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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 12, 2023 5:40:58 GMT -5
For Red Sox’s Chris Sale, a familiar comeback road begins once again | McAdam
Updated: Aug. 11, 2023, 11:13 p.m.|Published: Aug. 11, 2023, 10:38 p.m.
By
Sean McAdam | sean.mcadam@masslive.com
BOSTON — Don’t call it a comeback/I been here for years
By now, Chris Sale knows comebacks all too well.
There was the one in 2018 when he made just five second-half starts after July 27. There was the one in the spring of 2020, after he missed the final six weeks of the previous season and thought rest would heal his ailing elbow.
After Tommy John surgery in March of 2020, he returned in August of 2021, following a 17-month hiatus. And then, just when it seemed like he had been through enough, the cycle began all over again in 2022. In quick succession, he suffered a broken rib, a broken finger, and a broken wrist.
Then, cruelly, after a string of eight starts earlier this year that looked like he was turning back time to 2016, Sale was sidelined again, missing the last 10 weeks before taking the mound Friday night.
So if you’ve lost track of all the comeback attempts, that’s understandable.
And if you’ve long ago lost patience and stopped having hope, that’s understandable, too.
There was even a hint of resignation in Alex Cora’s voice this week when he noted: “We’ve been through this before, right?”
Have they ever. Again, and again, over and over, to the point of parody. When fans speak of Sale, it’s often in form of a punchline, some barbed reference to the fact that he’s cannot be counted on. When he’s mentioned, if he’s mentioned at all, it’s within a historical context. Except no one debates how he ranks among the best pitchers in the game; instead, he’s the butt-end of the “Worst Contract in Red Sox history” argument.
Still, Sale soldiers on, enduring the barbs, overcoming the tedium of endless rehab appearances, patiently waiting his turn. Each one of his last six seasons has been either interrupted by or completely erased by injury.
Since 2018, he has been less of a pitcher than a Sisyphean figure — rolling down the bottom of the hill, and gathering himself to begin the arduous journey uphill one more time.
If you’re tired of the journey, how do you think the guy making it feels?
It’s to the point where a fine outing like the one he turned in Friday night can’t easily be appreciated by onlookers. Sure, it was nice that Sale retired the first 14 hitters he faced, that his fastball buzzed along from 94-96 mph, and that his slider had some nice bite to it.
Because we are all waiting for another shoe to drop, all waiting for something else to happen - the next setback, the next detour.
Sale, however, is different. He’s the one who put in the work to return the last 10 weeks. So Friday was a night to savor.
“All the in-between stuff sucks,” said Sale flatly after he went 4.2 innings and allowed two runs on two hits while fanning seven in the Red Sox’ 5-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers. “And I’ve said it. It is not fun rehabbing. I’m not the first to say it. I’m probably not going to be the last to say it. There are moments that you can enjoy during the process, but as a whole, it flat-out sucks.
“But on the flip side of that, anytime I ever step on that mound and stare down that barrel and have competition and have a batter facing me, I don’t care if I’m in the Complex League, I don’t care if I’m in Worcester. I said it to Trevor (Story) after my first Worcester start: ‘There is nothing like that feeling I get out there.’ That feeling will never get old. And if it does, it’s time to pack it up and take it to the house.
“The needles going in, the suction cups, the machines you put on....all the different things, that’s the not-fun part. Going out there? That never gets old.”
Watching Sale pitch as he did Friday night was like watching some meteor shower or a solar eclipse. Enjoy this rare occurrence while you can, because you’re never sure how long it will be until you see it again.
With Sale, everything is fleeting, a temporary state of grace. He could wake up Saturday and it could all be a dream. Or, he could wake up with an aching shoulder or a tender elbow or a nagging muscle pull.
Does Sale worry about that? Does Sale fret that this may be all he gets this time around?
“No. Absolutely not,” he said. “Tomorrow’s not guaranteed. I’m not saving anything for tomorrow, because I don’t know if it’s coming.”
Spoken by a man who would know that more than most.
It will be that way the rest of this year, and next year, too, the final guaranteed year of his regrettable contract. It may not be fair, but history tells us it’s reality.
