreshingly frank. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 8, 2020 17:57:38 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 1m Alec Bohm into left and the Phillies walk it off. #RedSox
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 1m BOS 5 PHI 6 Final/7
#RedSox are 14-29.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 8, 2020 18:07:15 GMT -5
Red Sox 5, Phillies 6: Matt Barnes blows Rafael Devers’s big day
He hit two of Boston’s four homers on the day. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Sep 8, 2020, 7:01pm EDT
Well, that sucked. In the first of two in a strange doubleheader that is both preceded and followed by an off-day, the Red Sox took us on a rollercoaster ride. They fell behind early, then tied it, then had a wildly terrible defensive inning to fall back behind, then came all the way back to lead it heading into the seventh only to watch Matt Barnes blow the save. Such is life in 2020. Martín Pérez was a little shaky but worked around major control issues for much of his five-inning start, Rafael Devers had two homers and what was the go-ahead double, and Christian Vázquez had four hits. But, you know, pain.
Although the Red Sox are obviously out of the playoff race and have been for quite some time, they do have a chance on this upcoming road trip and really through the rest of the season to play spoiler. That started today against a surging Phillies team and they had their best active starter going in Martín Pérez, who also happened to be coming off an outing in which he carried a no-hitter into the seventh. He got off to a good start here, too, tossing a quick, scoreless first inning.
On the other side, the offense was looking to get to Zach Eflin, whose results are much worse than his peripherals would suggest. The righty gets a ton of strikeouts, but he’s also shown himself to be vulnerable to left-handed pitching all year. They managed just a single in the first, but did get something going in the second. It started with a Christian Vázquez infield single. Eflin got a couple of outs after that, but Bobby Dalbec kept the inning alive with a walk and Christian Arroyo reached on another infield single. Suddenly, the bases were loaded for Alex Verdugo, but he couldn’t come through. The Red Sox leadoff man grounded one over to second base to keep the game in a scoreless tie.
Pérez, meanwhile, was looking to keep things rolling in the second, but the command started to come and go at this point in the game. The southpaw got a grounder for a quick first out, then got up 0-2 on Didi Gregorius. Pérez left his putaway fastball right over the heart of the plate, though, and Gregorius ripped it out to right field for a solo homer, giving Philly the early 1-0 lead. Pérez would eventually load the bases in frustrating fashion on a bunt single, infield single and walk later in the inning, but only the one run came across.
The Red Sox offense wasted absolutely no time getting back in this game, though. Rafael Devers was up to lead things off in the top half of the third, and we saw Eflin’s struggles against lefties in one at bat. He tried to sneak a high fastball by the Red Sox third baseman, but Devers wasn’t going to let that happen. He hit an absolute laser beam of a home run — clocked at 116.5 mph, the second hardest-hit homer by a Red Sox hitter since 2015 when Statcast started tracking exit velocity — that left the yard in about a second. It tied the game up at one run apiece.
It was now up to the Red Sox to keep the momentum, but what happened instead was just an embarrassment of an inning, to be frank about it. Things started with a walk to Bryce Harper, but Pérez got a ground ball to Arroyo over at second. He stopped the ball right in Harper’s path to the bag, and could have easily tagged the runner. Instead, he inexplicably threw it over to first and Harper made it to second safely. It was one of the worst defensive plays I’ve ever seen. Harper then moved on up to third on another grounder, and more defense brought him in. Vázquez tried to get too cute with a back pick at third base that ended up in left field, and just like that it was a 2-1 lead for Philly.
From there, Pérez took over, more than likely extremely frustrated by what his defense was providing for him. The lefty totally lost the zone and issued two straight walks after Harper scored, then put both in scoring position on a wild pitch. That was costly as Alec Bohm poked a base hit through the middle to bring both runs home, and the inning would eventually end with a 4-1 lead for the Phillies. Over the Monster Podcasts
That was still the score heading into the fifth, and the Red Sox got back to Eflin. It started off with Verdugo, who had a tough first couple at bats. On his third time seeing the Phillies righty, he got a slider on the inner half a bit down in the zone, and that is Verdugo’s sweet spot. He launched it way out to right field for a no-doubt shot to lead off the inning, cutting the deficit to two. Devers came up after that and decided to see what the left field seats were like this time around. He took a sinker down and away — it was actually a pretty solid pitch from Eflin — and smashed it the other way for a solo homer, giving Boston back-to-back dingers and bringing them to within one.
