|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 1, 2023 5:18:30 GMT -5
Red Sox killer hits 2 HRs, Mariners rally late as Boston loses 3rd straight
Updated: Aug. 01, 2023, 1:29 a.m.|Published: Aug. 01, 2023, 12:27 a.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
SEATTLE — Nick Pivetta might want to stop facing Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh.
Pivetta was sensational against every Mariner not named Raleigh on Monday night but was handed a loss after Raleigh took him deep twice and the Mariners rallied with four eighth-inning runs in a 6-2 Seattle win to open a three-game series at T-Mobile Park. Raleigh has now homered four times against the Sox this season, including three times against Pivetta (with the first coming May 16).
Boston’s offense once again fell flat as the club lost its third straight game and dropped to 56-50. Making his first start in 2 ½ months, Pivetta was largely dominant in 7 ⅓ innings — he struck out 10 batters and allowed just three earned runs on five hits — but the Red Sox didn’t have an extra-base hit behind him until the ninth. Pivetta’s outing was the third-longest by a Sox pitcher in 2023; his ERA dropped to 4.08.
Before Seattle broke things open in the eighth, the two sides played a tight one. To start the game, Jarren Duran challenged the Mariners with his speed and the Red Sox benefitted from it. Duran worked a walk against Kirby, then tried to steal second base on the righty’s first pitch to Justin Turner. Seattle catcher Tom Murphy airmailed the throw to second, and as Duran got to third, center fielder Julio Rodríguez misfired with his throw, allowing Duran to race all the way around and score the game’s first run.
In the second, Raleigh took Pivetta for a ride for the first time, leading off the frame with a game-tying solo shot by depositing a 3-1 fastball into the right-field seats. After both teams exchanged zeroes (despite numerous hard-hit balls), Raleigh put the Mariners on top for good by smoking a Pivetta slider 387 feet down the right-field line.
Boston had a chance to tie in the eighth when Rafael Devers singled and pinch-hitter Rob Refsnyder walked with two outs. On the day Seattle traded closer Paul Sewald, Seattle turned to Andrés Muñoz, who struck out Alex Verdugo to end the threat.
The Mariners didn’t waste their chance to score in the bottom of the frame. After Pivetta departed following allowing a one-out Cade Marlowe double, lefty Joe Jacques hit José Caballero and walked J.P Crawford before Julio Rodríguez made it a 4-1 game with a two-run opposite-field single. Eugenio Suárez followed with an RBI single to make it 5-1, then after a Pablo Reyes fielding error, Rodríguez scored Seattle’s sixth run on a Teoscar Hernández swinging bunt Jacques couldn’t corral.
Justin Turner made it a four-run deficit in the ninth with an infield single that plated Connor Wong, who had hit a ground-rule double for Boston’s first extra-base hit. The Sox had a chance to draw closer with runners on the corners in the ninth but Crawford made a lunging catch on a smoked Masataka Yoshida liner up the middle (103.5 mph) to end the game.
Offense continues slide
Since arriving on the west coast Friday, the Red Sox have scored just 10 runs in four games. On Monday, Devers (3-for-4) was the only starter with multiple hits and the club didn’t have an extra-base hit until Wong doubled to lead off the ninth. Boston was 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.
Bello gets nod on deadline day
The Red Sox roster might look different by the next time time the club takes the field Tuesday evening. Baseball’s trade deadline is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Boston is known to be active on many fronts.
No matter what happens trade-wise, the Sox will be back in action against the Mariners at 9:40 p.m. ET. In a matchup of talented young righties, Brayan Bello (7-6, 3.66 ERA) will get the ball for the Red Sox opposite Bryce Miller (7-3, 3.96 ERA)
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 1, 2023 5:20:00 GMT -5
How Red Sox’s Jarren Duran accepted Alex Cora’s challenge to ‘set the tempo’
Published: Aug. 01, 2023, 6:00 a.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
SEATTLE — As the Red Sox moved from San Francisco to Seattle for the second leg of their six-game west coast swing, manager Alex Cora thought they needed a little bit of a spark Monday night against the Mariners. So he pulled leadoff man Jarren Duran before the game and had a simple message.
“Set the tempo,” Cora told Duran.
Duran led off with an eight-pitch walk against impressive Mariners righty George Kirby then instantly vitalized the Red Sox with one of the best baserunning plays of the team’s season. The speedster took off for second on Kirby’s first pitch to the next batter, Justin Turner, attempting to steal his 22nd base of the year. He did so, and once the Mariners threw the ball around, came all the way around to score the game’s first run.