Enjoy it while you can. On a night like Friday, even Chris Sale did.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 12, 2023 5:49:45 GMT -5
Chris Sale’s dazzling return to Red Sox lends itself to cautious optimism for both team and oft-injured starter By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated August 11, 2023, 8:44 p.m.
How do you travel through the void of the unknown?
For Chris Sale and the Red Sox, nothing — save for the duration of his five-year contract — is guaranteed. The succession of injuries that has arrived like so many buzzers in a game of Operation has made the lefthander’s appearances on the mound infrequent over the last four years.
The certainty of dominance that once greeted his starts over seven straight years of All-Star appearances and top-six Cy Young finishes from 2012-18 has been replaced by questions marks about which version of the pitcher will take the mound and whether he will remain intact after pitching.
Sale understands all of that. And Friday night, he offered a dazzling response to that uncertainty.
In a 5-2 Red Sox victory over the Tigers at Fenway Park, Sale — limited to 58 pitches after making just two rehab starts in his return from a stress fracture in his left shoulder — delivered 4⅔ perfect innings before the Tigers finally got to him for a solo homer and a hit batter that ended his night. (The runner came around to score, resulting in a final line of two earned runs.)
He featured an explosive 93-96 m.p.h. fastball, a wicked slider that at one point brought Tigers catcher Jake Rogers to his knees on a swing and miss, as well as sinkers and changeups to stretch the zone. He struck out seven, walked none, and damned the torpedoes.
“Tomorrow’s not guaranteed. I’m not saving anything for tomorrow because I don’t know if it’s coming,” Sale said. “When I’m out there, I’m not thinking about anything other than competing and dominating. … That feeling will never get old.”
For the Sox, Sale’s nothing-held-back performance created an undeniable sense of possibility. In a rotation spot that had been occupied by a succession of openers, Sale offered a glimpse of a stabilizing rotation force — the pitcher who had looked dominant in May (2.25 ERA, 31 percent strikeout rate) before slumping off the mound June 1 with a fissure in his shoulder.
Given the length of his layoff, the performance was remarkable — and significant for a team trying to reassert itself in the playoff hunt.
“He’s going to keep getting better and getting more innings and he’s going to be part of this,” manager Alex Cora said prior to the game. “For us to play in October, we need everybody to contribute. For him to come out here today and be healthy and compete with us, it means a lot to the group.”
Cora said Sale appears stronger now than he was prior to his injury, and the lefthander has reassured his manager that he’ll be fine moving forward. The Sox have him slated to take the mound again Thursday in Washington against the Nationals.
And yet, as impressive as Sale was, as much as he’s tried to assure the Sox he’ll be fine, it’s no longer possible to watch him overpower another team and simply take for granted what he might contribute moving forward. Everyone, even opponents, savors the glimpses of what Tigers manager A.J. Hinch described as “vintage Sale,” while doing so with some trepidation.
“We want to beat him,” Hinch said. “But in the big picture, Chris Sale is an important figure in baseball. He’s a star. He’s a unique pitcher — his size, his angles, the stuff that he’s brought, the success that he’s had, All-Star appearances, Cy Young stuff. Everything about Chris Sale is worth it for everybody to pay attention to.
“So, watching him evolve because of injury is sad, just because, I don’t want anybody to have to go through those injuries. I’m rooting for him from a baseball fan’s standpoint, because he’s done it at the highest level in the most intense environment and on the biggest stage. Guys like that deserve a lot of support.”
The Sox will attempt to provide just that.
“I don’t want to put the weight on his shoulders,” Cora said, a sentence unintentionally loaded with meaning.
Cora said the team will remain cautious in its usage of Sale, protecting him in any way necessary, whether through extra rest or pitch count limits. It was a message Cora reiterated to Sale when he removed him from the game — one out from being eligible for a win — and letting the 34-year-old depart to a thunderous ovation from the Fenway Park crowd of 32,647.
“In a nutshell, [Cora said] keep your eye on the big picture,” Sale said.
But what is that picture? Based on Friday, it’s that Sale remains a pitcher capable of making a significant impact whenever he is on the mound.