After Pérez came back for a scoreless fifth, the offense had six more outs to try and at least tie this game back up. The Phillies went into the bullpen for the sixth with Tommy Hunter coming in. It wouldn’t take six outs for the offense. Dalbec continued to stay hot at the plate and gave Boston their fourth solo homer of the game, driving a 3-2 curveball that stayed in the middle of the zone and tying this game up at four runs apiece. A few batters later Devers came up to the plate with Verdugo standing at first. He was looking for his third homer of the game, and almost got it. Instead, he settled for a double high off the wall in right field that brought Verdugo home and gave the Red Sox a 5-4 lead.
With the lead suddenly in hand, it was Ryan Brasier coming on to try and hold things into the seventh. The righty got the quick first out he was looking for, but then issued a walk and a base hit to put two on with just one out and the heart of the order coming up. Brasier came back with a big strikeout to get Rhys Hoskins, leaving things up to Harper. The slugger couldn’t come through, flying out to center field to leave a pair on and keep the Red Sox ahead.
After the offense got the first two on in the top of the seventh but couldn’t add to the lead, it was Matt Barnes coming on to try and close things out. He got off to a brutal start, walking the leadoff man on four pitches. He came back from there with a big strikeout (in part thanks to a gift strike one call) for the first out, but then Gregorius followed that up with a base hit through the right side. Suddenly, the tying run was just 90 feet away with one out. Barnes came back with another strikeout for a huge second out, though Gregorius did make his way over to second on a stolen base on strike three to put the winning run in scoring position. He almost escaped the jam, getting to a 2-2 count against Bohm, but the rookie smacked a base hit through the left side. Both runs would come in to score, and the Phillies won on the walk off.
The Red Sox and Phillies pick things back up... in about 30 minutes! It’ll be Chris Mazza against Vince Velasquez.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 8, 2020 18:09:04 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1m #RedSox pitchers walked eight (in 6.2 IP) and four came around to score.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 8, 2020 18:32:37 GMT -5
game 2
1. Jonathan Arauz (S) 2B 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 4. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 5. Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) CF 6. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B 7. Deivy Grullon (R) C 8. Tzu-Wei Lin (L) RF 9. Jose Peraza (R) LF
1. Jean Segura (R) 2B 2. Rhys Hoskins (R) 1B 3. Bryce Harper (L) RF 4. J.T. Realmuto (R) C 5. Didi Gregorius (L) SS 6. Alec Bohm (R) 3B 7. Neil Walker (S) DH 8. Kyle Garlick (R) LF 9. Adam Haseley (L) CF
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 8, 2020 18:36:39 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 20m 7:40 start for Game 2 here in Philadelphia.
The 2020 Red Sox. Reeking for Rocker. Losin' for Leiter.
Meanwhile, Sox are using a Rule 5 pick with a .309 OPB to lead off Game 2.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Sept 8, 2020 22:10:15 GMT -5
Good second game. He is still a work in process, but HR #5 for Dalbec. Interesting to see Grullon get a hit, just a couple of days after being released, and against the team that released him.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 9, 2020 2:55:59 GMT -5
Red Sox 5, Phillies 2: Bobby Dalbec can’t stop, won’t stop hitting dingers
He just keeps hitting homers, and tonight’s was huge. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Sep 8, 2020, 10:26pm EDT
The Red Sox were looking to recover from a brutal loss in the first game of their doubleheader with an easy win in the nightcap. Of course, that’s not really a thing with this team, so any kind of win will do. That’s what they got. They fell behind early in this game, but the pitching recovered after a tough first inning to go six scoreless after that. Meanwhile, the offense chipped away with all three scoring plays starting with Jackie Bradley Jr. getting on base. The big swing of the night, however, came from Bobby Dalbec, whose two-run homer in the sixth broke a tie. It was his fourth straight game with a dinger. Pretty good for being up for barely a week. The 4-2 win pushed the Red Sox record to 15-29.
After dropping the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader on a gut punch of a walk off, the Red Sox had to turn around after just about 35 minutes for game number two. Obviously it was different pitchers on the mound and some different hitters at the plate, but the Phillies were carrying momentum into this game. As such, the Red Sox were looking for some momentum early on for the nightcap.
