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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 5, 2023 18:22:13 GMT -5
Good Hope we all find out about it soon. And that will put to rest the dumb "extend Verdugo" nonsense.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 5, 2023 18:25:24 GMT -5
The inept Underdogs are now: 1) 4 back in the WC standings 2) Back in the cellar of the AL East
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 6, 2023 4:55:38 GMT -5
Cora benches, blasts reportedly tardy Verdugo: 'One guy wasn't available'Michael Bradburn 10h ago The Boston Red Sox played Saturday's game with a short bench, and Alex Cora didn't mince words when discussing how disappointing it was that Alex Verdugo wasn't available. "I think today we took a step back as a team," Cora said following the 5-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park, noting that the outfielder was benched due to a manager's decision. "We have to be available, everybody has to be available," Cora continued. "For us to do this, we have to be available. From coaches to player to analysts to the front office, everybody has to be available every single day here. That's the bottom line. And, today, one guy wasn't available." Cora added that there's a chance Verdugo could play Sunday. "I'm very disappointed," Cora continued, according to Masslive's Chris Cotillo. "This is probably one of my worst days here in this organization. From Day 1, everybody's been available. We had our issues or whatever and we've taken care of our things. Today, we took a step back. I feel responsible as the leader. It's hard." While Cora remained mum on what kept Verdugo on the bench, the 27-year-old outfielder reportedly showed up only two hours before first pitch, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. Verdugo was asked about it and also wouldn't divulge the reason, simply repeating that it was a "manager's decision." Saturday's game ended rather dismally due to Reese McGuire's baserunning gaffe, but it didn't seem to factor into Cora's frustrations. McGuire - representing the tying run - got doubled off at second base after misreading a flyball as a homer. However, Cora noted the entire team as well as Blue Jays reliever Erik Swanson also misread it. The Red Sox close out their three-game series against the Blue Jays on Sunday. They're in the midst of a three-game losing streak and have lost six of their last seven.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 6, 2023 5:02:06 GMT -5
Cora furious after rocky day at Fenway: 'We took a step back' August 5th, 2023 Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- For the Red Sox, Saturday started with an uncomfortable benching of a key player. It ended with what looked like a walk-off hit instead turning into an agonizing, game-ending double play.
The final at Fenway Park was Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 4.
It was a chaotic and unsettling day for a Boston team that fell four games behind Toronto in the American League Wild Card standings and back into last place in the AL East.
At 2:07 p.m. ET, two hours and three minutes before the scheduled first pitch, Boston’s PR account tweeted a lineup change. Adam Duvall was in, and Alex Verdugo was out.
Two sources told MLB.com that Verdugo showed up roughly two hours before the game. Unless there is a late report time following a long road trip or a similar circumstance, players on MLB teams typically show up at least three hours before the game, and in most cases, earlier than that.
Cora and Verdugo both declined to say why the right fielder was pulled from the lineup.
Cora made no effort to conceal his anger.
“He didn’t play today. I decided not to play [him],” Cora said. “I think today, we took a step back as a team. We have to make sure everybody's available every single day here for us to get to wherever we're going to go. And that wasn't the case. And as a manager, I’ve got to take charge of this, and I decided he wasn't going to play.”
Asked if he arrived on time to Fenway on Saturday, Verdugo said, “Yes.”
What did Verdugo think about getting benched?
“It's a manager's decision, and I respect his decision,” Verdugo said. “He's the jefe. He's our coach. He's the head guy here. So for me, yeah I take responsibility. But at the end of the day, it's his decision. And, whether it hurt the team or helped the team today, we don't know. But I like to think that I help the team in different aspects. So for me as a player, I want to play. I want to be out there every day. And today was a little bit hard to watch.”
The ending of the ballgame was tough for every member of the Red Sox to watch.
In the midst of a furious ninth-inning rally in which Boston had already scored once to pull within a run, Connor Wong stepped up with two on and one out against reliever Erik Swanson and skied one to deep left-center.
Reese McGuire, the runner on second base, raised his hands in triumph, thinking Wong had just gone yard. But the drive seemed to die at the last moment, and center fielder Kevin Kiermaier jumped slightly to flag it down before it could glance off the Green Monster.
Red Sox third-base coach Carlos Febles also looked confused, waving McGuire around third. The game ended with McGuire easily getting doubled off second base.