Duran took second, then advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Tom Murphy. The ball trickled into center field, where Julio Rodríguez retrieved it and came up firing with an off-line toss to third. From there, Duran got up, gathered himself and crossed the plate easily.
“I was absolutely gassed,” Duran said. “It’s always fun to cause some havoc on the bases, especially in the first inning getting an important run. Just kind of running around having some fun. When that ball bounced back to the pitcher, I was like, ‘I’m so hosed right now.’ I was able to get a good slide and score.”
Duran, who has been impacting games with his speed since being called up in mid-April, took things to a new level Monday at T-Mobile Park. For a Red Sox offense that had scored just eight runs in three weekend games against the Giants, an instant run was important. Duran’s manager was borderline speechless.
“I don’t know how,” Cora said. “Yeah, there’s speed but the stamina, you’ve got to be powerful, too. Most of us, probably, when you get up to go to the plate, halfway through it, you run out of gas. He just kept going. I’ve never seen anything like that. That was fun to watch.”
“When I came in, he just started laughing at me instantly and I started laughing with him,” Duran said. “I think it’s always important to set the tone and to have good energy to start the game.”
Ultimately, Duran’s first-inning relay race was one of the few highlights in a 6-2 series-opening loss to the Mariners. The offense once again sputtered, totaling just one extra-base hit while going 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and leaving 10 on base. Duran, though, made an impact.
Facing Kirby, a strike-thrower who had averaged less than a walk per nine innings in his first 20 starts, Duran saw eight pitches in each of his three plate appearances, helping the Sox knock Kirby out of the game after 97 pitches in five innings. Duran had just one hit but helped Boston get to Seattle’s depleted bullpen early. Ultimately, it didn’t work as a close game turned into an easy Mariners win when Seattle plated four runs off Nick Pivetta and Joe Jacques in the eighth.
Still, Duran’s approach wowed Cora.
“The at-bats were freaking outstanding from Pitch 1,” Cora said. “Just battling pitches, taking pitches. I told him before the game, like, ‘Hey, set the tempo.’ It’s one of those days where the road trip is getting long and it’s a night game and the west coast. Sometimes, it’s tough. He did an outstanding job.
“That was probably one of his best games offensively and he didn’t hit the ball out of the ballpark or whatever.”
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 1, 2023 5:28:08 GMT -5
Matt McCarthy @mattmccarthy985 · 5h The Red Sox need reinforcements. I think they deserve reinforcements.
Chaim has 17 1/2 hours to do his job.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 1, 2023 5:37:06 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Brayan Bello’s developing cutter starts to impress Red Sox and opponents By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated August 1, 2023, 1:58 a.m.
SEATTLE — The Red Sox are impressed with the development of Brayan Bello’s cutter, a pitch he only started tinkering with roughly a month ago.
In the Sox’ 5-3 win over the Braves last week at Fenway Park, Bello flashed his cutter five times, striking out Ozzie Albies on that offering in what was nine-pitch at-bat against the switch-hitting slugger, who was batting lefthanded.
“He threw some good ones against Atlanta,” manager Alex Cora said prior to a 6-2 loss in the series opener against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. “Very aggressive to the body. It’s one of those that we have to make sure we use it the right way. Not just like a get-me-over cutter.”
Bello mainly relies on his sinker and changeup mix to get hitters out, and an occasional slider to expand his pitch selection.
But in what has been a stellar season for the righthander, he can sometimes struggle when he faces lefties, specifically because the sinker and changeup have the same action, going away from those batters. The Red Sox are trying still to have Bello employ the top of the zone with his four-seamer, but the pitch can’t be for a strike because it doesn’t have the same ride, as, say, a Nick Pivetta four-seamer.
The cutter gives Bello something to throw hard in to lefties to go with the rest of his arsenal.
“When he commands it well, he’s staying on it a little bit longer instead of coming out of his hand a little early where it pops and backs up sometimes,” catcher Connor Wong said. “It’s definitely a work in progress for him, but I think that was good for him just to be able to trust that pitch more.”
Braves manager Brian Snitker approved.
“I love the kid. I love his arm, his assortment — the whole thing,” Snitker said. “You love the young guys like that, wiry with really good stuff. He’s got a nice future in this game.”
