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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2023 15:04:42 GMT -5
Game 99: Mets at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Amin Touri Globe Staff,Updated July 22, 2023, 1 hour ago The Red Sox have a busy Saturday ahead, with Friday’s suspended opener needing to be finished at 2:10 p.m. before a full game at 7:10 p.m. The first game will resume with the Mets leading, 4-3, and one out in the bottom of the fourth. It’s a challenge for an already thin Sox pitching staff, with Kutter Crawford’s start artificially cut short and the bullpen losing the usual extra day of rest between games. When normal programming resumes in the evening, James Paxton will take the ball in search of bounce-back after a very poor start in Chicago last weekend. The lefty has been lights out at Fenway, with a 2.05 ERA over four starts at home. Three-time Cy Young award winner Max Scherzer is one of the many Mets in the midst of a disappointing season, but was back to his brilliant best in allowing just one hit in seven scoreless innings last time out against the Dodgers. Lineups METS (45-51): Brandon Nimmo (L) CF Mark Canha (R) RF Francisco Lindor (S) SS Pete Alonso (R) 1B Francisco Alvarez (R) C Jeff McNeil (L) 2B Mark Vientos (R) DH Brett Baty (L) 3B DJ Stewart (L) LF Pitching: RHP Max Scherzer (8-3, 3.99 ERA) RED SOX (51-46) Jarren Duran (L) CF Masataka Yoshida (L) LF Justin Turner (R) DH Rafael Devers (L) 3B Alex Verdugo (L) RF Triston Casas (L) 1B Enrique Hernandez (R) 2B Jorge Alfaro (R) C Yu Chang (R) SS Pitching: LHP James Paxton (5-2, 3.51 ERA) Time: 7:10 p.m. TV, radio: FS1, NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Mets vs. Paxton: Pete Alonso 1-3, Mark Canha 3-9, Francisco Lindor 2-11, Jeff McNeil 3-5, Tommy Pham 3-9, Daniel Vogelbach 0-1 ADVERTISING Red Sox vs. Scherzer: Jorge Alfaro 4-23, Christian Arroyo 0-1, Rafael Devers 1-6, Adam Duvall 1-9, Kiké Hernández 0-3, Justin Turner 3-8, Alex Verdugo 3-6 Stat of the day: Despite back-to-back losses, the Red Sox entered this series with the best record in baseball (11-4) since June 30. Notes: Each team will be allowed a 27th player on the roster for Saturday’s second contest, but the extra player can’t be used in the suspended game ... The Red Sox enter Saturday with a five-game home winning streak ... Saturday’s matchup will be the 13th time Scherzer has pitched against Boston. He’s 5-5 with a 5.51 ERA in 67 innings ... Paxton is 1-1 with a 4.30 career ERA in three starts against the Mets. He has allowed 21 hits in 14 ⅔ innings ... Paxton will be trying to rebound from what may have been his worst performance of the year, when he allowed a season-high six runs on three hits and three walks in three innings Saturday during a 10-4 loss to the host Chicago Cubs. Paxton had won his previous four decisions in a span of six starts, and he hadn’t walked more than two batters in nine of his previous 10 starts this season. Song of the Day: Talking Heads - Wild Wild Life www.youtube.com/watch?v=616-QGQyx-I
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2023 16:08:56 GMT -5
Some chucka named Norwith Gudino is the 27th man for the Red Sox tonight
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2023 16:23:05 GMT -5
Would really like to know why in the hell Duran was pulled out of that game late?
then again Cora would just say that the analytics said that was the thing to do.....
Players are making it easy for Bloomball to start selling.
Most of these guys are sleep walking at the plate.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2023 17:17:58 GMT -5
Alex Cora explains taking Red Sox’s Jarren Duran out of game after seventh Updated: Jul. 22, 2023, 6:02 p.m.|Published: Jul. 22, 2023, 6:00 p.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com BOSTON — What was manager Alex Cora thinking taking his hottest hitter out of Saturday’s game against the Mets?
The Red Sox lost 5-4 to New York at Fenway Park. The game resumed in the fourth inning after being suspended Friday because of rain. The regularly scheduled game Saturday will start at 7:10 p.m.