“I couldn't believe it,” McGuire said. “I thought it was a home run or at least up off the wall. So that just tells you I got a bad read. Tough break right there. We had the momentum, putting together good at-bats against that guy there in Swanson, and I think we were gonna potentially walk it off, so it's a bummer of a way to go out.”
Cora called it a collective misread.
“I think we all missed that one,” he said. “I think Reese took off and then Carlos was looking at [Luis] Urías [running from first base]. Everybody thought it was going to be [at least] off the wall, and it was a bad play, a bad baseball play. All around, for us, we all thought it was gone.”
While the bitter end to the game was hard to swallow, Cora was clearly more upset by what happened before the game.
“I'm very disappointed,” Cora said. “This is probably one of my worst days here in this organization, because from day one, everybody has been available. We’ve had our issues, whatever, and we have taken care of our things. But today, we took a step back.
“I feel responsible, because I'm the leader of this team, and it's hard. But we'll show up tomorrow and we're gonna grind again, we're gonna go for it. But today, [I’m] very disappointed.”
Cora said there “is a chance” Verdugo will play Sunday.
No matter how hard the media pressed for an explanation, Cora chose to keep that private.
“The manager decided not to play him today, and he has his reasons,” Cora said. “I'm not gonna go into details or whatever, but I think it was enough
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 6, 2023 5:03:23 GMT -5
Injuries & Moves: Whitlock throws 2 innings of live BP August 5th, 2023
Aug. 5: RHP Garrett Whitlock throws two innings of live BP at Fenway In a key step toward returning from the injured list, Whitlock faced teammates Reese McGuire and Pablo Reyes for two innings of live batting practice. Whitlock looked sharp during the session, and it should set him up for a Minor League rehab assignment by Tuesday or Wednesday. The righty has been out since July 3 due to right elbow inflammation.
"He was good, velo was up," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "The shape of the pitches were good. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow and then we’ll see what we do next week."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 6, 2023 5:05:57 GMT -5
Matt McCarthy @mattmccarthy985 · 10h Hideous baseball.
Awful Announcing @awfulannouncing · 10h "The Red Sox run themselves out of the ballgame, here."
"That is so unfortunate. You just can't do that right there."
Matt McCarthy @mattmccarthy985 · 10h There is nothing “unfortunate” about this. “Unfortunate” implies there is a level of luck. There is nothing lucky or unlucky about being a dumbass. It’s a choice.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 6, 2023 5:09:45 GMT -5
Dan Shaughnessy @dan_Shaughnessy · 10h Not sure, but I think the Red Sox are in last place again. They obviously got the message. This season was never about competing. Bunch of tomatoe cans coming up. Don’t be fooled
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 6, 2023 5:12:03 GMT -5
Dan Shaughnessy Retweeted Mark E. Romano @markrom · 9h Replying to @tomcaron and @dan_Shaughnessy It’s August, the Sox are in the WC hunt, they are chasing the team they need to catch, down by only a run, at home, you have a $200M payroll and your $300M cornerstone looks around his infield and sees guys named Reyes, Urias and Chang. Just let that sink in for a few minutes.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 6, 2023 5:13:51 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 10h Cora on Verdugo: “We have to be available. From coaches to players to analysts to the front office, everybody has to be available every single day here. That’s the bottom line and today one guy wasn’t available.”
"Available" seems to man being engaged and ready to play.
Will add that as somebody who been around Cora most every day of the season since 2018, this was the most angry he's ever been and it's not particularly close.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 6, 2023 5:15:44 GMT -5
Rafael Devers’ golf homer not enough as Red Sox lose again to Blue Jays
Updated: Aug. 05, 2023, 9:07 p.m.|Published: Aug. 05, 2023, 6:58 p.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON — Entering Saturday, Red Sox lefty reliever Brennan Bernardino had been one of the best pitchers in baseball against left-handed opponents. He lost a battle to one in a key spot against the Blue Jays.
Bernardino had held lefty hitters to a .185 average (10-for-54) and .450 OPS before Brandon Belt got him on a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning Saturday. That hit would prove vital as the Jays handed the Sox their third straight loss (and their sixth in seven games) with a 5-4 decision at Fenway Park. Boston’s ninth-inning rally floundered when Connor Wong lifted a fly ball to the warning track in left field, and in an inexcusable baserunning blunder, Reese McGuire was doubled off second base to end the game.