For now, for a team that has been scrambling to piece together its innings, the team will happily accept whatever it can get from a pitcher whose return made its staff look whole again — while hoping that tomorrow does not offer any unwelcome reversals.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 12, 2023 5:51:46 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK At this late stage of the season, Red Sox reliever Josh Winckowski is bringing the heat with unlikely velocity By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated August 11, 2023, 8:18 p.m.
Josh Winckowski did something that you easily could have missed in Wednesday night’s 4-3 win against the Royals.
It was the top of the seventh inning, a frame in which Winckowski needed just 12 pitches to retire the side in order, collecting two strikeouts in front of a fly out.
With one out in the frame, Winckowski delivered a first-pitch sinker to Matt Duffy on the outer-half of the plate that Duffy took for a strike.
The radar gun on the Fenway jumbotron registered at 99 miles per hour. The next batter was Kyle Isbel, who fought Winckowski a bit more after the righthander retired the previous two batters on the minimum amount of pitches.
On the sixth pitch of the at-bat, Winckowski located a four-seam fastball at the top of the zone that resulted in a poorly-hit fly out to Red Sox left fielder Masataka Yoshida.
The radar gun, once again, flashed at 99 m.p.h.
The two separate speeds on separate offerings represented something new for the righthander: the hardest-thrown pitches of his career.
It’s August, and at a time in which some pitchers’ stuff has waned, the Sox reliever is even stronger.
“It was definitely a small victory,” said Winckowski. “It kind of meant something. I kind of kept my eye on [it] for a bit. There were a couple of games I was at 98 pretty often and was looking to get over that hump. So obviously, I was super excited to do it. The arm is in a good spot and I’m ready to be more available down the stretch.”
Winckowski made 14 starts last season out of 15 total appearances. This year, he’s accepted and thrived in his role as a reliever, accumulating a 2.86 ERA in 63 innings, striking out 57 in that span.
His progression, of course, goes beyond the velocity. As the Sox have dealt with numerous injuries to starters, Winckowski has been able to adjust to any role in the bullpen, be it the late-inning reliever or if he’s called on for multiple innings.
But the velocity certainly was eye-popping.
“I think it came down to the work he put in during the offseason,” manager Alex Cora said before Friday night’s 5-2 victory over the Tigers Friday night. “It was great. He stayed in Fort Myers and he went to the complex almost every day. He found a few things mechanically. I don’t know if he was envisioning throwing 99 at this stage of the season, but he felt very strongly about it.”
Winckowski gains in velocity are a result, he thinks, of his previous role.
“I think being a starter kind of helps that out,” said Winckowski. “I built up as a starter in spring training, so my arm was built up for a decent workload. It doesn’t feel too crazy to me”
The role of a reliever is different from that of a starter. You aren’t required to turn over a lineup, for the most part, more than once. A reliever can burn through a frame, knowing that might be the only frame they pitch. That has helped, too. But that doesn’t come without game planning in the case of Winckowski.
“He keeps working,” Cora said. “He has a good understanding of the metrics and what he needs to do and which spots he needs to go to. So he’s very involved. It’s been great.”
Tanner Houck shines
Tanner Houck (facial fracture) tossed three scoreless innings for Triple A Worcester in a 7-1 loss to Buffalo in the opener of a doubleheader on Friday at Polar Park.
He yielded just one hit and struck out three and walked none. Houck threw 34 pitches, 23 for strikes. Garrett Whitlock responds
Garrett Whitlock (elbow) responded well to his most recent rehab outing. He will be activated for Sunday’s contest against the Tigers . . . Justin Turner (heel) did some work on the field, running the bases and fielding grounders. Cora hopes he can be ready at some point this weekend and is trending in the right direction. The club will assess how Turner feels Saturday . . . The Red Sox improved to 10-1 on the season in their favorite blue-and-yellow City Connect uniforms. They are 25-5 overall and have outscored the opposition, 155-91, in their alternate uniform.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 12, 2023 5:56:38 GMT -5
Tigers @ Red Sox Saturday, 12th August 2023 4pm @ Fenway
Manning 3-4/ 5.06
Bello 8-6/ 3.64
Red Sox seek 4th straight win as they take on Tigers FLM
The Boston Red Sox can extend their winning streak to four games Saturday when they face the visiting Detroit Tigers in the middle game of a three-game series.