Leadoff hitter Jarren Duran singled with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. He was stranded at first base when Justin Turner, the next hitter, flied out. Cora then removed Duran, who went 2-for-4, with the Red Sox trailing by one run.
Rob Refsnyder, who pinch hit for shortstop Yu Chang in the seventh inning, remained in the game. He took Duran’s spot in left field to begin the top of the eighth inning and remained as the No. 9 hitter. Kiké Hernández entered as a defensive replacement at shortstop and was inserted into the leadoff spot.
Duran’s spot in the lineup ended up coming up again with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Hernández flied out to center field to end the game.
“We’ve got to get to the first spot (again),” Cora said. “If we don’t get there, the leadoff guy doesn’t hit. So it’s a balance, right? So that’s the reason he came out. We wanted to keep Ref in the game to extend the lineup. We extended the lineup. But there’s no guarantee we get to the leadoff spot without extending the lineup.”
The Red Sox could have left Duran in the game, removed Refsnyder after he pinch hit and brought in Hernández as the defensive replacement for Chang. That would have put Hernández in the No. 9 spot.
But Cora felt Refsnyder hitting in the ninth spot was a better way to extend the lineup. Obviously there was no guarantee either of those two spots (No. 9 and leadoff) would hit again until two men reached for Boston in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Boston went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
“I didn’t think we made contact when we had to,” Cora said. “We had chances to cash in with a ground ball — put the ball in play with the infield back — we didn’t do that. ... You run out of outs.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2023 18:24:30 GMT -5
Paxton with a nice pitch 1rst is nice
Duran bonking Pesky's Pole to lead off the game for Boston is nice
1-0 sox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2023 19:52:28 GMT -5
Been back and forth all game
Casas strolls up to the plate in the 6th and crushed another home run, CF, Devers on first
5-3 Red Sox 6th
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2023 20:46:17 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 3m The Red Sox had a 5-run lead entering the ninth. It's now 8-4, and Kenley Jansen is now warming with one out and a man on second.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2023 20:47:57 GMT -5
Garza came in the 9th and shit all over himself
8-5 now, 2 out, Mutt on 2B
Cora comes out to get Garza who is boo'd.
Jansen coming in
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2023 20:52:22 GMT -5
Jansen balks then gives up a single
Mutts fans cheer Sox fans boo
8 to 6 now
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 22, 2023 20:53:35 GMT -5
Red Sox hang on.
8 to 6
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 23, 2023 6:13:46 GMT -5
Julian McWilliams @byjulianmack · 14h How that was not charged an error to Devers was just wild. A lot — and I mean A LOT — of plays this year have been changed from errors to hits at Fenway or just not called errors at all. And it especially hurts guys like Joe Jacques, grinding to stay in the big leagues. Brutal.
Dan Shaughnessy @dan_Shaughnessy · 14h It has become downright corrupt
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 23, 2023 6:31:25 GMT -5
Casas proves Red Sox's patience pays off with 2-HR night 12:27 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne
BOSTON -- Triston Casas didn’t get discouraged with himself as he struggled through the early weeks of his rookie season. The Red Sox didn’t give up on him either, allowing him to hit himself out of his slump.
Casas is now being rewarded for his perseverance, and the Red Sox are seeing the fruits of their patience.
The left-handed-hitting slugger hit a pair of mammoth homers against potential Hall of Famer Max Scherzer on Saturday night at Fenway Park, lifting Boston to an 8-6 victory over the Mets.
It was part of a five-homer barrage by the Red Sox, four of them coming off Scherzer.
The latter blast by Casas was the big one, a two-run rocket to center with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning that snapped a 3-3 tie.
Casas, who is cerebral, especially for a 23-year-old, asked for time in that pivotal at-bat with a 2-1 count. Then he destroyed the next offering -- a 95.2 mph heater -- at an exit velocity of 107.7 mph and a Statcast-projected distance of 428 feet.
“I took a big swing on the 2-0 fastball that I had been missing,” said Casas. “I missed a couple in the second at-bat, as well. So I tried to regroup, tried to make a little mental adjustment in terms of where I wanted to try to see the ball to hit it as best as I could, because I kept missing that fastball.