Toronto now leads the Red Sox by four games in the wild card race after taking the first two matchups between the clubs in their weekend set. BetMGM Massachusetts $1,000 FIRST BET OFFER
For the second straight game, Toronto jumped out to a lead thanks to early offense. Facing righty Nick Pivetta in the third, Belt opened the scoring with a solo homer, then after some sloppy defense from the Red Sox, Alejandro Kirk plated George Springer with an RBI double. Daulton Varsho made it 3-0 with a soft line drive single to left field.
Boston struck back in the bottom of the fourth. Masataka Yoshida and Justin Turner led off with back-to-back singles off José Berríos before Rafael Devers tied the game with a mammoth three-run blast over the bullpens in left field. The homer was Devers’ 26th of the year; he’s one short of his total from a year ago.
With the game tied, Bernardino entered for the sixth inning, pitching for the first time since July 30. With one out, he gave up singles to David Schneider and Paul DeJong and then walked Whit Merrifield to load the bases for Belt. Belt plated the go-ahead run by looping an 0-2 sinker into left field. Josh Winckowski then entered and avoided further damage with a 6-3 double play to end the inning.
The Red Sox had a chance to draw even in the bottom of the sixth when Devers was hit by a pitch and Adam Duvall put two runners in scoring position with a two-out double. With lefty Genesis Cabrera in for Toronto, manager Alex Cora pinch-hit lefty masher Rob Refsnyder (.932 OPS) for Triston Casas, but Cabrera struck Refsnyder out to end the threat. It was Refsnyder’s 15th strikeout in 102 plate appearances against southpaws this season.
Toronto led by just one run entering the ninth but added some insurance against rookie lefty Joe Jacques. Springer singled and Kirk walked before Kevin Kiermaier made it a 5-3 game with an RBI single. That extra run would prove important when the Red Sox rallied in the bottom of the inning.
Duvall and pinch-hitter McGuire (hitting with Alex Verdugo benched due to disciplinary reasons) had back-to-back one-out singles off Erik Swanson to put runners on the corners, then Luis Urías made it a one-run game again with an RBI single to left. Wong then stepped up and lifted a high fly ball to the warning track, but Kiermaier caught it at the wall for the second out. McGuire and third base coach Carlos Febles both thought it was a homer (or at least off the Green Monster), and McGuire rounded third in anticipation of scoring the tying run. He was doubled off second base on an 8-4 double play.
Berríos pitched well in 5 ⅔ innings, striking out six while allowing three runs and six hits. Pivetta went four innings, marking just the second time since July 2 (six outings) he has gone fewer than five innings.
Devers’ homer a rarity
Devers did his best Phil Mickelson impression to tie the game. Behind in the count 1-2 against Berríos, he golfed a slurve way below the zone to the right field seats.
Devers’ blast, which traveled 430 feet with an exit velocity of 106.6 mph and a launch angle of 29 degrees, was only 10.8 inches off the ground, according to MLB.com’s Ian Browne. Browne tweeted: “Since the advent of Statcast in 2015, the homer by Devers was the second longest at 430 feet on a pitch that was less than a foot off the ground.”
Devers’ homer made up for some shoddy defense that led to Toronto’s three-run third. With two outs, Devers allowed Springer to advance to second base on a throwing error; two more runs ended up scoring.
Series finale Sunday
The Red Sox will try to avoid a sweep Sunday afternoon behind a starter that is still to be determined. Manager Alex Cora will have his work cut out for him after using six pitchers Saturday. Lefty Chris Murphy will pitch in a bulk role but likely won’t start.
Toronto will start righty Chris Bassitt (10-6, 4.00 ERA) with first pitch set for 1:35 p.m. ET.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 6, 2023 5:25:21 GMT -5
Red Sox’s Alex Cora on Alex Verdugo benching: ‘One of my worst days here’
Updated: Aug. 05, 2023, 10:04 p.m.|Published: Aug. 05, 2023, 8:07 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Red Sox manager Alex Cora wouldn’t provide the reason why he benched Alex Verdugo after the right fielder was in the initial lineup vs. the Blue Jays on Saturday. Verdugo got scratched approximately two hours before first pitch.
Boston lost 5-4 to Toronto at Fenway Park. The game ended with an inexcusable baserunning mistake. Reese McGuire got doubled off second base on Connor Wong’s fly ball to the left-center field wall with two runners on base.
