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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 10, 2020 15:07:32 GMT -5
Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays preview: TV schedule, pitching probables, key stories (Sept. 10-13) Updated 3:53 PM; Today 3:53 PM
By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
After a day off, the Red Sox are in St. Petersburg for a four-game series against the A.L. East-leading Rays. Here’s a series preview: Boston Red Sox (15-29) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (28-15) · Tropicana Field · St. Petersburg, FL
SERIES SCHEDULE (and TV information):
Thu. Sept. 10, 6:40 p.m. ET: NESN/MLB Network
Fri. Sept. 11, 6:40 p.m. ET: NESN
Sat. Sept. 12, 6:40 p.m. ET: NESN
Sun. Sept. 13, 1:10 p.m. ET: NESN
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT:
The Rays won 96 games and reached the ALDS last season, continuing the organization’s run of recent success despite a low payroll. Tampa Bay’s offseason started with Chaim Bloom leaving to run the Red Sox, leaving general manager Erik Neander in sole charge of running the club’s baseball operations department.
As always, the Rays spent the winter churning their roster. They added Japanese free agent Yoshi Tsutsugo and acquired Hunter Renfroe, Jose Martinez, Manuel Margot and Randy Arozarena via trade while shipping out Tommy Pham, Emilio Pagan and Austin Pruitt. Avisail Garcia, Travis d’Arnaud, Eric Sogard and Jesus Aguilar were among the club’s free agents who signed elsewhere.
Tampa Bay currently leads the American League with a 28-15 record after a brilliant August in which they went 21-7 (and 19-3 from Aug. 8-31). The Rays have a four-game lead over the second-place Blue Jays in the AL East and have a 13 ½ game advantage over the last-place Red Sox.
PITCHING PROBABLES:
Thursday, 6:40 p.m. -- LHP Mike Kickham (1-0, 5.40 ERA) vs. LHP Josh Fleming (3-0, 3.52 ERA)
Friday, 6:40 p.m. -- RHP Andrew Triggs (0-2, 9.95 ERA) vs. LHP Blake Snell (3-1, 3.74 ERA)
Saturday, 6:40 p.m. -- TBD vs. RHP Tyler Glasnow (2-1, 4.35 ERA)
Sunday, 1:10 p.m. -- LHP Martín Pérez (2-4, 4.40 ERA) vs. RHP Charlie Morton (1-2, 4.94 ERA)
THREE SOX TO WATCH:
Nathan Eovaldi
Eovaldi threw a simulated game in Philadelphia on Wednesday and could be activated from the injured list over the weekend. The righty last pitched Aug. 20 and has been sidelined with a right calf strain since feeling tightness during a bullpen in the days after that start in Baltimore.
Bobby Dalbec
Dalbec has homered in his last four games, becoming the first Red Sox rookie in franchise history to do so. He’ll look to stay hot at Tropicana Field.
Christian Arroyo
Arroyo, a Tampa native and former Ray, is starting at second base Friday and will likely get ample opportunity to play over the weekend. The Red Sox are trying to give the former first-round pick an extended look at the position with Jose Peraza now optioned to the alternate site in Pawtucket.