Bello will take the ball for Tuesday night’s middle contest of the three-game set with the Mariners. His cutter will certainly be present. Story’s timeline in question
Trevor Story (elbow) recently targeted Friday’s series opener against the Blue Jays at Fenway as his return date to the big league diamond.
But Cora wouldn’t totally commit to that day, knowing the shortstop still has to get more reps.
“I haven’t talked to him about it,” Cora said. “He’s still in spring-training mode. I know he threw it out to [reporters] that he was getting close. We’ll see how it goes. But it’s not [set in stone] that he’ll be with us this weekend, but he’s getting closer.”
Story has a maximum of 20 days on a rehab assignment. Originally, Cora said the team would like to use the full allotment of days to ensure he gets enough reps, especially in the field where the Sox want to see his arm strength progress following offseason elbow surgery.
Story, who is very in tune with his body, recently said he would be realistic about his return and would not rush the process. Though Cora wouldn’t commit to Friday, that Story feels like he’s ready to return to the parent club is a good omen.
“We have Trevor [coming back],” Cora said. “He’s probably one of the most dynamic players [in the game]. He’s a good hitter. He’s a good defender and he’s a very good runner.”
Story will play in his ninth rehab contest Tuesday for Triple A Worcester in a road contest against the Syracuse Mets. Sale on schedule for Tuesday
Chris Sale (shoulder) is still scheduled to pitch three innings Tuesday at Syracuse. The lefthander will have at least one more rehab appearance before rejoining the big league club. Tanner Houck (facial fracture) and Garrett Whitlock (elbow) will throw up-and-downs Tuesday … Catcher Reese McGuire (oblique) will be activated at some point during this series. Cora said the club will have to make a roster move either Monday night or Tuesday … The Sox placed lefthander Joely Rodriguez (hip) on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Saturday, and recalled Joe Jacques from Worcester. Jacques worked two-thirds of an inning in the loss and was charged with three runs. Justin Turner leaves game
Justin Turner left Monday’s game with a left heel contusion after he legged out an infield single in the top of the ninth. He is considered day-to-day. Mariners involved in trade market
Before the game, the Mariners made a pair of trades. Closer Paul Sewald (21 saves) was sent to the Diamondbacks for infielder Josh Rojas, outfielder Dominic Canzone, and infield prospect Ryan Bliss. Also, outfielder A.J. Pollock and utilityman Mark Mathias were dished to the Giants for a player to be named later or cash.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 1, 2023 5:41:55 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Mariners Tuesday, August 1rst 2023 10:30 @ T Mobile Park
Bello 7-6/ 3.66
Miller 7-3/ 3.96
Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 8:10pm EDT Written by The Admiral
Boston Red Sox (56-49) vs. Seattle Mariners (54-51)
The 2023 Major League Baseball season continues Tuesday, August 1, with the Boston Red Sox facing off against the Seattle Mariners in the American League showdown at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, and the first pitch is set for 9:40 PM ET.
Boston and Seattle lock horns in the second of a three-game series at T-Mobile Park, and Monday’s opener has been excluded from the analysis. The Mariners are slight -110 moneyline favorites for Tuesday’s clash, while the totals sit at 7.5 runs.
The Red Sox suffered a tough loss in San Francisco The Boston Red Sox fell to 56-49 on the season following Sunday’s 4-3 defeat in 11 innings at Oracle Park in San Francisco. After winning the opening clash of a three-game set against the Giants 3-2, the Red Sox have lost two in a row, and San Francisco walked it off on both occasions (3-2 in the middle contest).
Boston was eight games behind the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles on Monday, and the Sawx trailed the final wild card in the American League by two and a half games. Since the All-Star break, the Red Sox are hitting a strong .268/.322/.483 with 29 extra-base hits and 24 home runs across 478 at-bats. Their pitching staff has been terrific as of late and holds the fourth-lowest ERA in baseball in the second half of the season (3.59).
Brayan Bello will get the starting call Tuesday, and the 24-year-old righty is 7-6 with a 3.66 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 82/26 K/BB ratio in 17 starts (96 innings pitched) this season. Bello has been doing a great job for most of the season, but he’s slowed down a bit in his last three starts, surrendering 12 earned runs on 17 hits and four walks across 16 innings of work. Last Wednesday, Bello gave up three earned runs on four hits and a pair of free passes through six frames in a no-decision against the mighty Atlanta Braves.