That, uh, didn’t quite happen. The offense, with Jonathan Araúz in the leadoff spot, went down without a run in a 13-pitch first inning, bringing out Chris Mazza for the bottom half. The righty, who has looked a bit better than his inflated ERA this year, started things off with a strikeout, but then gave up a base hit. After a very long second out it looked like he may be able to work his way out of this inning with the score still tied, but J.T. Realmuto went against the shift and kept the inning going with a base hit. Now there were runners on the corners, and Mazza threw one in the dirt that got by Deivy Grullón — making his Red Sox debut behind the plate — and the Phillies took an early 1-0 lead. Didi Gregorius, who homered in the afternoon game, doubled that lead with a base hit. Boston Red Sox v Philadelphia Phillies - Game Two Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images
To Mazza’s credit, he did settle down over the next couple innings, striking out the side in a perfect second and then tossing another 1-2-3 inning in the third. Meanwhile, the offense was looking to answer back after Philly took their lead, and Jackie Bradley Jr. got the top of the second going the right way with a leadoff double poked down the right field line. After a couple of outs, Tzu-Wei Lin put up a very impressive at bat and went and got a ball down in the zone to poke a single into left field. That brought Bradley home, and the Red Sox were within one.
It was still a 2-1 game heading into the fourth, and once again it was Bradley getting things started, this time with a one-out single. Again they got to two outs, but a mental lapse from Realmuto led to a passed ball and put Bradley on second for Grullón. He didn’t hit it hard, but his bloop landed inside the line in left field and Bradley easily came around to score, and just like that we were all tied up.
Suddenly, the Red Sox had a little momentum on their side, and Mazza was looking to keep it that way. Unfortunately, he started off the bottom of the fourth with a four-pitch walk to Bryce Harper. A fielder’s choice then swapped out Harper at first base for Realmuto before Mazza threw a wild pitch. Realmuto easily got over to second base, but with the Red Sox in the shift and Rafael Devers half-sleeping way off the third base bag, Realmuto tried to push things. Fortunately, someone got Devers’s attention in time and the Phillies catcher was cut down at third for the second out, and it ended up being a three-batter inning for Mazza.
Things were still tied heading into the bottom of the fifth, and this time Mazza hit the first batter he faced. He’d let another man on base with a one-out single, too, but managed to escape the inning without a run, and we headed to the sixth with things still tied up. Rafael Devers’s resurgence gives the Red Sox one less thing to worry about Atlanta Braves v Boston Red Sox Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images
There are plenty of reasons to be worried (and angry) about the Red Sox and their future, but thanks to a recent return to form, Devers’ work at the plate is not one of them.
Read More
Once again, it was Bradley starting things off on the right foot, this time drawing a lead off walk. That brought Bobby Dalbec to the plate. He had struggled a bit in his first couple at bats, but with the Phillies now into their bullpen, that changes. The slugger got a hanging curveball with the second pitch he saw and he crushed it way out to left field for a two-run shot, and the Red Sox suddenly had themselves a 4-2 lead.
Now, it was up to the bullpen to do what they couldn’t in the first game: Hold a lead. Phillips Valdez got the call for the sixth, and started things off by giving up a leadoff single. He almost followed it up with another base hit, too, but José Peraza bailed him out with a big sliding catch for the first out. Valdez then came back with a pop up and a fly ball, getting out of the inning without a run.
The Red Sox offense were then welcomed by old friend Heath Hembree in the seventh, and they had some success. The former Red Sox righty came on with Xander Bogaerts already on first and got two quick outs. Bradley kept the inning alive with a base hit of his own, though, and then Dalbec knocked in another run with another single to make it 5-2.
Now, it was up to Austin Brice to finish off the win. He got a quick first out, but then issued a four-pitch walk to put on the second batter he faced. The righty then walked another batter and clearly had no control, leading Ron Roenicke to making a change and bringing on Marcus Walden to try and finish things off with two on and one out in a three-run game. Jean Segura was the first batter he’d face and the infielder ripped one, but fortunately it was right at Bradley for the second out. Walden gave up another rocket to Rhys Hoskins, but Lin made the catch at the base of the wall in right field to end the game with a rare Red Sox win.
The Red Sox now have another day off tomorrow before heading down to Tampa Bay to face the division-leading Rays for a four-game set. The first game will be on Thursday at 6:40 PM ET. Boston has not announced their starter while the Rays will start Josh Fleming.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 9, 2020 2:56:35 GMT -5
Jen McCaffrey @jcmccaffrey · 5h Bobby Dalbec says he started using Jackie Bradley Jr.'s bat four games ago. He's homered in four straight games.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 9, 2020 2:57:19 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 6h Bobby Dalbec joins Sam Horn as the only players in Red Sox history to hit five homers in first nine MLB games.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 9, 2020 2:58:01 GMT -5
OverTheMonster @overthemonster · 5h A really cool thing about the 2020 Red Sox is that when their backup closer (who is only in because their real closer already blew a save today) has no control they get to turn to a guy with an ERA over 10.00 to try and close things out.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 9, 2020 3:22:40 GMT -5
Dalbec on homer history: 'It feels amazing' Infielder has longest home run streak by Red Sox rookie
By Ian Browne @ianmbrowne September 8, 2020
Bobby Dalbec is getting an opportunity to show the Red Sox he belongs in the lineup next season and beyond, and he is crushing it.