SERIES NOTES (some information from the Red Sox):
Boston is 1-4 against the Rays this season. The clubs previously split a two-game series in St. Petersburg from Aug. 4-5. The Red Sox are 1-15 against the Rays, Yankees, and Braves this season and 14-14 vs. all other teams (5-5 vs. TOR, 3-4 vs. BAL, 2-2 vs. NYM, 2-2 vs. PHI, 2-1 vs. WSH). The Sox have hit 32 HR in their last 19 games (beginning 8/20), 2nd-most in the AL in that time (CWS-33). Overall, the Sox rank 1st in the AL in doubles (89), 3rd in AVG (.264), 6th in OBP (.329), 2nd in SLG (.451), and 3rd in OPS (.779). Boston is playing nine of its 30 road games in Florida this season (six in St. Petersburg, three in Miami). The Red Sox are 8-17 at home and 7-12 on the road.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 10, 2020 15:09:06 GMT -5
Game 45: Red Sox at Rays lineups and notesBy Andrew Mahoney Globe Staff,Updated September 10, 2020, 10:07 a.m. After a day off, the Red Sox are back at it. On Thursday, they open a four-game series with the Rays at Tampa Bay. Mike Kickham is scheduled to be on the mound for the Sox. Lineups RED SOX (15-29):
Pitching: LHP Mike Kickham (1-0, 5.40 ERA) 1. Alex Verdugo (L) RF 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 4. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 5. Christian Vazquez (R) C 6. Yairo Munoz (R) LF 7. Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) CF 8. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B 9. Christian Arroyo (R) 2B RAYS (28-15): 1. Manuel Margot (R) CF 2. Randy Arozarena (R) DH 3. Austin Meadows (L) LF 4. Mike Brosseau (R) 1B 5. Hunter Renfroe (R) RF 6. Brandon Lowe (L) 2B 7. Willy Adames (R) SS 8. Kevan Smith (R) C 9. Joey Wendle (L) 3B Pitching: LHP Josh Fleming (3-0, 3.52 ERA) Time: 6:40 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Fleming: Has not faced any Boston batters Rays vs. Kickham: Has not faced any Tampa Bay batters Stat of the day: The Sox are 1-5 against the Rays this season and have been outscored by 19 runs. Notes: Kickham is scheduled to make his first start in the majors since July 1, 2013, when he was with the Giants. Kickham, 31, has pitched twice in relief and allowed two runs over five innings. He would be the 14th starter used over 45 games. ... Dalbec has homered in four consecutive games — the only first-year Boston player to do that, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Fleming has struck out 11 while allowing just two walks in 15 ⅓ innings. Song of the Day: Van Halen "Panama"www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuKDBPw8wQA
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 10, 2020 15:20:42 GMT -5
Chris Cotillo @chriscotillo · 10m Xander Bogaerts says he thinks the Red Sox can contend in 2021 and is looking forward to seeing some of the club's prospects coming up. Asked for specifics, he mentions Jeter Downs and Bryan Mata as two young players he's excited about.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 10, 2020 15:29:49 GMT -5
Jen McCaffrey @jcmccaffrey · 21m With Jose Peraza optioned, Xander Bogaerts has gone through several second basemen the last couple years. Bogaerts said Pedroia always joked with him about how many shortstops he'd worked with over the years before Bogaerts arrived. Bogaerts said, "I guess it's my turn now.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 10, 2020 15:48:59 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 6m Eovaldi's bullpen went great, didn't feel the calf at all. Might pitch in Tampa Bay. They will talk about it more after tonight's game.
Sounds like Tanner Houck could get a chance to start soon. He is traveling on the taxi squad with the Red Sox on this road trip.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 10, 2020 15:52:39 GMT -5
Guerin Austin @guerinaustin · 10m Ron Roenicke: -On Peraza: he wasn’t swinging the bat the way they had hoped -gives them an opportunity to look at other guys -he’s known Peraza for a long time, tough conversation -Munoz is good to go today, no issues -on Nathan Eovaldi: great bullpen in Philly, no issues with the calf -they have to decide where to slot him back in, could be Tampa -will have that conversation soon -have 5 guys on taxi squad in Tampa -can’t have them travel commercially, tough to get to Florida, that’s why the large number -Tanner Houck is on taxi squad in Tampa, could possibly see him this series -want to see more of Chavis in LF
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 10, 2020 15:56:12 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 14m Ron Roenicke joins us on Zoom. #RedSox
Roenicke -- 'If things go kind of as planned, there is an opportunity' to see Houck pitch on this road trip. It would be his #MLB debut. #RedSox
Roenicke said 'there's a responsibility we still have' to play a representative lineup against teams who are contending for playoff spots. #RedSox
Roenicke on Peraza -- 'Just lately he hasn't swung the bat like we had hoped.'
Expects to play Arroyo, Munoz and Dalbec more down the stretch. Acknowledges the move was made partly because the #RedSox are out of contention.
Roenicke said Munoz (right hip) would have been available to pinch hit Tuesday. He's a full go today. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 10, 2020 15:58:20 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 15m Roenicke said Eovaldi threw 'a great bullpen' on Wednesday in Philadelphia. He could pitch in this series against the Rays. Postgame conversation will explore that further. #RedSox
Roenicke -- 'If things go kind of as planned, there is an opportunity' to see Houck pitch on this road trip. It would be his #MLB debut. #RedSox
Roenicke on starting pitching -- 'Where we are in the standings, we have a chance to see a couple of the young guys also.'
