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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 27, 2023 5:56:22 GMT -5
Dodgers @ Red Sox Sunday, August 27th 1:30pm @ Fenway
Ferguson 7-3/ 2.81
Houck 3-7/ 5.08
Red Sox go for crucial series win over Dodgers FLM
After handing the Los Angeles Dodgers only their fourth loss in August, the host Boston Red Sox aim for a series win when the teams conclude their three-game weekend set on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Sox evened the series with an 8-5 Saturday win in which Alex Verdugo, Justin Turner and Adam Duvall all hit home runs. Boston enters Sunday's matchup 3 1/2 games out of the final American League wild-card spot, while Los Angeles is 12 games up in the National League West.
"Every game matters right now, especially in this stretch," Verdugo said. "We know we've got some games to catch up on, to put us in the spot to get to the playoffs. ... For us, this is very much playoff baseball."
Verdugo became the first player in Red Sox history and the third in major league history to hit leadoff home runs in three consecutive games.
"He's in a good spot right now," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "For everything we've been talking about (Mookie Betts), he's part of the whole trade and the history of Dodgers-Red Sox. He's excited about it."
Meanwhile, Duvall's homer was his fourth in a six-game span.
Prior to Tuesday's start at Houston, Boston right-hander Tanner Houck (3-7, 5.08 ERA) had been on the 15-day injured list with a facial fracture since June 18.
Houck allowed three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out two Astros across five innings in his last start.
"A little rocky but I kind of felt like I got back in a groove from the second inning on," Houck said. "Need to throw more strikes but that will come with timing and getting back in the swing of things."
All three of Houck's victories came within his first four starts in April. Despite having gone winless since the opening month, Houck has worked at least five innings in 11 of his 14 outings.
He has never faced the Dodgers.
The Dodgers had won three straight games before Saturday. They are 20-4 in August.
Los Angeles skipper and 2004 Red Sox postseason hero Dave Roberts expects his team to respond, as it often has this season.
"We've had a lot of tough losses, stretches where we haven't played well, and responded," Roberts said. "It's a good environment. But we'll be ready to go (Sunday)."
Betts went 3-for-6 with a double, a run and an RBI in the second game of his return series to Boston. His 14-game hitting streak is the longest active run in the majors and puts him one shy of tying his longest of the season.
After his emotional leadoff at-bat in Friday's series opener, the 2018 AL MVP sees the rest of the series as business as usual.
"Today was just normal business," Betts said after Saturday's game. "Ovation was cool, I wasn't expecting it. That was cool. But I'm just here for business now. I gotta make sure we get some wins now. Today we lost and it didn't feel too good."
Left-hander Caleb Ferguson (7-3, 2.81) opposes Houck for Los Angeles. It will be his fourth start of the season and the first of his career against Boston.
Ferguson was also the Dodgers' opener on Thursday night in Cleveland, allowing one hit in a scoreless inning.
The southpaw will look to set the Los Angeles staff up strongly after an inefficient outing from Julio Urias, who allowed six runs on eight hits -- including three homers -- across six innings in the Saturday defeat.
--Field Level Media
Dodgers at Red Sox Sunday, at 1:35 PM EST Partly Cloudy It's expected to be 71° F with a 17% chance of rain and 7 MPH wind blowing in in Boston at 1:35 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 27, 2023 9:24:29 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 3m Devers was in the original lineup then came out 16 minutes later.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 27, 2023 9:28:01 GMT -5
That Devers thing could be worrisome was plunked yesterday around the wrist/ hand......
and with the Red Sox medical staff.....