But Cora was clearly most disappointed about the situation involving Verdugo, not how the game ended.
“I’m very disappointed,” Cora said. “This is probably one of my worst days here in this organization. Because everybody has been available from day one. We had our issues, whatever and we have taken care of our things but today we took a step back. I feel responsible because I’m the leader of this team. And it’s hard. It’s hard. But we’ll show up tomorrow. We’re going to grind again. We’re going to go for it. But today, very disappointed. It’s not going to be a cool night. Just watch a few baseball games and maybe have a Medalla.”
The Red Sox dropped to 57-53. They have lost six of their past seven games.
When Cora was asked if it was accurate to say Verdugo didn’t play for disciplinary reasons, he simply responded, “The manager’s decision, yeah.”
“There’s a chance” he’ll play Sunday, Cora said.
“I decided not to play him,” Cora added. “I think today we took a step back as a team. We have to make sure everybody is available every single day here for us to get to where we’re going to go. And that wasn’t the case. And as a manager, I’ve got to take charge of this. And I decided he was not going to play.”
Cora was asked what he meant by taking a step back as a team.
“We have to be available,” Cora said. “Everybody has to be available. For us to do this, we have to be available from coaches to players to analysts to front office. Everybody has to be available every single day here. That’s the bottom line. And today, one guy wasn’t available.”
Verdugo also wouldn’t give the reason for Cora benching him.
“We need everybody available,” Cora said. “That’s it. I decided the reason that he didn’t play. But he wasn’t available today. He was ready to play but he wasn’t available. I decided he wasn’t going to play. And we need 26 guys every single day. ... The manager decided not to play him today. And he has his reason. I’m not going to go into details or whatever. But I think this is enough.”
Verdugo — who also got benched June 8 after not hustling in a game June 7 — called it a “manager’s decision.”
“We’ll leave it at that,” Verdugo said. “Just be ready to play tomorrow.”
Verdugo was asked if he arrived at the ballpark on time Saturday. He replied, “Yes.”
“I don’t really want to go too far into it,” Verdugo said. “It’s just his decision and that’s what we went with. Obviously I want to be available. ... I want to help this team win. All we can do now is look forward to tomorrow and come here and be ready to play.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 6, 2023 5:26:37 GMT -5
Red Sox’s Alex Cora, Reese McGuire explain ‘bad baseball play’ to end game
Updated: Aug. 05, 2023, 10:01 p.m.|Published: Aug. 05, 2023, 9:49 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Red sox manager Alex Cora described it as “a bad baseball play.”
Reese McGuire inexcusably got doubled off second base when Connor Wong hit a 358-foot flyout to left-center field with two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth. Center fielder Kevin Kiermaier leaped in front of the Green Monster to make the catch, then threw into second baseman Santiago Espinal for an 8-4 double play to end the game. The Red Sox lost 5-4 at Fenway Park.
McGuire, who represented the tying run, rounded the third base bag instead of holding up between second and third base to see if Kiermaier would catch it or not. Red Sox third base coach Carlos Febles, meanwhile, had his eyes on Luis Urías, the runner at first base, who represented the winning run.
“I think we all missed that one,” Cora said. “I think Reese took off and then Carlos was looking at Urías. Everybody thought it was going to be off the wall and it was a bad play — a bad baseball play.”
Cora said he thought Wong homered when the ball left the bat. Wong connected on a slider from Erik Swanson who had given up three straight singles with one out.
“We all thought it was gone,” Cora said. “Reese from the get-go. I was just talking to him. He thought it was gone. And then Carlos, he was looking at Urías. He just missed that one.”
The Red Sox (57-53) have dropped six of their past seven games. They are four games behind Toronto for the final Wild Card spot. Both the Mariners and Yankees are ahead of Boston and behind Toronto for the final Wild Card.
“The trajectory that I saw it — I’ve been on second base plenty of times and seen a ball hit up off the Monster,” McGuire said. “That one looked like just another one of those. So I put my head down a little bit. I started running toward third. I was getting ready to round it and I did. I just ended up making a wrong read there.”
McGuire knows he likely would have scored on a ball hit off the wall if he had held up between second and third base.
“I think there was no reason for me to round it there but I just got a bad read at second, I guess,” McGuire said.