The Red Sox won Friday night's matchup 5-2. Triston Casas hit a three-run home run and Chris Sale pitched in a major league game for the first time since June 1. Sale allowed two runs on one hit and struck out seven in 4 2/3 innings.
"We're getting healthier ... we won," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "That winning feeling is always good.
"(Sale) is in a great place. ... He wanted to contribute as soon as possible, and he did right away. He'll be ready for Washington (on Thursday)."
Casas has 10 home runs since the All-Star Break, which is the most by any American League player. He's hit 19 home runs this season.
Detroit was held to two hits in the loss, one of which was a solo home run by Kerry Carpenter.
"He's obviously a big part of the middle part of our lineup," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "His at-bats are getting more consistent. He's hanging in there against some different style pitchers, some lefties, where he's put up some tough at-bats. He's still a young hitter learning, and we're trying to give him more and more challenges and he's answering."
Saturday's pitching matchup features Detroit right-hander Matt Manning (3-4, 5.06 ERA) and Boston righty Brayan Bello (8-6, 3.64).
Manning was roughed up in his last start, Sunday's 10-6 loss to Tampa Bay. He allowed eight runs (six earned) in 5 2/3 innings.
"I didn't feel like I had my best stuff overall and I think some of these lineups are making adjustments to me," Manning said after the loss. "I have to look at it and make some adjustments back."
Manning allowed a run in six innings during his only career appearance against the Red Sox.
Bello gave up one run on six hits in 6 2/3 innings against Kansas City on Monday. He struck out two, walked two and didn't factor in the decision.
Bello will be making his first career start against the Tigers.
Detroit's Beau Brieske, who came off the 60-day injured list (elbow) July 8, was used exclusively as a starter last season. But he has recorded two of Detroit's last three saves. Brieske, 25, earned his first career save in last Saturday's 4-2 victory over Tampa Bay, and then tossed two scoreless innings in Thursday's 3-0 victory over Minnesota to pick up his second save.
"It's a unique experience being able to come in in a bunch of different roles, a bunch of different types of innings -- runners on, without runners on, multiple innings, just to get an out," Brieske said. "I think every different situation is going to give me the ability to become a better pitcher overall, and be able to adapt, adjust. I think it will be beneficial for me long term, so I definitely like the challenge of being able to come in at whatever time and be ready for it."
Before Friday's game Detroit relief pitcher Chasen Shreve was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the roster for reliever Will Vest, who was reinstated from the 15-day injured list.
--Field Level Media
Tigers at Red Sox Saturday, at 4:10 PM EST Partly Cloudy It's expected to be 83° F with a 18% chance of precipitation and 9 MPH wind blowing out in Boston at 4:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by Kimmi on Aug 12, 2023 8:30:29 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 6h Alex Cora: “Just keep grinding, keep going. We won the series; we move on to the next one … we’ve just got to keep winning.” I'm with Cora. One game at a time. The season isn't over.
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Post by Kimmi on Aug 12, 2023 8:31:41 GMT -5
Sale off the IL Walter back to WOO is the move of the day Welcome back Sale. He looked really good.
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Post by Kimmi on Aug 12, 2023 8:35:26 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo twitter 1h
Turner is working out pregame today and could be back in the line up on Saturday.
Whitlock on track to be active in the bullpen Sunday.
Houck rehabbing with Woosox right now. I really hope Turner can play at a high level with his lingering foot pain. Good to see both Whitlock and Houck are close to returning. I'm still teetering about whether Whitlock should be a starter or a reliever, but I'm okay with him pitching out of the pen for now.