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 27, 2023 9:28:23 GMT -5
Game 131: Dodgers at Red Sox lineups and notes for series finaleBy Amin Touri Globe Staff,Updated August 27, 2023, 19 minutes ago The Red Sox and Dodgers have created a near-playoff atmosphere at Fenway Park this weekend, and they’ll settle the series with a rubber match on Sunday afternoon. Tanner Houck made a middling return from a facial fracture on Tuesday, allowing three earned runs in five innings against the Astros — he’ll make his first Fenway start since June 16, when he took a line drive to the cheek that sidelined him for two months. The Dodgers will likely deploy lefty Caleb Ferguson in an opener role, as he has started and thrown just one inning twice over his last three appearances. Lineups DODGERS (79-49): Mookie Betts (R) 2B Freddie Freeman (L) 1B David Peralta (L) LF Max Muncy (L) 3B Jason Heyward (L) RF James Outman (L) CF Michael Busch (L) DH Miguel Rojas (R) SS Austin Barnes (R) C Pitching: LHP Caleb Ferguson (7-3, 2.81 ERA) RED SOX (69-61): Alex Verdugo (L) RF Justin Turner (R) DH Adam Duvall (R) LF Triston Casas (L) 1B Trevor Story (R) SS Pablo Reyes (R) 2B Wilyer Abreu (L) CF Connor Wong (R) C Luis Urias (R) 3B Pitching: RHP Tanner Houck (3-7, 5.08 ERA) Time: 1:35 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Dodgers vs. Houck: Freddie Freeman 0-1, Miguel Rojas 0-1, Amed Rosario 1-7 Red Sox vs. Ferguson: Trevor Story 1-2, Luis Urías 0-2 Stat of the day: Verdugo became the first player in Red Sox history and the third in major league history to hit leadoff home runs in three consecutive games on Saturday. Notes: Adam Duvall homered for the fourth time in the last six games on Saturday ... All three of Houck’s victories came within his first four starts in April. Despite having gone winless since the opening month, Houck has worked at least five innings in 11 of his 14 outings. He has never faced the Dodgers ... Mookie Betts went 3 for 6 with a double, a run, and an RBI in the second game of his return series to Boston. His 14-game hitting streak is the longest active run in the majors and puts him one shy of tying his longest of the season ... Ferguson was also the Dodgers’ opener on Thursday night in Cleveland, allowing one hit in a scoreless inning ... The Sox enter the day 3 ½ games behind the Astros for the final wild-card spot. Song of the Day: The Lovin' Spoonful — Summer In The City www.youtube.com/watch?v=8emBhUD4Znw
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 27, 2023 11:01:25 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 17m Rafael Devers will undergo X-rays on his wrist later today. He got hit with a pitch on his right wrist yesterday. He was in the initial lineup today but got scratched.
“He’ll get X-rays later on today,” manager Alex Cora said. “He’s sore. So we’ll just stay from him. We believe it’s a day by day thing. So it makes sense to keep him out of the lineup and go from there.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 27, 2023 11:07:18 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 21m Devers will get X-rays later today. Cora confident he will be OK.
"He’ll get X-rays later on today. He's sore. So just stay away from him. We believe it’s a day by day thing. So it makes sense to keep him out of the lineup and go from there.” -- Cora on Devers.
Asked about bullpen availability today, Cora said, “Great. You'd like rainbows. Yeah, it’s a rainbow today on the card. We got green. We got yellow, orange, red. We’ll be OK.” Any particular color the rainbow is shaded toward? "The pot of gold," Cora quipped.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 27, 2023 12:28:36 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1h #RedSox placed LHP Brennan Bernardino on the COVID-19 IL. LHP Chris Murphy recalled.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Aug 27, 2023 12:54:11 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 Mookie Betts is special. Freddie Freeman is special.
You pay for special. You don't platoon advantage or bullpen or waiver claim your way to victory past special. 10:07 PM · Aug 25, 2023 · 10.3K Views What a nimrod. I guess this has been going on forever, but the lowest-IQ responses is to point to a couple of examples that worked, and ignore the ones that didn't work. You pay for special.
Rodon Baez Rendon DeGrom Scherzer Verlander Correa Heyward Strasburg Bogaerts
All these guys and probably a dozen more were special, until they weren't.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 27, 2023 14:11:36 GMT -5
Mookie with a 2 run shot over the monster makes it 4-0 LA in the 6th
he should of blown kisses to the owners box as he rounded the bases.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 28, 2023 4:11:42 GMT -5
Reunion weekend ends with loss in finale of crucial series Houck goes four innings in 2nd start off IL, Turner, Duvall hit back-to-back homers August 27th, 2023 Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- The reunion with Mookie Betts was fun while it lasted for Red Sox manager Alex Cora, his coaches and the two players (Rafael Devers and Chris Sale) who remain from the superstar’s time in Boston.