Confirms Tanner Houck is indeed on the trip. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 10, 2020 17:31:50 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 24s #RedSox announce Zack Godley to the IL (right elbow flexor strain). Matt Hall recalled from the alternate site.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Sept 10, 2020 18:09:12 GMT -5
The 3rd strike on Munoz was so far outside, he almost tipped over trying to reach it. He might need a longer bat.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 11, 2020 2:33:28 GMT -5
Red Sox 4, Rays 3: Bobby Dalbec and Rafael Devers lead the way. Again
Whatever works, I suppose. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Sep 10, 2020, 10:06pm EDT
The Red Sox have just a handful of series left on the docket before this disaster of a 2020 series is over, and all they have left is to play spoiler against a plethora of teams who actually remain in the race. The Rays aren’t going to be knocked out of the postseason picture, but Boston can at least make things more uncomfortable atop the division with a good weekend, and they got off to a good start. The offense was led by a pair of dingers by a pair of red-hot power hitters, with the first coming from Rafael Devers and the second from Bobby Dalbec. The rookie now has six homers in his first ten games. Mike Kickham only went four innings and served up two homers himself, but they were both solo shots and it was all he gave up. He also somehow struck out eight, something I saw with my own two eyeballs and still don’t really believe. Anyway, all that was enough for the Red Sox to win 4-3 and push their record to 16-29.
With a pitching matchup of Mike Kickham against Josh Fleming to open up this four-game set in Tampa, it was fair to expect a good amount of runs on the board. Fleming has been good in his first few starts, to be fair, but the stuff isn’t exactly overwhelming and the Red Sox offense has been trending in the right direction. At the very least, it was fair to expect the Rays to do damage against Kickham.
Instead, though, we saw a whole lot of nothing over the first couple of innings. The Red Sox managed just a single over the first two frames. The Rays did have a chance in the first when Manuel Margot got to second on an error, but he was caught stealing third on a bizarre delayed attempt. Kickham issued a walk and hit a batter in the inning as well, but worked his way out of that trouble. He then came back and hit another batter in the second, but that was all he gave up as he struck out the three other batters he faced.
So, things were still scoreless as we headed into the third, and the Red Sox got off to a slow start there as well with a couple of quick outs. The lineup turned over, though, and Alex Verdugo kept the inning alive with a base hit through the left side. That allowed Rafael Devers come to the plate, and he stayed red-hot. Fleming hung a breaking ball right over the heart of the plate, and Devers launched one way high and way deep, curling just inside the foul pole for a two-run shot, and the Red Sox had the early lead.
It was still a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth as Kickham came out on a bit of a roll. He had racked up six strikeouts over three scoreless innings. Well, the momentum left for at least a couple of batters. Hunter Renfroe led off the fourth for Tampa and Kickham left a slider up in the zone. Renfroe demolished it for a solo homer, and in the process he cut the Red Sox lead in half. That brought Brandon Lowe to the plate, and on the very next pitch Kickham hung another breaking ball over the pitch. Lowe punished that one, and just like that we were tied after back-to-back homers on back-to-back pitches. It’s not what you want. Kickham did come back with a couple of strikeouts and no more runners in the inning.
Now, the Red Sox were looking for another lead, and fortunately it didn’t take too long. And it was a familiar face who put them back on top. Bobby Dalbec stepped to the plate to lead off the top of the fifth, and on the second pitch of the at bat he got a changeup. It was actually a touch below the zone, but Dalbec was all over it and showed off his easy power for his sixth homer of the year and his fifth straight game with a homer. Pretty good!
Kickham, meanwhile, was removed after four innings — with eight strikeouts! — and Ryan Weber came on in relief. Things didn’t go super well for the righty. Margot led things off with a base hit, and he quickly made his way up to second base with a stolen base. With a runner now in scoring position, Austin Meadows busted out of his slump by smacking a one-out ground-rule double out to left field. We were all tied up yet again, and there was still nobody out. Fortunately, Weber settled down from there, getting a pair of strikeouts to end the inning with the score still tied.
Things remained knotted up heading into the seventh, but the Red Sox would get the offense going once again. This time it wasn’t the long ball, but a rally started with a base hit from Christian Arroyo, who would move on up to second after a Verdugo walk. That put two on with one out for Devers, and he came through once again. This time it was a single through the left side that brought Arroyo to the plate and gave the Red Sox a 4-3 lead. They couldn’t add more with runners on the corners, though.
Weber would come back out for the seventh, but wasn’t there for long as he got the first man out before making way for Jeffrey Springs. The lefty did walk a batter, but that was all and the Red Sox still led heading into the eighth.