He is also crushing baseballs.
The slugger mashed an impressive opposite-field two-run homer in the top of the sixth that snapped a tie and led Boston to a 5-2 victory against the Phillies on Tuesday night in Game 2 of a seven-inning doubleheader to salvage a split at Citizens Bank Park.
• Box score
Dalbec, who also went deep in the 6-5 loss in Game 1, has homered in four straight games. He is the first Red Sox rookie to accomplish that feat, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“It feels amazing. It’s crazy,” said Dalbec. “I would never think that I would have some crazy stat like that and my name to be in there, but I’m very fortunate to be in this position, so it’s awesome.” Bobby Dalbec's two-homer day
The 25-year-old Dalbec has five home runs in the first nine games of his MLB career. The only other player in franchise history to match that accomplishment is Sam Horn, who did so in 1987.
While Horn was a cult hero for his imposing physique and early career success, he fizzled out. In Dalbec, Boston hopes it has a slugger with staying power.
“I’ve seen some great starts, but not the home runs like this,” said Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke. “So we talk about it, and that’s what we were hoping for. We talk about putting the ball in play more and he’s doing it, and [he] also got a big base hit for us, so that’s really fun to see. With all the things going on, it’s great to see a young guy start off like that.”
The Red Sox decided to call up Dalbec, their No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, on Aug. 30, the same day they traded Mitch Moreland to the Padres.
That was the day Dalbec came up and promptly drilled a homer in his MLB debut.
But then came a tough stretch in which Dalbec went 0-for-14 with nine strikeouts over the next four games.
From that hole, Dalbec bounced back with these last four games, in which he has hammered two homers to left and two to the opposite field.
“Yeah, it just means I’m seeing the ball well and I’m making a good plan, seeing the ball as early as I can and being aggressive on every pitch,” Dalbec said. “I’m swinging until my eyes tell me, 'No.' If I’m hitting the ball the other way, or with authority, then I know I’m right. Just got to keep grinding at it.”
The key to Dalbec’s four-homer streak? Work in the batting cage.
“So [assistant hitting coach] Pete [Fatse] and [hitting coach] Tim [Hyers] both had him in the cage and changed the leg kick,” said Roenicke. “He was doing a kind of toe-tap thing and they changed it to a higher leg kick, and maybe that’s the difference.”
Dalbec expressed other things that were just as responsible for breaking out of his first career slump.
“Just trying to use my lower body better and my back side better. I was kind of heavy on my front side and not really controlling it, which was allowing me to twist and miss pitches that I shouldn’t miss,” Dalbec said. “So it feels good just to be able to have a good routine right now and keep it rolling.”
There was also the switch in bats.
“Also, I started using Jackie Bradley’s bat ever since I hit those homers, so I think that’s got a lot to do with it, too,” said Dalbec.
What led Dalbec to start using JBJ’s bat?
“It just feels good. He was swinging a really good, hot bat," Dalbec said. "I picked it up in the cage one of the games I was sitting and couldn’t put it down, and just tried it out and it’s been going pretty well."
The home run that Dalbec blasted in Game 2 was eye-opening because his swing looked almost effortless. Yet he mashed the baseball with an exit velocity of 108.9 mph and sent it a projected distance of 408 feet.
“Even when he hit it, the sound wasn’t the same as other guys hit the ball, but you saw how far up that thing went -- it wasn’t even close [to staying in the park],” Roenicke said. “Just tremendous power. If he can continue to play good defense and make good contact, it’ll be fun to watch.”
While the home runs are nice -- and they’ve been plentiful so far -- Dalbec was just as pleased to hit Heath Hembree’s 1-0 slider into center for an RBI single that gave the Red Sox an insurance run in the sixth inning on Tuesday night. That was just the third of Dalbec’s eight hits that haven't left the ballpark.
“Yeah, it feels good,” Dalbec said. “I’m seeing the ball well, and Heath’s obviously a great pitcher, and I’m just trying to stick with my plan. Not trying to do too much, and I think sometimes, subconsciously, I’ll just be a little too big and swing too hard. I’m just trying to hone that back and have a very consistent approach and swing.”
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