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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 2, 2023 17:18:41 GMT -5
Schrieber and Blierer both shitting the bed
3-3
7th
and there we go
J-rod single plates a run
4-3 Mariners
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 2, 2023 17:23:41 GMT -5
And Suarez makes it 5-3.
unreal.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 2, 2023 17:33:16 GMT -5
Llovera makes his debut double steal.... and J-rod steals home.
hahahahahahahahahaha
6-3 Mariners
that is it for me
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 2, 2023 17:34:27 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1m Seattle double steals to make it 6-3 as Rodriguez goes home on the bounced throw to second.
One of the worst innings of the season. Big meltdown with a 3-2 lead and a chance for a .500 West Coast trip.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 2, 2023 18:03:00 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 25m First time in his career Schreiber allowed four runs. Only the 7th time in 87 appearances with the Sox he allowed two or more.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 2, 2023 18:03:26 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 3m #Mariners 6, #RedSox 3, final.
Sox (57-51) can't hold a 3-0 lead through 5 innings and finish the road trip 2-4.
Blue Jays at Fenway for the first of three on Friday.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 2, 2023 18:05:00 GMT -5
Off day tomorrow will have me thinking on how fun it will be to hear the boos possibly at Fenway this week-end
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 3, 2023 4:55:43 GMT -5
Bullpen weary at end of Red Sox's 2-4 trip August 2nd, 2023 Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
SEATTLE -- Getaway day was going swimmingly for the Red Sox, who had built a three-run lead entering the bottom of the sixth and were 12 outs away from making that long flight home from Seattle a happy one.
But on a day manager Alex Cora was down two of his best setup righties (Chris Martin and Josh Winckowski), things got bumpy as the Mariners swarmed back with two in the sixth and four more in the seventh for a 6-3 win over the Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon at T-Mobile Park.
It was a fitting end to a frustrating road trip in which the Red Sox were in every game, but went 2-4, including a pair of walk-off losses in San Francisco.
With the offense able to cobble together only 19 runs in the six games, it left a heavy burden on a bullpen that has been working overtime for a month due to Chris Sale, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock all being on the injured list at the same time.
In July, Boston’s bullpen worked 118 innings, second in the Majors to San Francisco. Fortunately, reinforcements named Sale, Houck and Whitlock should all be back within the next couple of weeks.
In the meantime, Cora has a tough needle to thread. And it showed on Wednesday.
Kutter Crawford gave the Sox a strong start, firing five scoreless innings for the second straight outing. He was at 81 pitches. Did Cora consider bringing him back out for the sixth?
“No,” Cora said. “Eighty-something pitches. He had to grind. We went to one of our best relievers.”
The normally trusty John Schreiber was first out of the bullpen, and his day unraveled swiftly. Eugenio Suárez belted a one-out double and up stepped Red Sox killer Cal Raleigh. Seattle’s DH worked Schreiber for a 10-pitch at-bat that was capped with a two-run homer that made it a 3-2 game.
“Yeah, I mean, it was one of those days that there were certain guys that were down and we tried to go with John,” said Cora. “That was a good at-bat there, and the guy just killed us the whole season, right? Got a good pitch down in the zone and hit it out of the ballpark.” Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.
Considering that Schreiber threw 27 pitches in the sixth, which already eclipsed his previous high on the season, it was somewhat surprising that Cora went back to him for the seventh.
Schreiber opened the seventh by giving up a walk to Dominic Canzone and a single to Tom Murphy. At that point, Cora went to lefty Richard Bleier.
Why stick with Schreiber after his 27-pitch sixth?
“After that, we knew they were going to pinch-hit for the guys below, so the lefty matchups were coming,” said Cora. “At that point, where we were bullpen-wise, it made sense. It just didn’t work out.”
It didn’t work out because Bleier struggled and the defense didn’t do any favors behind him.
Julio Rodríguez hit the ball to the left side of the infield, and the shattered bat came flying not far from where the ball was going. Third baseman Rafael Devers and shortstop Yu Chang both went for the ball. They collided as the ball slipped through for an RBI hit.
“Yeah, I think that's part of baseball,” said Devers. “We didn’t have the best communication.”
The flying bat didn’t help their ability to communicate.
“Definitely the broken bat was a factor in that play,” said Devers. “It was a little bit of a distraction.”
Later in the inning, with runners at the corners and two outs, Suárez stole second. And as catcher Connor Wong fired the ball, Rodríguez bolted home for the double steal.
“We had the play,” said Cora. “It was a redirect but the throw took a short hop, and they scored.”
Defensive breakdowns have become an all too familiar issue for the Red Sox.