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Post by Kimmi on Aug 12, 2023 8:38:55 GMT -5
Alex Speier twitter 55m The Sox are wearing their yellow City Connect uniforms for the 5th straight game. Cora was unsure whether the team can wear them on the road. It's funny how superstitious baseball players are. But hey, if it helps their psyche into thinking they're going to win, then I have no problems with it. Whatever works. I do the same types of things. I know that whether I wear my lucky socks or not (for instance) has no effect on the outcome of the game, but if we're winning, I'll keep wearing them.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 12, 2023 10:14:36 GMT -5
Game 117: Tigers at Red Sox lineups and notesBy Amin Touri Globe Staff,Updated August 12, 2023, 15 minutes ago With four wins in their last five — and a big boost provided by the return of Chris Sale — the Red Sox remain within touching distance of a wild-card place and can clinch another series win in a Saturday matinee against the Tigers. After a rocky run of starts after the All-Star break, Brayan Bello bounced back with a strong performance last time out against the Royals; the young righthander will take the ball Saturday to face Detroit for the first time. The Tigers will turn to Matt Manning, who is hoping to shake off a disastrous stretch on the mound — the righthander has allowed 17 earned runs in 16 ⅔ innings over his last three starts, good for an 0-3 record with a 9.18 ERA. Lineups TIGERS (52-64): Akil Baddoo (L) LF Riley Greene (L) DH Matt Vierling (R) CF Kerry Carpenter (L) RF Spencer Torkelson (R) 1B Zach McKinstry (L) 3B Javier Baez (R) SS Nick Maton (L) 2B Eric Haase (R) C Pitching: RHP Matt Manning (3-4, 5.06 ERA) RED SOX (61-55): Alex Verdugo (L) RF Masataka Yoshida (L) LF Justin Turner (R) DH Rafael Devers (L) 3B Triston Casas (L) 1B Pablo Reyes (R) SS Jarren Duran (L) CF Reese McGuire (L) C Luis Urias (R) 2B Pitching: RHP Brayan Bello (8-6, 3.64 ERA) Time: 4:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Tigers vs. Bello: Has not faced any Detroit batters Red Sox vs. Manning: Rafael Devers 0-2, Reese McGuire 1-2, Luis Urías 0-2, Alex Verdugo 0-2 Stat of the day: Triston Casas has 10 home runs since the All-Star Break, which is the most by any American League player. Notes: Sale pitched in a major league game for the first time since June 1, allowing two runs on one hit and striking out seven in 4 ⅔ innings. “[Sale] is in a great place,” Alex Cora said. “He wanted to contribute as soon as possible, and he did right away. He’ll be ready for Washington [on Thursday].” ... The Red Sox have won nine straight games against the Tigers, and are 10-4 against Detroit at Fenway Park since 2018 ... Boston has won four of its last five games and 13 of its last 18 at Fenway ... Casas has hit safely in 19 of 25 games since the All-Star Game, batting .342 with a 1.201 OPS over that span ... Manning allowed a run in six innings during his only career appearance against the Red Sox. Song of the Day: Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now) www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkxqcWhym9U
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 12, 2023 11:55:19 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo · 54m Red Sox enter Saturday 3 GB of Toronto in the wild card race (with Seattle 2.5 games ahead of them too). FanGraphs playoff odds: 15.5% chance of making it.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 12, 2023 13:35:42 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo 30m
Houck will likely make one more rehab start and return during the Houston series as a starter.
Sox will mix in openers even at full strength and expect to have one for a game against the Dodgers during that series.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 12, 2023 16:57:22 GMT -5
Tigers have chased Bello out of the game as it has come to the end of 5.
Red Sox have a grand total of one hit.
Down 4-1 and up comes Bernandino for the 6th
and that trash just gives up a lead of home run
I am out of here
5-1 Tigers
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 13, 2023 5:42:49 GMT -5
Bello's post-break dog days continue in loss to Tigers August 12th, 2023 Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- Is Brayan Bello hitting a wall?
That wouldn’t be surprising for a 24-year-old who is going through the rigors of his first full Major League season and is now experiencing a time of year that is called the “dog days of August” for a reason.
The challenge for Bello is to get a second wind while also making whatever adjustments are necessary against hitters who now possess deeper scouting reports on him.
On Saturday afternoon, the Tigers attacked Bello the way few teams have this season, tagging him for a season-high nine hits as the Red Sox lost, 6-2.
In his 14 starts before the All-Star break, Bello had a 3.04 ERA. In six starts coming out of the break, he has a 5.67 ERA.
The prevailing theory among the Red Sox is that Bello will figure it out. And at 113 1/3 innings, he is still 40 shy of the number he pitched last year between the Majors and Minors.
“I think for Bello, it's just continuing to go out there and learn,” said designated hitter Justin Turner, who belted a solo shot in his return to the lineup after sitting with a bone bruise in his left heel. “They don’t call it the dog days of August for nothing. I think he’ll be fine.”