After the offense went down in order in the eighth, it was Ryan Brasier coming on for the bottom of the inning. He’d work around a two-out walk to get the job done and hold the lead into the ninth.
The Rays bullpen shut down the Sox offense again in the top of the ninth, leaving it all up to Matt Barnes to close out the one-run game. That didn’t go well his last time out in Philly, and he didn’t get off to a good start here, issuing a leadoff walk that ended with a questionable (at best) ball four call. He came back with a fielder’s choice (on which Dalbec almost threw the ball into left field) for the first out, but that put Margot on first base and he’d quickly steal second base to put the tying run in scoring position.
Barnes then got Yoshi Tsutsugo to chase a curveball in the dirt for the second out, leaving things up to Meadows with two outs and the runner in scoring position. During that at bat, Margot moved up to third base on a wild pitch, putting the tying run now just 90 feet away. It wouldn’t matter, though, because he benefited from a borderline call this time around to get the backwards K and end the game with a win.
The Red Sox and Rays continue this four-game set tomorrow night with Andrew Triggs going up against Blake Snell. First pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 11, 2020 3:28:06 GMT -5
Bobby Dalbec homers for fifth straight game as Red Sox hold off Rays By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated September 10, 2020, 10:03 p.m.
Rookie Bobby Dalbec homered for the fifth straight game, and for the sixth time in just 10 major league games, and the Red Sox escaped with a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series at St. Petersburg, Fla.
After walking Joey Wendle to begin the ninth inning, Sox closer Matt Barnes elicited a fielder’s choice from Manuel Margot, getting the lead runner. Margot stole second with one out, but Barnes struck out Yoshi Tsutsugo.
Margot advanced to third on a wild pitch, but Barnes struck out Austin Meadows to end the game. The Sox struck out 17 Rays batters and improved to 16-29 on the season.
Some other observations from the game:
▪ Rafael Devers would be on pace for an OPS over .850 and 35 homers in a 162-game season. This comes after Devers appeared completely lost at the dish for most of the season. Devers hit a two-run homer in the third inning off Rays starter Josh Fleming. It was his fourth homer in four games and his 10th of the season, tying him with Xander Bogaerts for the team lead.
In the last game of the series against the Phillies on Tuesday, Devers did a good job of using all fields, belting a homer to right with an exit velocity of 116.5 miles per hour, and then another long ball to left-center.
Devers’s homer on Thursday night went to right with an exit velocity of 102.3 m.p.h.
“I haven’t changed much,” Devers said. “Obviously, I’ve made a couple of adjustments here and there, but I’m still maintaining my aggressiveness at the plate.”
Undoubtedly, Devers remains aggressive at the dish, but there is one distinct difference, manager Ron Roenicke acknowledged. Devers’s timing is in tune. When he struggled, he became jumpy, trying to overcompensate for being late on fastballs. As a result, he didn’t wouldn’t recognize spin on breaking pitches, and he couldn’t square up those pitches. Now, though, Devers is all over everything.
“He’s what we saw for a long time last year,” Roenicke said.
Respected hitters such as Devers have a way of getting to their numbers even if they start out cold. For the most part, it’ll even out over the course of a season. Yet this shortened season is unlike any other. The coaching staff was confident Devers would find his stride.
“There’s definitely confidence within the coaching staff,” Roenicke said. “But you don’t know when it’s going to happen. It went about a month and half, I think, last year before he got hot. So, a month and a half this year, we’re almost done. I’m glad he kicked it in a little earlier than that. The long season, I think you know he’s going to [get going]. It’s easier to be patient when you have six months. They don’t worry so much when they have a bad month.”
▪ Red Sox starter Mike Kickham did a solid job of keeping the Rays off-balance. The lefthander doesn’t throw hard, relying on finesse to get hitters out.
He showed that, fanning a career-high eight in his four innings.
“He was really good,” Roenicke said. “I saw a lot of really bad swings and that means his stuff was good today. I really pay attention to the other team and what kind of swings they’re taking off of him.”
Kickham used his slider 51 percent of the time, tossing it 33 times in 65 pitches. It proved to be his most successful pitch, leading to five strikeouts.
“That’s the pitch I feel confident in,” Kickham said. “Just running it into righties and it’s very effective against lefties, too. So, that’s kind of my foundation and everything else works off that. Using that breaking ball early in the count made the cutter/slider more effective.”
The Rays entered hitting just .192 this month, and that pretty much continued against Kickham. But he did run into some trouble in the fourth inning, hanging a slider to Hunter Renfroe, and then a curveball to Brandon Lowe, for back-to-back home runs.