By weekend’s end, nobody was sad to see the seven-time All-Star leave town.
Betts made his presence felt in all three games, particularly in Sunday’s rubber match, when he bashed three hits (including a two-run homer and an RBI single) to lift his Dodgers to a 7-4 victory at Fenway.
Needing all the wins they can get to stay in contention, any series loss is painful at this point of the season for the Red Sox.
Betts, who received standing ovations in his first at-bat all three days, was prominent while leading the Dodgers to their eighth consecutive road series win. The leadoff man went 7-for-15 with five runs in the series.
The love Betts felt from the three packed houses at Fenway is something he will hold close to his heart.
“Super dope,” Betts said. “All that the city has done for me and all everyone here has done for me. I’m very blessed and I thank everyone for the opportunity, because it definitely shaped me into who I am today.”
Cora would have preferred for his team to shut down Betts during this lively weekend at Fenway, but he was pleased with the way the fans welcomed back the 2018 AL Most Valuable Player.
“That’s great,” Cora said, “this place is special and the kid is special, and they recognize how good he was on the field for us and off the field. So not surprised at all. I mean, these people get it.”
As Betts and the Dodgers left Boston, the Red Sox had no time to dwell on Sunday’s defeat. Not with the Astros coming to town for a three-game series that starts Monday.
Boston (69-62) trails Houston (74-58) by 4 1/2 games in the quest for the third American League Wild Card spot. The Blue Jays (71-60), also on the outside looking in at the moment, also lead the Red Sox by two games.
Last week, the Sox helped keep their hopes alive by winning the final two games in Houston after losing the first two.
“Just keep going,” said Cora. “We know who we get [Monday]. We just played them, so there's not too many secrets. Just go out there and play good baseball.”
Here were a couple of things that stood out from Sunday’s game.
Houck still building up; Murphy pays price Due to the fact it was Tanner Houck’s second start back from the injured list after missing two months, Cora had little choice but to pull Houck after four innings and 80 pitches. It was a shame, because Houck kept the Sox in the game, allowing just one run despite giving up five hits and two walks.
“It’s tough, but we have to do it,” said Cora. “First things first, the player’s health. He did a good job against them and they were fouling off pitches early on. He did a good job, but this is where we’re at. I think the next one is a full go, so we should be better.”
Because the Red Sox didn’t get an extended start all weekend -- Kutter Crawford’s five-inning start on Friday was the lengthiest -- Cora stayed away from all of his leverage relievers in a game his team trailed from the fourth inning on.
That left long man Chris Murphy on the hook for nine hits and six runs over four innings.
Houck will get the ball next in Kansas City next weekend.
“I thank the Red Sox and the front office for not letting me get to the 100-pitch mark today, understanding that I'm still coming back [from a facial fracture],” Houck said. “Still building up the arm. But all that being said, I’m excited to be able to go back out there and get to 100 pitches.”
Power surge Thanks to some late power -- coming in the form of home runs from Triston Casas, Justin Turner and Adam Duvall -- the Sox made the game interesting. The opposite-field shot by Casas slimmed the Dodgers’ lead to 4-2. When Turner and Duvall went back-to-back in the eighth, it was a 7-4 game.
“For us it happens really quick,” said Casas. “Just one swing to the other and we gain momentum and it's a snowball effect. Our offense is definitely relentless.”
The Sox have homered in 16 consecutive games, their longest stretch since going deep in 19 straight games in August 2019.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 28, 2023 4:17:13 GMT -5
Red Sox lose: Mookie Betts crushes old team, going 7-for-15, HR in series
Updated: Aug. 27, 2023, 6:25 p.m.|Published: Aug. 27, 2023, 4:18 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Mookie Betts crushed an inside slider from Chris Murphy and sent it 364 feet over the Green Monster in the sixth inning.