Manager Alex Cora doesn’t see much that separates what Bello is doing now from what he was doing earlier in the season.
“I mean, the numbers, they’re very similar to what we've seen the last month, month and a half. Obviously, physically he’s feeling it, but it’s nothing for us to raise a red flag,” Cora said. “Sometimes you’ve got to give credit to the opposition, right?”
One stat that jumps out is Bello’s hard-hit rate, which was 42.3 percent before the break and is 50.5 percent after it. In Saturday’s game, the Tigers put seven balls in play and averaged an exit velocity of 95.2 mph against Bello’s best pitch -- his sinker. Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.
For the year, Bello is 8-7 with a 3.81 ERA in 20 starts. He has shown up throughout the season while other key rotation members (Chris Sale, James Paxton, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock) were down at different times.
“It’s a long season, and for me, it’s a matter of making an adjustment,” said Bello. “For me, I look at the good and bad outings and try to learn from them. I feel good, I feel healthy and I feel strong, so that’s it. Just try to make an adjustment and learn on the go.”
The Red Sox have used gaps in the schedule to consistently give Bello extra rest whenever possible. Saturday marked just his fourth start this season on the standard four days of rest, and Bello has a 5.75 ERA in those outings.
Bello’s next start will be at Yankee Stadium on Friday night, giving him an extra day of rest.
Another interesting difference in Bello’s numbers is the glaring breakdown between how he performs at night (2.71 ERA in 14 starts) and during the day (7.33 ERA in six starts).
“Honestly, for us, we don't take a look at it,” said Cora. “When it’s his turn to pitch, it’s his turn to pitch. Friday is a night game.”
Where is the offense? It isn’t fair to pin the loss fully on Bello. The Red Sox haven’t looked like themselves offensively in August, and that was again the case on Saturday, as they went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
In 10 of their 11 games in August, the Sox have nine hits or fewer. In six of those 11 games, they’ve scored three runs or less for a 5-6 record.
“I’m not concerned, but offensively, we’re better than this,” said Cora.
Jarren Duran, a spark for so much of the season, has a .600 OPS on the month. He was moved from first to seventh in the order on Thursday and Saturday. Masataka Yoshida, a huge bright spot in the first half, has a .453 OPS with no homers and three RBIs over his past 15 games.
There are a couple of things that could help cure the offense in short order. The first is the presence of Trevor Story, who has played four games since coming off the injured list and will start at short on Sunday after getting Saturday off. The second is Turner’s return from his left heel injury. Saturday was just his fourth start since getting hurt on July 31.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 13, 2023 5:43:57 GMT -5
Injuries & Moves: Houck to return as starter August 12th, 2023
LATEST NEWS
Aug. 12: RHP Tanner Houck to return as starter A day after Houck's impressive second Minor League rehab start for Triple-A Worcester, manager Alex Cora announced the right-hander will make one more rehab start. The reason? The Red Sox plan on bringing him back as a starter. Houck is expected to return when Boston plays at Houston from Aug. 21-24. On Friday, Houck fired three scoreless innings while allowing one hit and no walks with three strikeouts. The righty threw 34 pitches, 23 of them for strikes. Houck suffered a facial fracture on June 16, when he was struck by a batted ball against the Yankees.
Aug. 12: RHP Garrett Whitlock set for Sunday return The Sox will activate Whitlock for Sunday's finale of this 10-game homestand. The righty was shut down on July 3 with inflammation in his right elbow. Whitlock, who was a starter prior to his most recent injury, will be a reliever for Boston for the remainder of this season. Cora said the club would re-evaluate long-term plans for Whitlock in the offseason.
Aug. 12: DH/INF Justin Turner back, will only DH for now After missing the previous four games, and seven of the past 10, Turner was back in Boston's lineup on Saturday at designated hitter. Turner suffered a bone bruise in his left heel on July 31. Before the injury, manager Alex Cora had been utilizing him at first base and even second base on occasion. Cora said that for the time being, Turner will be used exclusively as a DH as he continues to heal.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 13, 2023 5:46:06 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 10h Cora said he will stack the lineup with righties against E-Rod tomorrow and indicated Devers won't be in the lineup.
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