“We've been talking about defense the whole season,” said Cora. “You see us work before games. We’ve been talking about defense since Spring Training. At the end of the day, we have to make plays. We’ll go over it on Friday and talk about what happened.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 3, 2023 4:57:51 GMT -5
Injuries & Moves: Houck, Turner, Story updates August 2nd, 2023
Aug. 2: RHP Tanner Houck to start rehab assignment on Saturday Houck, who was hit in the face by a battled ball against the Yankees on June 16 and suffered a facial fracture, will open his Minor League rehab assignment on Saturday for Triple-A Worcester at Syracuse. Houck will throw 40-45 pitches and increase to 60-65 pitches in a second outing on Wednesday. There's a chance he will be back with the Red Sox by the start of their road trip on Aug. 15 at Washington.
Aug. 2: DH Justin Turner targets Friday return Turner, who sustained a left heel contusion while jumping on first base in pursuit of an infield hit on Monday, was out of the lineup for the second straight day on Wednesday. The Red Sox are off on Thursday, so that will give the veteran three days of rest. Manager Alex Cora said the club is aiming for Turner to be back in the lineup on Friday night for the start of a crucial three-game series against the Blue Jays, the team Boston is chasing in the Wild Card standings. Turner has been one of Boston's hottest hitters of late.
Aug. 2: SS Trevor Story won't debut Friday The Red Sox had left open the possibility that Story could make his season debut on Friday night at Fenway against the Blue Jays. Then manager Alex Cora said after Wednesday's game that won't happen. Story went 1-for-5 with an RBI in his most recent game for Triple-A Worcester on Aug. 2. Cora has said all along he is leaving it mostly up to Story for when he thinks his timing is well enough to face Major League pitching again. Look for Story to emerge at some point on the upcoming, 10-game homestand. Story underwent an internal bracing procedure in his right elbow in January.
RHP Garrett Whitlock (right elbow inflammation) Expected return: Mid-August Whitlock threw an up-and-down side session with Triple-A Worcester on Aug. 1, meaning he simulated two innings. Red Sox manager Alex Cora believes that Whitlock will start a Minor League rehab assignment by Aug. 6 or Aug. 7. 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. 2)
LHP Chris Sale (left shoulder blade stress reaction) Expected return: August Sale had good velocity but shaky command as he opened his Minor League rehab assignment on Aug. 1 with Triple-A Worcester at Syracuse. Sale went two innings, allowed one hit and no runs, walked two and struck out three. He threw 40 pitches, 26 for strikes. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Sale will make another rehab outing on Aug. 6 and could be positioned to rejoin the Red Sox after that. (Last updated: Aug. 2)
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 3, 2023 5:00:52 GMT -5
Red Sox bullpen implodes in west coast finale, spoils Kutter Crawford start
Updated: Aug. 02, 2023, 8:40 p.m.|Published: Aug. 02, 2023, 7:00 p.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
SEATTLE — Entering Wednesday, the Red Sox were 43-2 when leading after six innings. One bullpen implosion later, that impressive record took a hit.
Following five shutout innings from starter Kutter Crawford, relievers John Schreiber and Richard Bleier combined to give up five runs in the sixth and seventh innings as the Sox squandered an early lead and ended their west coast road trip on a sour note with a 6-3 loss to Mariners. Despite consistently strong performances from the starting rotation, the Red Sox won just two of six games out west and will return home at 57-51. Enter your email address here to receive the Fenway Rundown email newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday.
Bad defense, in part, once again did the Red Sox in late in the game at T-Mobile Park. Seattle plated the go-ahead run when Rafael Devers and Yu Chang ran into each other trying to field a soft Julio Rodríguez grounder in the seventh then scored an insurance run when Rodríguez raced home (and was credited with a steal) on a successful stolen base attempt by Eugenio Suárez at second base. Seattle’s late rallies undid another terrific outing from Crawford, who allowed just four hits and recorded five strikeouts but was pulled at just 81 pitches.
Boston mounted an early lead against impressive Mariners righty Logan Gilbert, as Jarren Duran launched a two-run homer (his seventh of the season) in the third and Masataka Yoshida laced an RBI single to make it 3-0. Gilbert lasted six innings, working around three walks and five hits.
Schreiber, who entered with a 2.18 ERA in 21 appearances, had his worst outing of the season. After Suárez hit a one-out double in the sixth, certified Red Sox killer Cal Raleigh won a 10-pitch battle against Schreiber by launching a two-run homer (his fifth against the Sox this season) to make it a one-run game. In the seventh, Schreiber walked Dominic Canzone and allowed a single to Tom Murphy before Richard Bleier entered and allowed a game-tying single to pinch-hitter Cade Marlowe.
With one out, Rodríguez hit a soft grounder — and a potential double play ball — to the left side, only for Devers to run into Chang as the ball trickled into left and Murphy scored the go-ahead run. Devers failed to run back to cover third, allowing pinch-runner José Caballero to advance another base. Caballero scored when Suárez roped a Bleier pitch into right field, making it 5-3. Rodríguez’s steal of home — he raced home when catcher Connor Wong tried to throw Suárez out at second — made it a three-run game.