Bello will meet Seattle for the second time in 2023. Back in May, he earned a win in a 12-3 dismantling of the Mariners in Boston. Bello walked five M’s but yielded just one earned run on three hits while punching out seven across five innings of work.
The Mariners are heating up The Seattle Mariners started the second half of the season with two straight home losses to the Detroit Tigers. Since then, the M’s have gone 9-5 while winning three of their four sets in the process. Last Sunday, Seattle blanked the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-0 to clinch a three-game series on the road.
The Mariners are slashing .239/.315/.430 with 32 extra-base hits and 23 home runs since the All-Star break (532 at-bats). They’ve scored 29 runs over their previous five tilts, and the Mariners will have to continue to bang if they want to reach the playoffs. Seattle was five and a half games behind the AL West-leading Texas Rangers and four and a half games behind the final wild-card spot in the American League on Monday.
On the pitching side of things, the Mariners hold an underwhelming 4.49 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and .258 batting average against in the second half of the season. Bryce Miller will toe the slab Tuesday, and the 24-year-old righty is 7-3 with a 3.96 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 71/15 K/BB ratio in 14 starts (75 IP) this season. He was awful last Wednesday but still took a win in an 8-7 victory at the Minnesota Twins, surrendering six earned runs on eight hits through 5.2 frames of work.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 1, 2023 8:34:38 GMT -5
Nick Pivetta sticks to bullpen routine in return to the Red Sox rotation
Updated: Aug. 01, 2023, 9:02 a.m.|Published: Aug. 01, 2023, 9:00 a.m.
By
Sean McAdam | sean.mcadam@masslive.com
SEATTLE — Ever since he was banished to the bullpen in mid-May, Nick Pivetta’s performance on the mound has undergone a dramatic improvement.
Dumped from the rotation because of a numbers crunch and his own ineffectiveness, Pivetta made the most of his exile, pitching to a 1.08 ERA over 17 appearances, many of them as the bulk reliever in the Red Sox’ seemingly endless string of bullpen games.
So when the Red Sox, having exhausted their relievers over the weekend, told Pivetta he would be making a more traditional start in the series opener against the Seattle Mariners, Pivetta made it his mission to change as little as possible.
That included his pre-game routine. Ordinarily, a starting pitcher on the road would begin the game in his dugout and take the mound with his team in the bottom of the first inning. But having experienced far more success as a reliever than he did earlier in the season as a member of the rotation (6.30 ERA), Pivetta decided to warm up in the bullpen and remain there until the middle of the first inning, trotting in from left field.
If it’s not broke, why fix it?
The strategy, however unorthodox, seemed to work. Pivetta allowed just two runs on three hits through the first seven innings while fanning 10. Cal Raleigh tagged him for a solo homer in the second and another in the seventh. In the eighth, after he yielded a leadoff double and recorded a groundout resulting in another run charged to him, his night was over at 104 pitches.
“I just kind of thought I needed to stay in the same headspace,” said Pivetta after the Red Sox dropped their third straight, 6-2. “(Alex Cora) had said something to me earlier and the guys kind of joked about it earlier, saying ‘You should come out of the bullpen.’ I just thought it would be fun, and it keeps me in the same routine, so we don’t have to change too many things and see where we’ll go from here.”
Other than maintaining the same pre-game regimen, Pivetta said he drew upon the confidence that has built as he learned how to prosper in the bullpen role.
“I think me having success as of late and kind of just keeping the same mindset (were all helpful),” Pivetta said, “and not trying to vary things too much from anything. For me, it was (about) just staying active and staying level-headed.”
There was no arguing with the results. Thanks to a double-play, Pivetta pitched to just two batters over the minimum through his first six innings. That, in turn, allowed him to get into the eighth. After burning through their bullpen over the weekend in San Francisco, the Red Sox were grateful that Pivetta went as deep as he did, giving every reliever but one a night off. Enter your email address here to receive the Fenway Rundown email newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday.
“That,” said Cora, “was huge for us, given where we were bullpen-wise. It was huge for today and for the next two days. He was amazing. He was really good.”
“We’re not surprised,” said teammate Jarren Duran of Pivetta’s outing. “Nick’s an absolute stud.”
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 1, 2023 13:02:43 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 3h With the last three losses, the Sox have only slipped from 1.5 to 2.5 games back of a wild card spot, but all their playoff odds gains made between June 30 - July 28th have been cut in half.