▪ Dalbec’s homer came in the fifth against Fleming, a solo shot to right field that gave the Sox a 3-2 lead. Dalbec became just the fifth player in history to hit six home runs in their first 10 major league games.
‘“It’s pretty cool in seeing Bobby coming up his first year and doing this. His first year and doing this, it’s pretty amazing, actually.”’
Ron Roenicke on Bobby Dalbec
Dalbec also became just the sixth Red Sox player to homer in five consecutive games, joining Ted Williams, Jose Canseco, Jimmie Foxx, George Scott, and Dick Stuart.
“It’s pretty cool in seeing Bobby coming up his first year and doing this,” Roenicke said. “His first year and doing this, it’s pretty amazing, actually.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 11, 2020 3:29:54 GMT -5
Red Sox notebook Xander Bogaerts believes rebuilding Red Sox can contend next season By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated September 10, 2020, 7:34 p.m.
Xander Bogaerts has described this season as tough. From the losses to the unprecedented circumstances of having to play baseball in the midst of a pandemic, the Red Sox shortstop acknowledged all of it has taken somewhat of a toll, especially the losing.
“It definitely surprised me,” Bogaerts said of the team’s struggles, prior to Thursday night’s series opening 4-3 win against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla. “Especially over the last couple of years, the teams that we had. You kind of get used to winning a lot. This year hasn’t been like that. It’s been a weird season in general, but we want to go out there and win as much as possible. This year that hasn’t been the case.”
The Red Sox have had a lot of changes since they won the World Series in 2018. They have just seven players on their active 30-man roster that were on that team.
The Sox, specifically chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, have said they are building for the future. Bloom intimated that he wants Bogaerts and Rafael Devers to be key parts of that future. But rebuilds can be long, particularly for a player of Bogaerts’s caliber. Nonetheless, Bogaerts expects the Sox to contend next season, pointing out they have some key players missing, namely starters Eduardo Rodriguez and Chris Sale.
“I don’t think it will take a couple of years [to rebuild],” Bogaerts said. “I know we have some good players down in the minors, and hopefully we could see them soon. Obviously, we have some good guys on this team that have been doing pretty good as of late. Hopefully, we could get more of those guys onboard, feeling the way that they want to feel, because I know for some guys, it’s been a grind.”
Peraza optioned
Infielder Jose Peraza was optioned to the Red Sox' alternate site, a league source confirmed. Peraza, the Sox' Opening Day starter at second base, has hit just .225 with a .617 OPS in 120 plate appearances.
“He was pretty good in the first spring training, good in the second spring training,” said manager Ron Roenicke. “He started out [the season] OK. Just lately he hasn’t swung the bat like we had hoped.”
Peraza was non-tendered by the Cincinnati Reds last offseason. He was signed by the Sox to see if he could return to his 2018 form when he hit .288 for the Reds. However, he hasn’t turned the corner to this point.
Additionally, because the Red Sox virtually have no shot at the playoffs, the team wanted to give players such as Bobby Dalbec, Yairo Munoz, and Christian Arroyo more playing time, and optioning Peraza was a way of doing that.
“It’s tough. I’ve known Jose for a while,” Roenicke said. “It’s tough when you have to send somebody out. That’s a difficult conversation.”
Peraza has two more years of team control, but there’s a possibility he could be non-tendered by the Sox this upcoming offseason. Injury updates
Righthander Zack Godley was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Sept. 7, because of a flexor strain in his pitching elbow. Lefthander Matt Hall was recalled … Reliever Austin Brice was placed on the IL with a right lat strain. Pitchers Dylan Covey and Robert Stock were recalled … Nate Eovaldi (right calf strain) came out of his bullpen session Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia feeling good. Roenicke said there’s a chance Eovaldi can come off the injured list and pitch this weekend.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 11, 2020 3:32:17 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 7h JD Martinez struck out in 21.7% of his PAs from 2018-19. It's 24.4% this season.
It seems like it should be worse, right? The difference is he's doing much less with his contact. OBP and SLG have plunged.
Sox have to hope it's a 2020 thing and not the start of his demise.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 11, 2020 3:32:40 GMT -5
Julian McWilliams @byjulianmack · 4h Bobby Dalbec became just the sixth Sox player to homer in five consecutive games, joining Ted Williams Jose Canseco, Jimmie Foxx, George Scott and Dick Stuart.
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