Schreiber allowed four runs on three hits while recording just three hits as his ERA rose to 3.74. Bleier was tagged with two earned runs; he now has a 5.27 ERA. In total, Boston had just six hits and struck out 10 times.
Key series with Blue Jays up next
The Red Sox are off Thursday before beginning a season-long 10-game homestand with a key series against the Blue Jays — one of their prime wild card foes — on Friday at Fenway Park. Boston is 7-0 against Toronto this season, having swept the Jays for four games at Fenway from May 1-4 and for three at Rogers Centre from June 30-July 2.
Here’s this weekend’s schedule (along with pitching probables):
Friday, 7:10 p.m. ET — LHP James Paxton (6-2, 3.34 ERA) vs. TBD
Saturday, 4:10 p.m. ET — TBD vs. TBD
Sunday, 1:35 p.m. ET — TBD vs. TBD
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 3, 2023 5:03:02 GMT -5
Trevor Story won’t join Red Sox on Friday; return this weekend unlikely
Published: Aug. 02, 2023, 9:09 p.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
SEATTLE — Trevor Story’s return to the Red Sox will not happen Friday.
Story had previously identified Friday as a target date for his return from the injured list but will not be back that soon, manager Alex Cora said after Boston’s 6-3 loss to the Mariners on Wednesday. Instead, Story will take Thursday off, then play again Friday for Triple-A Worcester in Syracuse. It’s unlikely, though not impossible, that Story will be with the Red Sox during their weekend series against the Blue Jays. Though the team is taking things day-by-day for now, it’s more likely Story returns early next week during Boston’s four-game series against the Royals, which begins Monday. That would allow him to continue rehabbing through the weekend with the WooSox in Syracuse.
Story has not suffered any setbacks in his recovery from offseason elbow surgery. Instead, the delay is a case of the team making sure Story isn’t being rushed back. Story is a player who has historically demonstrated a desire to be 100% before coming off the injured list, according to industry sources, and may not be at that stage yet. The shortstop went 1-for-5 with an RBI double and three strikeouts for the WooSox on Wednesday while playing seven innings at shortstop; in total he has hit .241 with three homers, two doubles, seven RBIs and a .992 OPS in 10 rehab games between Double-A and Triple-A.
“He’s still in spring training mode,” Cora said Monday. “I know he threw it out there to you guys that (Friday) is his goal. We’ll see how it goes. It’s not in black and white that he’ll be with us this weekend. But it’s getting closer.”
Story has missed the entire season to this point after undergoing an internal bracing procedure (a Tommy John surgery alternative) on his throwing elbow in mid-January. When he returns, he will serve as Boston’s starting shortstop, displacing Yu Chang.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 3, 2023 5:05:35 GMT -5
One of these days Alex when the Analytic phone rings don't answer it
Alex Cora explains removing Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford at 81 pitches
Updated: Aug. 02, 2023, 11:02 p.m.|Published: Aug. 02, 2023, 10:44 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
The Red Sox were short in their bullpen Wednesday. Both right-handed relievers Josh Winckowski and Chris Martin were unavailable for the final game of a three-game series in Seattle.
Boston could have used one more inning from starting pitcher Kutter Crawford who tossed 5 scoreless frames. But manager Alex Cora didn’t consider bringing the 27-year-old righty back out for the sixth inning with a 3-0 lead. He instead replaced Crawford with reliever John Schreiber who gave up four runs in 1-plus innings. The Red Sox lost 6-3 to the Mariners to finish their West Coast road trip with a 2-4 record.
“I mean, 80-something pitches, he had to grind. So we went to one of our best relievers,” Cora said about his decision to remove Crawford.
Crawford threw 81 pitches (55 strikes). He allowed four hits and one walk while striking out five over his five scoreless innings.
“Physically, I felt good,” Crawford said. “I wanted to go more but they thought it was the best decision to take me out there and bring (Schreiber) in. Our bullpen’s been doing a great job all year. This was just one of them days. But I think we have all the confidence in our bullpen to shut things down.”
Schreiber gave up a two-run homer to Cal Raleigh in the sixth inning, narrowing Boston’s lead to 3-2.
“It’s was one of those days that there were certain guys that were down,” Cora said. “We tried to go with John. That was a good at-bat there (from Raleigh). The guy just killed us the whole season. Got a pitch down in the zone, hit it out of the ballpark. Then after that, we have to think about matchups and all that. And it just didn’t work out.”
Cora made another interesting decision to bring back Schreiber to begin the seventh inning after the righty had given up the two-run blast to Raleigh in the sixth. Schreiber walked No. 7 hitter Dominic Canzone, then gave up a single to Tom Murphy before being removed.