“I couldn’t believe it didn’t get to the wall at least,” McGuire added. “To be honest, I thought it was a home run off the bat — at least up, off the wall. So that just tells me I got a bad read. And it was a tough break right there. We had momentum and we were putting together good at-bats against Swanson. We were getting ready to potentially walk it off.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 6, 2023 5:34:49 GMT -5
| Red Sox notebook: Whitlock, Houck, Sale working…
By Gabrielle Starr | gstarr@bostonherald.com | PUBLISHED: August 5, 2023 at 6:25 p.m. | UPDATED: August 5, 2023 at 6:25 p.m.
Garrett Whitlock took a key step forward on Saturday, facing hitters in a multi-inning live batting practice.
“I think it was good,” Alex Cora said. “(Velocity) was up, the shape of the pitches were good.”
This is the second injured list stint of the year for the 27-year-old right-handler, who last pitched on July 10. As he prepares to begin a rehab assignment, The organization’s resolve to keep him in the rotation seems to be softening.
Whitlock was a member of the Boston bullpen for his entire stellar rookie season in 2021, when he finished the season with a 1.96 ERA across 46 appearances, including 11 games finished and a pair of saves. Over 73 1/3 innings, he struck out 81 batters, issued 17 walks, and only gave up 16 earned runs.
Last season, the Red Sox attempted to transition Whitlock into the rotation, as he’d worked his way up the minor leagues as a starting pitcher. They moved him from the bullpen in late April, then returned him to the bullpen in July. Hip surgery ended his season in mid-September.
This year, the Red Sox announced that Whitlock would begin the season in the starting rotation. They remained firm on that through his first stint on the injured list, but now appear to be pivoting. He owns a 5.23 ERA across 10 starts totaling 51 2/3 innings, but after spending most of the season in the starting rotation, his manager says there’s a “good chance” he’ll move to the bullpen when he returns.
In other injury-related news, Trevor Story (UCL) will serve as the designated hitter on Saturday and play shortstop on Sunday for Triple-A Worcester. “We’ll reassess the situation on Monday,” Cora said.
While Story initially pointed to Friday as his return date, he decided that he wanted a little more time in the minors. His rehab assignment expires on Wednesday.
Tanner Houck (facial fracture) will pitch for Worcester on Saturday, with Chris Sale (shoulder) starting the Sunday series finale in Syracuse. The latter is expected to pitch four innings in his second rehab game.
Nothing’s new with Corey Kluber, who’s been on the IL since June 21 with right shoulder inflammation. Record-setting Rafaela
Ceddanne Rafaela continues to dominate in Triple-A. On Friday night, Boston’s No. 2 prospect set a WooSox record by homering in his fourth consecutive game.
Since his promotion to Triple-A, Rafaela has hit 10 homers in 29 games, but in the eyes of WooSox manager Chad Tracy and Alex Cora, the power surge isn’t even the best part of the burgeoning star’s development.
“The one thing that we always want to see from him, regardless of the numbers, is controlling the strike zone,” Cora said on Saturday afternoon. “He’s very unique in what he does, because he chases pitches, but he’s hitting.”
Patience at the plate is still a work in progress for Rafaela, but he’s made strides recently. After only drawing one walk over his first 13 games of July, he’s drawn six in 13 games since, including a very patient game earlier this week.
“The other day, I think he hit a homer and walked four times,” Cora said. “That’s a great game for me.”
“I actually spoke to Chad today,” the Red Sox manager added. “He’s very pleased with the way Rafaela is playing. The effort, obviously the defense, and the at-bats are getting better.”
Given his breakout performance in Double-A last year and this year being his first time at major league spring training, many expected the Red Sox to promote Rafaela to Triple-A at the beginning of the season. Plate discipline was one of the main reasons they opted to hold off, with sources telling the Herald that the organization wanted their top outfield prospect to be able to make certain adjustments, such as plate discipline, in Double-A, rather than doing so while also adjusting to a new level of play. So long, farewell (again)
After being designated for assignment earlier in the week, Jorge Alfaro officially elected free agency on Saturday, bringing an end to his second Red Sox stint of the season. Down on the farm
Double-A Portland placed Marcelo Mayer on the 7-day injured list on Saturday with shoulder inflammation. Over his last 10 games, the Red Sox No. 1 prospect hasn’t looked like himself. He hit .146 with a .466 OPS, only collecting six hits, one RBI, and three walks, with 18 strikeouts over that span.