Sox on pace for 5 more wins than last year, playoff odds on trade deadline day 4% lower.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 1, 2023 13:12:25 GMT -5
Game 107: Red Sox at Mariners lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated August 1, 2023, 52 minutes ago The Red Sox will look to get back on track when they continue their road trip at Seattle Tuesday night. After winning five in a row, they have dropped three straight, including a 6-2 loss in the series opener on Monday. Cal Raleigh hit two solo homers in the win as the Mariners moved a season-high four games over .500 and within 3½ games of the AL’s third and final wild-card berth. Although he took the loss, Nick Pivetta went 7⅓ innings to give the bullpen a break. With the 9:40 p.m. start, the Sox lineup could look a little different should they make any moves ahead of Tuesday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline. Seattle has already been active, sending closer Paul Sewald to the Diamondbacks for infielder Josh Rojas, outfielder Dominic Canzone, and infield prospect Ryan Bliss. Outfielder A.J. Pollock and utilityman Mark Mathias were shipped to the Giants for a player to be named later or cash. RED SOX (56-50): Jarren Duran (L) LF Alex Verdugo (L) RF Masataka Yoshida (L) DH Rafael Devers (L) 3B Adam Duvall (R) CF Triston Casas (L) 1B Christian Arroyo (R) 2B Reese McGuire (L) C Yu Chang (R) SS Pitching: RHP Brayan Bello (7-6, 3.66 ERA) MARINERS (55-51): J.P. Crawford (L) SS Julio Rodriguez (R) CF Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B Cal Raleigh (S) C Dominic Canzone (L) RF Ty France (R) 1B Mike Ford (L) DH Josh Rojas (L) 2B Cade Marlowe (L) LF Pitching: RHP Bryce Miller (7-3, 3.96 ERA) Time: 9:40 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Miller: Has not faced any Boston batters Mariners vs. Bello: José Caballero 1-1, J.P. Crawford 0-2, Ty France 0-3, Teoscar Hernández 2-9, Cal Raleigh 1-1, Julio Rodríguez 0-3, Eugenio Suárez 0-2, Taylor Trammell 0-2, Kolten Wong 0-1 Stat of the day: The Sox have scored just nine runs across their last four games (all on the road) after scoring 30 over their previous five (all at home). Notes: Bello didn’t get a decision in the 5-3 victory against the Braves on Wednesday, allowing just three runs on four hits over six innings. He took the decision in his only start against the Mariners, a 12-3 win on May 17 at Fenway Park as he allowed one run on three hits in five innings, with five walks and seven strikeouts. … Miller will be facing the Red Sox for the first time and is coming off an 8-7 victory at Minnesota on Wednesday. He gave up six runs on eight hits in 5⅔ innings, with no walks and seven strikeouts. Song of the Day: Eurythmics "Would I Lie to You? " www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhpu2N4rQZM
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 1, 2023 19:15:28 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 1h McGuire is activated. Alfaro DFA'd.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 1, 2023 19:29:48 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 1h Chris Sale pulled at the 40 pitch mark in the middle of an at-bat in Syracuse.
Sale at 94-96, topping out at 96.5 mph.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 1, 2023 21:00:00 GMT -5
Bello is as sharp as a marble and a throwing error by Duran down 1-0 all ready....
done with this
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 2, 2023 5:35:05 GMT -5
Verdugo ends 'one bad month' with game-changing blast 3:46 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
SEATTLE -- For a couple of reasons, no player on the Red Sox was happier to see the calendar flip from July to August than Alex Verdugo.
July was a month when Verdugo’s bat essentially went to sleep, as evidenced by a slash line of .151/.232/.247 with two homers and seven RBIs.
And as the month came to a close, Verdugo heard his name in various trade rumors and woke up on Tuesday wondering if he would need a change-of-address form by the 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.
Hours after Verdugo learned for sure he was staying put, he celebrated with a two-run homer that helped lead the Red Sox to a 6-4 win over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Verdugo’s Sox are just 1 1/2 games back in the American League Wild Card standings.
August already feels better to Verdugo than July.
“Obviously, there's no secret my July was tough," Verdugo said. "I was going through a lot. I feel like physically and mentally I was just kind of grinding in certain areas and pressing when I shouldn't have been. So to slow down some stuff and feel like I'm just more relaxed in the box, I’m kind of just timing up the ball a lot better. So it feels good.”