“Lefty matchups were coming,” Cora said about sticking with Schreiber to start the seventh. “So at that point, where we were bullpen-wise, it made sense. Just didn’t work out.”
Lefty Richard Bleier replaced Schreiber. Bleier allowed a game-tying single to left-handed pinch hitter Cade Marlowe. He struck out left-handed hitting J.P. Crawford, then Julio Rodriguez’s RBI infield single put the Mariners ahead for good. Shortstop Yu Chang and third baseman Rafael Devers collided trying to make the play on Rodriguez’s grounder.
Crawford said his start went “pretty good for the most part.”
“I think towards the end I kind of lost a little bit of feel for my mechanics, which led me to get into little bit deeper counts and not get guys out so quickly. But overall, I felt pretty good out there,” he said.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 3, 2023 5:17:51 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK When their injured starters return, the Red Sox are considering taking a page from the Giants’ playbook By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated August 2, 2023, 7:38 p.m.
SEATTLE — The starters are getting healthier.
The Red Sox could get Chris Sale back for next weekend’s series against the Tigers.
Sale, who pitched in a rehab outing Tuesday in Syracuse for the WooSox, will pitch again Sunday for Worcester, again in Syracuse.
Manager Alex Cora didn’t leave any leeway as to what Sale’s role will be when he returns to the big league roster.
“Chris is going to start,” Cora said before Wednesday’s 6-3 loss to the Mariners. “After that, we have to see where we’re at roster-wise and schedule-wise to see what we can do.”
Tanner Houck (facial fracture) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Saturday for Worcester. Garrett Whitlock (elbow) could pitch Sunday for Worcester, too. Sale threw three innings Tuesday. He’s scheduled to throw four innings Sunday. The idea of the trio getting stretched out to six or seven innings at this point in the season is a tall order.
So, to a degree, Cora has some idea how he can employ the three of them, though nothing has been decided. While the team was in San Francisco for the series with the Giants, Cora observed how his opposition weaponized its starters by having them follow an opener. Cora said that intrigued him.
“There’s a good chance we piggyback somebody with Chris,” said Cora. “And then obviously we still have Chris Murphy. We have [Nick] Pivetta. We’ll see what we do with Whitlock. It’s interesting, until it doesn’t work, right? But I do believe most of these guys have done it before, the multi-inning thing, so if it works for us, why not?”
Houck could be paired with Sale in that role. For instance, if Sale went three innings, Houck could give the Sox four innings before handing it off to Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen for the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
That could be the plan, but as Cora intimated, it’s only the plan until it doesn’t work. Depending on two pitchers to cover the usual role of one starter can be a risk. If one implodes, the whole strategy does, too, causing the team to go deeper into its bullpen.
In the Red Sox’ case, roughly 40 percent of their games in the last month have been bullpen games. Going all-in on an opener method depletes relievers. Before Wednesday, Sox relievers had tossed 118 innings since July 1, the second most in baseball to — guess who? — the Giants. That’s why Cora wants to be cautious in how he uses his returning starters, be it Sale, Whitlock, or Houck.
“The one thing we don’t want is to have these guys [Houck, Sale, Whitlock], and all of a sudden, they’re limited,” Cora said. “Bullpen-wise, we do believe we have been able to take care of them throughout the last month.
“There have been a lot of close games. [Wednesday], some guys were down. We’ll be ready for Friday. But that’s the balance of getting these guys back as soon as possible, but also understanding that the whole program has to be on point because if not, it isn’t going to work.” Red Sox trade inaction sends a message
Story won’t return Friday
Trevor Story (elbow) won’t be reinstated from the injured list for the series opener against the Blue Jays on Friday, Cora said after Wednesday’s loss.
There’s still a chance Story will join the parent club over the weekend. Story has checked most boxes, according to the club, including throwing from shortstop.
The team has centered its focus on getting Story reacquainted with playing on consecutive days.
He played in a day game Wednesday after a night game Tuesday for the WooSox, going 1 for 5 with an RBI double and three strikeouts. Casas earns rookie honor
Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas was named American League Rookie of the Month for July. Casas hit a career-high .349 last month, with a .442 on-base percentage, .758 slugging percentage, with seven homers and 13 RBIs.
He is the first Red Sox player to win the award since Bobby Dalbec in August 2021. Turner’s absence should be brief
Justin Turner (heel) didn’t play in the last two games after injuring his heel on an infield single Monday. Cora said he’s hopeful Turner will be back in the lineup Friday . . . Following the game, Yu Chang gave an autographed bat and ball to Terry Gou, a billionaire businessman and politician from Taiwan. “It was my first time meeting him,” Chang said. “We talked about baseball.” Gou, who is considering a run for the presidency in Taiwan, gave Chang two gift bags with Chinese food.
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