In the second game of his professional career, Boston’s first-round pick Kyle Teel went 3-for-3 with a walk, his first home run, and a pair of RBI for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 6, 2023 5:36:12 GMT -5
Lou Merloni @loumerloni · 13h This team may be extremely inconsistent when it come to offense and wins/losses but one area where they have unfortunately been extremely consistent is how bad they’ve been defensively all year. It’s killing them.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 6, 2023 5:46:00 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Garrett Whitlock faces live batters at Fenway as part of ramp-up following elbow injury By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated August 5, 2023, 5:55 p.m.
Garrett Whitlock pitched two innings before the Red Sox lost Saturday, 5-4, against Toronto, facing teammates Reese McGuire and Pablo Reyes in a simulated game.
With the Fenway Park stands empty outside a few dozen people taking the ballpark tour, Whitlock worked at his usual brisk clip and showed command of all his pitches, inducing a series of bad swings.
The righthander has been on the injured list since July 3 with a bone bruise in his elbow.
“He was good. [Velocity] was up; the shape of the pitches was good,” manager Alex Cora said.
Whitlock’s fastball was 93-94 m.p.h., according to Cora.
“For me, it was more about repetitions than anything else,” Cora said.
Whitlock was not made available to reporters. The Sox will see how he feels Sunday before deciding his next step, which would likely be starting a minor league rehabilitation assignment. The plan is to bring Whitlock back as a multi-inning relief pitcher. He is 4-3 with a 5.23 earned run average in 10 starts this season.
Trevor Story was the designated hitter for Worcester at Syracuse on Saturday night, going 1 for 4 with a double in his 12th minor league game. He is scheduled to play shortstop behind Chris Sale, also with the Triple A team on a rehab assignment, Sunday afternoon.
Story’s 20-day rehab assignment expires Wednesday. With no minor league games Monday, it’s unclear if Story will be activated then or wait until later in the week.
Cora has said Story will make the decision for when he returns. He has been out all season recovering from elbow surgery.
Tanner Houck started Saturday for the WooSox and allowed two runs on three hits over 1⅔ innings and 46 pitches. It was his first time in a game since being hit in the face by a line drive on June 16 and fracturing several bones.
Sale (shoulder) will be pitching in his second rehab game with Worcester. Bleier pitching to too much contact
To the extent the Red Sox have a lefty specialist, it’s Richard Bleier. But lefthanded hitters have a 1.030 OPS against Bleier in 44 plate appearances while striking out only five times.
“There’s not too many swings and misses. We haven’t played good defense behind him, either,” Cora said. “But that happens and your job is to throw strikes, and he hasn’t been able to put them away, especially lefties.”
Bleier was on the injured list May 22-July 17 with shoulder inflammation. He has since put 13 runners on base over 8⅓ innings with only three strikeouts.
“It’s one of those, he’s fighting it,” Cora said.
Bleier was obtained Jan. 30 from the Marlins for fellow reliever Matt Barnes, who had been designated for assignment. The deal has so far been a wash. Barnes had a 5.48 ERA over 24 games before undergoing season-ending hip surgery.
Bleier has a 5.40 ERA over 26 games and would seem to be in danger of losing his roster spot as the Sox get players off the injured list. Mayer out with shoulder inflammation
Double A shortstop Marcelo Mayer, the organization’s top prospect, was placed on the injured list with what was said to be inflammation in his left shoulder. The Sox believe the injury is minor and will simply require rest and extra treatment.
The issue may have contributed to Mayer’s recent struggles in Portland, where he had been expanding the strike zone in uncharacteristic fashion since returning from the All-Star Futures Game.
The result has been the most prolonged slump of his professional career. In his last 14 games, Mayer hit .175 with a .493 OPS. He had 25 strikeouts and three walks in 61 plate appearances.
In all, Mayer has hit .189 with a .609 OPS in 43 games for the Sea Dogs and hasn’t driven in a run since July 21. Alfaro chooses to walk away
Catcher Jorge Alfaro, who was designated for assignment Tuesday, cleared waivers and elected free agency. Alfaro was 2 for 17 in eight games for the Sox and caught only 36 innings in the 19 games he was on the roster … The Sox are 24-33 in August the last two seasons … The usually pristine greensward at Fenway has patches of sod throughout the outfield, particularly in right field, after the recent Pink and Fall Out Boy concerts. There are five more shows scheduled Aug. 16-21.
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