What gave Verdugo the realization he needed to slow it down?
“When you hit a buck in a month, you’ve got to switch up, right?” Verdugo said. Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.
Verdugo came to the Red Sox in a February 2020 trade along with catcher Connor Wong in the deal that sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers.
Feeling like he has unfinished business with the Red Sox, Verdugo had no desire to be on the move again three years later.
“You hear some things and you never know what to believe, right? Anybody can report something. And it could be false. It could be right,” Verdugo said. “So you just don't know. So for me, it was just a little bit of a weird time. I like Boston. I wanted to stay here and I want to continue playing here. So just to kind of know that I'm staying here, and know that it's kind of a restart of the season, feels good.”
Many players talk in clichés about Trade Deadline rumors. However, Verdugo gave some insight into his emotions these last few days.
“When you don't have any communication [from the front office], you're kind of left in the dark,” said Verdugo. “And so, it’s all up to your mind which way you want to take it. I know for me, I try to think about it from all aspects. You see both sides. So I think that's what made it tough.
“I was seeing it from my side, ‘I want to stay here, I love playing here,’ and seeing it from their side, ‘It’s a business, try to get what you can’ and things like that. Your mind takes it wherever you want, but I think at the end of the day, the best way to handle it is trying to block it out. Go have fun and just go play the game.” Get the latest from the Red Sox
Have the latest news, ticket information, and more from the Red Sox and MLB delivered right to your inbox.
Verdugo is a difference-maker when he’s going right.
“He’s been moving better the last two days offensively,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “Seems like he’s staying behind the ball, which is good. He got a good pitch to hit, a 2-0 count, and hit the ball in the air. So that’s a good sign. That’s good.”
For the first three months of the season, Verdugo was one of Boston’s most consistent players. He had a sturdy .301 average and an .836 OPS when he showed up to the ballpark on July 1.
Those numbers are down to .271 and .772, respectively. But Verdugo has the confidence he can get his groove back for the rest of the year.
“It's one bad month,” Verdugo said. “Really, just chalk it at that. It's one bad month and I can go out and [hit] .300 for the next two months and be right back to where I was before this slump.”
And there will be no more trade rumors to cloud his head.
“It's like a refresher, and it feels like it's kind of like a jumpstart,” said Verdugo. “Like, hey, I’m back on here, they want me, this is our team, this is our squad. And just for me, just go out there and compete and play hard, you just go back to the things that made me valuable to the team.”
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 2, 2023 5:36:36 GMT -5
Injuries & Moves: Sale airs it out in first rehab start August 1st, 2023
0:11
0:33
LATEST NEWS
Aug. 1: LHP Chris Sale hits 96 in first rehab start Sale opened his Minor League rehab assignment on Tuesday, firing two-plus innings for Triple-A Worcester in a game played at Syracuse. Sale allowed one hit and no runs, walking two and striking out three. He threw 40 pitches, 26 for strikes. Though Sale lacked command, he showed plenty of arm strength in his return from a stress reaction in his left shoulder, hitting 96 mph on the radar gun. Sale is expected to make at least one more rehab start this weekend for Worcester. There's a chance he will be activated by the Red Sox after that.
“All over the place. I was watching," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "I called [trainer Brad Pearson] and I was like, ‘Hey man, this guy is throwing 95, 96. What’s going on here?’ But he feels good about his mechanics. Feels good about his arm. Now it’s a matter of, you know, harness the stuff in the strike zone. The line wasn’t great, I guess, but he got his repetitions.”
Aug. 1: C Reese McGuire activated from 10-day injured list; C Jorge Alfaro designated for assignment McGuire started on Tuesday in his return from a right oblique strain he suffered on June 21. The left-handed hitter is the backup catcher behind Connor Wong.
Aug. 1: DH Justin Turner (left heel contusion) day to day A day after Turner injured his left heel jumping on first base while beating out an infield hit, he was out of the lineup. Turner could be out on Wednesday, as well. With the team off-day on Thursday, that would give Turner three days of rest with hopes of returning for the start of the homestand on Friday night against the Blue Jays. Turner has been one of Boston's hottest hitters of late.