“I was seeing other pitches well. So that step out was just to regroup to try to recollect myself, whether it was a bad swing or bad call. It didn't really matter the count -- one strike or two strikes. It was just where I felt the most important pitch was going to come in that at-bat.”
Scherzer will have to wait until next season to get another crack at Casas. It was clear who emerged victorious in their first encounter.
"I left pitches in his wheelhouse,” Scherzer said. “I'd like to face him more. I'd like to get more at-bats against him. But tonight, I left pitches down and in for him to be able to hammer."
The two home runs by Casas traveled an aggregate projected distance of 845 feet, per Statcast.
For Casas, it was a continuation of a hot streak that has propelled him to an impressive in-season turnaround. In his first 183 at-bats of the season, Casas hit .197 with seven homers and 19 RBIs. In his last 88 at-bats, Casas is hitting .341 with seven homers and 16 RBIs. Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.
“I think it's just been a steady progression for sure,” said Casas. “I can't pinpoint exactly when I started to feel more comfortable. But I think as every at-bat has gone on, I’ve felt more and more comfortable at the plate. Things are starting to slow down. I'm starting to get a better awareness of my barrel, trying to get a better feel for my timing, as well.
“So all that comes with repetition and, thankfully, I'm getting the opportunity to fail. So credit to [manager Alex Cora] and the staff for putting me in the lineup and making me comfortable.”
With the victory, the 52-47 Sox moved within two games of the Blue Jays in the chase for the third American League Wild Card spot.
After the Red Sox lost the completion of a suspended game, 5-4, earlier in the day, Jarren Duran helped set a better tone right away in the nightcap, ripping a leadoff homer in the first that clanged off Pesky’s Pole in right.
“I knew [Scherzer] was a really good pitcher. He’s got a track history of being one of the best in the game,” said Duran. “I was trying to get a pitch I could handle, and he made a pitch and I made a good swing on it and I happened to hit Pesky’s Pole.”
Yu Chang was the other player to homer off Scherzer, ripping an equalizing solo shot over the Green Monster in the bottom of the fifth. Justin Turner completed the quintet of homers for the Sox, just clearing the Monster in the seventh.
James Paxton bounced back from a rare shaky outing last week at Wrigley Field, giving the Sox six strong innings (two earned runs, one walk, seven strikeouts) for the win.
But the night belonged to Casas.
“This is the big leagues,” said Cora. “You don’t just come here and dominate. He's a good hitter. You know, like I always said, when you get drafted that high, it's not a coincidence, right? There's talent, and I think this part of it, he gets it more than some of the younger guys. I'm glad that we stayed patient with him, understanding the process, and now we've seen [the results].”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 23, 2023 6:34:26 GMT -5
Red Sox give up second Little League homer this season (in similar fashion)
Published: Jul. 22, 2023, 8:43 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — The Red Sox gave up their second Little League-style homer this season Saturday against the Mets. And it looked similar to the first one they gave up June 4 against the Rays.
Mets’ Jeff McNeil singled to center field with two outs in the fourth and two runners in scoring position.
Center fielder Jarren Duran sailed a throw over the cutoff man to catcher Jorge Alfaro who caught the ball well in front of home plate. McNeil advanced to second base on Duran’s throw. Alfaro tried to throw out McNeil at second but his throw sailed into the outfield between Duran and left fielder Masataka Yoshida. It rolled all the way to the warning track and McNeil came around to score easily. A 2-0 Red Sox lead quickly became a 3-2 Mets lead. See it here.
Alfaro received an error, his second throwing error this season. The Red Sox and Mets right now are tied 3-3 in the sixth after Yu Chang hit a game-tying homer in the fifth.
Flash back to June 4 and something similar happened when the Red Sox turned a Yandy Díaz single to right field into a Little League two-run homer during the sixth inning.
As Margot raced around third, left fielder Alex Verdugo was slow to field Díaz’s hit and made a short throw to Valdez who caught it, turned and threw well off target to home. Margot scored.