Aug. 1: Red Sox acquire INF Luis Urías from Brewers for RHP Bradley Blalock Urías gives the Red Sox another option in the infield, where they are already deep. He was optioned to Triple-A Worcester upon completion of the trade. The 26-year-old has played in 413 career games with the San Diego Padres (2018-19) and Brewers (2020-23), making 143 starts at third base, 124 at shortstop and 100 at second base while batting .235 (311-for-1,323). Urías has played in 20 games for Milwaukee in 2023, going 8-for-55 while making 10 starts at third base and seven at second base.
RHP Garrett Whitlock (right elbow inflammation) Expected return: August Whitlock threw an up-and-down side session with Triple-A Worcester on Aug. 1, meaning he simulated two innings. Whitlock is close to going on a Minor League rehab assignment. The right-hander has been used exclusively as a starter this season, going 4-3 with a 5.23 ERA. However, he might pitch in the bullpen when he returns. (Last updated: Aug. 1)
RHP Tanner Houck (facial fracture) Expected return: August Houck joined his best friend and teammate Garrett Whitlock by throwing an up-and-down bullpen session with Triple-A Worcester on Aug. 1. Houck is likely to throw a live BP session a few days after that and then start a Minor League rehab assignment. Houck has been used exclusively as a starter so far this season, but that could change when he returns. (Last updated: Aug. 1)
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 2, 2023 5:44:19 GMT -5
Alex Verdugo, Reese McGuire homer as Red Sox snap skid with win in Seattle
Updated: Aug. 02, 2023, 1:23 a.m.|Published: Aug. 02, 2023, 12:19 a.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
SEATTLE — Before Tuesday, Reese McGuire hadn’t played in more than a month and Alex Verdugo hadn’t looked like himself for longer. Home runs from both of them helped the Red Sox snap a three-game losing streak.
Verdugo and McGuire both took righty Bryce Miller deep as the Sox’ offense broke out of a mini-slump in a 6-4 win over the Mariners. On a night when Brayan Bello wasn’t at his sharpest, Boston totaled five extra-base hits. The Red Sox improved to 57-50 and will have a chance to win the series in Wednesday’s matinee finale.
Hours after both teams did little as baseball’s trade deadline came and went, Seattle got on the board first against the tantalizing Bello. Bello walked J.P. Crawford then allowed a single to Julio Rodríguez before Eugenio Suárez plated the first run of the game with an RBI single. Bello escaped further damage with three straight outs with the bases loaded.
Bello settled in and allowed the Red Sox to take the lead with a three-run fourth. With the bases loaded and one out, Christian Arroyo gave Boston the lead with a two-run, ground-rule double to left. The next batter, McGuire, lifted a sacrifice fly to plate Adam Duvall and make it a 3-1 game.
Verdugo then made it a four-run game with a two-run shot in the fifth, his first extra-base hit since July 17. Suárez closed the gap with a two-run homer of his own off Bello a half-inning later. McGuire’s first homer of the season made it 6-3 in the top of the sixth. Seattle got back within two runs with back-to-back doubles by Dominic Canzone and Ty France in the bottom of the frame.
Bello’s effort was far from his best of the season as he allowed four runs on eight hits in four innings while recording seven strikeouts. Boston’s bullpen, however, dominated. Chris Martin tossed a 1-2-3 inning, then after a Triston Casas throwing error put two runners in scoring position, Josh Winckowski struck out back-to-back batters to escape the jam. In the ninth, closer Kenley Jansen set the Mariners down in order, striking out Rodríguez to end it.
Masataka Yoshida and Triston Casas each had two hits for Boston in the victory. Arroyo, McGuire and Verdugo had two RBIs apiece.
Rubber game Wednesday ends west coast trip
Right-hander Kutter Crawford (5-5, 3.86 ERA) will get the start for the Red Sox in Wednesday’s matinee finale at T-Mobile Park. The Mariners will counter with young ace Logan Gilbert (9-5, 3.83 ERA). First pitch is at 4:10 p.m. ET.
The Red Sox have gone 2-3 in the first five games of their west-coast trip and will look to finish it at .500 with a win Wednesday. It’ll mark Boston’s last game in the Pacific Time Zone this season. The Sox will fly home after the game and have Thursday off before starting a long 10-game homestand during which Toronto, Kansas City and Detroit visit Fenway Park.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 2, 2023 5:53:04 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 7h Weird Bello game. 16 4-seam fastballs, 13 balls, SEA only swung at 2. Basically no sliders or cutters. Everything else, sinkers and change ups in the exact same location to both RH and LH hitters. Looked like batters were hunting it.
|
|