Catcher Connor Wong threw to second base to try to prevent Díaz from advancing. Wong’s throw bounced into the outfield and between Duran and Yoshida.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 23, 2023 6:37:35 GMT -5
Smiling Triston Casas lets Red Sox teammates know he’s ‘thinking’ of them
Updated: Jul. 22, 2023, 11:48 p.m.|Published: Jul. 22, 2023, 11:38 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Triston Casas’ second homer Saturday against three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer went 428 feet to center field and left his bat at 107.7 mph. It was an absolute rocket that put the Red Sox ahead 5-3 in the sixth. Boston went on to beat the Mets 8-6 at Fenway Park.
As the 23-year-old rookie jogged down the first base line, he looked into the home dugout and smiled at his teammates.
“I think that was the first home run that I’ve hit that I’ve gotten to take my time around the bases at Fenway,” Casas said. “I think I topspin a lot of line drives by Pesky’s (Pole). So finally to backspin one to center field and admire it a little bit felt good. And I had the time to look toward the dugout. So I just wanted to give them a little smile, let ‘em know I was thinking about them.”
Casas also crushed a 417-foot home run to right-center field in the second inning. It left his bat at 109.6 mph. He became the first ever rookie with a multi-homer game against Scherzer, per ESPN Stats & Info. It also marked Casas’ first career multi-homer game.
“I know facing him, it’s an honor,” Casas said. “And to share that field with him is really special. His resume speaks for itself. He’s an accomplished pitcher. But I was just trying to go in there and compete. It was a weird game-plan ... because we want to be aggressive but at the same time, we want to kind of break him down so we get him out of the game early. But he attacks the zone so frequently that you can’t really do that.”
In his sixth inning at-bat, Casas called a timeout and stepped out the box after he fouled off a 2-0 four-seam fastball. He then connected for his two-run homer on the next pitch, a 95.2 mph four-seam fastball from Scherzer.
“I took a big swing on the 2-0 fastball. I had been missing a couple fastballs,” Casas said. “I missed a couple in the second at-bat as well. Stepped out, regrouped and tried to make a little mental adjustment in terms of where I wanted to try to see the ball to hit it as best as I could because I kept missing that fastball. I was seeing the other pitches well. That step-out was just to regroup, to try to recollect myself.”
In his first at-bat, Casas called timeout and stepped out following a called strike that evened the count 1-1. He then homered on the next pitch, a cutter from Scherzer.
“I didn’t like that first strike call,” Casas said about why he stepped out. “I thought it was a little low and out.”
He said he didn’t realize until he returned to the dugout after his second homer that he stepped out right before hitting both homers.
“That’s kind of weird. Both times ... I went deep the next pitch,” Casas said. “I’m not going to try to make it a habit or like a routine maybe. But whenever I feel like the most important pitch is going to come, where I need to regroup, I’ll step out and take my time.”
Casas has his OPS up to .814. He also has 30 extra-base hits (14 homers, 14 doubles, two triples). Not bad after stroking just 10 hits in 92 plate appearances during April.
Manager Alex Cora compared Casas’ season to Dustin Pedroia’s rookie campaign in 2007. Pedroia won AL Rookie of the Year after batting only .172 with a .294 on-base percentage, .224 slugging percentage and .518 OPS in his first 21 games (68 plate appearances).
“Any time I can get my name mentioned in the same sentence as Dustin Pedroia I think I’m doing something right,” Casas said. “I don’t know exactly. But I have heard about his steady climb in his rookie year as well. I think he was hitting like .160 through whatever-100, 200 at-bats. I’m not focused on winning Rookie of the Year. I’m not focused on winning any awards. I’m just trying to get better every day. If I win enough days, I win that week and then I win the month and then I win years. So just trying to win today. Today I felt like I did.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jul 23, 2023 6:46:00 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Connor Wong a fixture behind plate for Red Sox after entering year as question mark to be healthy contributorBy Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated July 22, 2023, 7:11 p.m. At times in 2021 and 2022, Connor Wong struggled to stay on the field for Triple A Worcester. And so when a hamstring injury sidelined him for much of Red Sox spring training this year, seemingly jeopardizing his spot on the Opening Day roster, concern amplified about his ability to withstand the physical demands of catching every day. Yet Wong worked his way back onto the Opening Day roster, and after beginning the year in a timeshare with Reese McGuire, his season has advanced in unexpected fashion. Wong has become a constant behind the plate, particularly since McGuire landed on the injured list with an oblique strain in late June. From June 18 through the conclusion of the suspended Sox-Mets game Saturday afternoon, Wong had caught 200⅓ innings — the most in the big leagues in that time. From late June until earlier this week in Oakland, he caught at least some part of 23 consecutive games. “I don’t think I’ll ever ask for ,” Wong said. “I don’t know that you’re ever tired [when you’re] playing. You get so much adrenaline you kind of forget about it. But there’s definitely days when it’s harder to get it going beforehand, for sure. But it’s been a lot of fun. I’m trying to make the most of this opportunity.”
Though Red Sox manager Alex Cora expressed appreciation for Wong’s durability, he also noted the team has been mindful of not running him into the ground.
“He’s a strong kid. We’ve had many offdays so it’s not like he’s playing 25 days in a row,” said Cora, alluding to the fact that Wong’s streak of 23 straight games came over 29 days. “We feel comfortable [with] where he’s at.”
While there are always concerns that excessive workloads can diminish the production of catchers, Cora noted Wong has been on an offensive upswing, hitting .357/.405/.459 in his last 12 games.
Meanwhile, Wong believes working full series against opposing teams sharpens his game-calling.
“I think that’s one of the best parts about it. You just get that knowledge of their hitters,” he said. “That’s one of the hardest things to do [if you’re] not playing every day, just jumping right in and attacking the lineup. The more you’re able to see those guys, you can have a better understanding of them.”
“That’s how you do it in October right? It’s the same catcher all the time,” Cora noted. “He’s been good.”
Wong, after catching five innings in a 5-4 loss in the completion of Friday’s suspended game, was out of the lineup for Saturday night’s 8-6 win, with Jorge Alfaro in. Alfaro was 0 for 4 with a throwing error. Cora follows Story’s progress
While Trevor Story was thrilled to hit a home run in his first rehab game Friday night with Double A Portland, Cora was particularly pleased that the shortstop took part in a variety of defensive plays and saw a wealth of pitches while drawing a walk and en route to homering on a full-count pitch.
“When you go on a rehab assignment, see as many pitches as possible, that’s probably the key of the whole thing,” Cora said. “The more he does that, the sooner he will be back.”
Story went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts as the designated hitter Saturday night for the Sea Dogs and is slated to play shortstop again Sunday.
Righthander Corey Kluber (shoulder inflammation), who threw two innings Friday for Portland, will make another rehab start this week with Triple A Worcester. Bello on paternity leave
Righthander Brayan Bello was officially placed on the paternity list, with the Sox calling up righthander Justin Garza from Worcester to take his spot on the roster.
Given his hectic travel schedule for the birth of his child, going from Oakland to the Dominican Republic to Boston, the Sox will give Bello an extra (sixth) day of rest before he starts Wednesday against the Braves at Fenway Park. The Sox will have bullpen games both Sunday against the Mets and Tuesday against Atlanta, with Monday’s offday sandwiched in between.
The Red Sox called up righthander Norwith Gudiño as their 27th player for the night game against the Mets. Gudiño, who has never pitched in the majors, had a 5.54 ERA for Worcester. But the swingman had been excellent since June 7, with a 2.14 ERA and .499 opponents’ OPS in 21 innings. Schreiber on way back
Righty reliever John Schreiber (right teres major strain) is expected to be activated Tuesday. “I feel better than I did prior to getting injured. I feel like I’m bouncing back better,” said Schreiber, who made six minor league rehab appearances. “I’m just excited to get back and help contribute with the team. I’ve just been out for so long. It’s been fun to watch [the rest of the team], and I’m just happy to be a part of that again.” … The Red Sox officially announced the signings of second-round draft pick Nazzan Zanetello ($3 million bonus, in line with a first-round selection) and third-rounder Antonio Anderson ($1.5 million, in line with a second-rounder). Both high school middle infielders are expected to be on hand Sunday at Fenway … High A Greenville righthander Angel Bastardo struck out 14 in a seven-inning complete-game shutout Friday, tying the team record for most strikeouts in a game. Lefty Shane Drohan also had a 14-strikeout game last year.
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