The former Red Sox star went 3-for-5 with three RBIs to help the Dodgers win 7-4 over Boston on Sunday at Fenway Park.
Betts’ homer was his 35th this season, tying his single-season career high. He went 7-for-15 with a homer, two doubles, four RBIs, one walk and five runs in three games against Boston, helping LA take the series, 2-1.
The Red Sox also couldn’t stop Freddie Freeman this weekend. He went 7-for-13 with three doubles, two walks, one RBI and four runs.
Justin Turner and Adam Duvall hit back-to-back homers in the eighth with no outs to cut it to 7-4. But Ryan Brasier then came in to face his old team and mowed down the next three batters. He struck out both Triston Casas and Trevor Story swinging, then got Pablo Reyes to ground out to shortstop.
Red Sox starter Tanner Houck pitched 4 innings and allowed just one run on a solo homer by James Outman in the fourth inning. He allowed five hits and two walks while striking out four. He threw 80 pitches, 50 for strikes.
The righty escaped a big jam in the first inning. Betts led off the game with a single and Freeman doubled to put two runners in scoring position with no outs.
After striking out David Peralta, Houck walked Max Muncy to load the bases. But he then struck out Jason Heyward swinging and retired James Outman on a groundout to shortstop to escape with the game scoreless.
Murphy replaced Houck. He gave up a double to Freeman and an RBI single to Muncy, which made it 2-0 Dodgers.
Betts’ homer in the sixth put Los Angeles ahead 4-0.
The Red Sox got those two runs back in the bottom of the sixth when Triston Casas hit an opposite-field two-run homer that just cleared the Monster at 319 feet.
RBI singles by Outman and Betts helped the Dodgers take a 7-3 lead.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 28, 2023 4:18:53 GMT -5
Short outings from starters finally caught up to Red Sox in loss to Dodgers
Published: Aug. 27, 2023, 6:06 p.m.
By
Sean McAdam | sean.mcadam@masslive.com
BOSTON — The Red Sox trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0 after five innings Sunday, hardly an imposing deficit.
Before long, however, the Dodgers’ lead grew. They scored twice in the sixth, once more in the seventh and twice again in the eighth, putting the game out of reach.
And still, Chris Murphy remained on the mound. It didn’t seem to matter that he allowed runs in each of the four innings he pitched. Nor did it matter that Murphy faced a minimum of five hitters in each frame.
Once the Red Sox fell behind, they were already looking ahead. Alex Cora has often peached against the dangers of “chasing wins” — that it, selling out with your personnel to win that day’s game, often at the expense of the next few games.
Sunday, Cora stuck to his guns. Down by four, five and then seven runs, he wouldn’t budge. As the Dodgers belted Murphy around for nine hits — including four extra-base hits - he might have otherwise gone to another relief option to keep the game within reach.
Instead, Murphy was left on the mound, throwing a total of 90 pitches. The Red Sox would live to fight another day, and metaphorically waved the white flag.
“We needed to do that,” said Cora of his strategy of sticking with Murphy as the runs piled up. “Tanner (Houck, the starting pitcher) was at 80 (pitches). With him and Chris (Sale), we’ve got to be smart about it. We tried, but (the Dodgers) were really good today.”
This is the downside, of course, of having a complete rotation again. For weeks, the Red Sox talked up the prospect of having five genuine starters again, of not having to designate one or two games every turn through the rotation as bullpen games.
But Houck and Sale didn’t return to action at full strength. They both were sidelined for more than two months, so it’s not surprising that they need additional time to build up. Sale and Houck made just two rehab starts each and their workloads have to be carefully managed. And fewer innings from your starters mean, by fault, more innings asked of your relievers.
On Sunday, that caught up to the Red Sox. Cora had joked pre-game that the bullpen card for the day was like a rainbow, with various colors signifying pitchers’ availability: green signifies a full-go, yellow means to be cautious, red means the pitcher is down, and so on.
At a time when every game matters and the Red Sox needing to make up ground, Cora would have loved to have had a full complement of relievers to compete every game. But that wasn’t the reality.
“It’s tough,” he acknowledged, “but we have to do it. First thing’s first is the player’s health. This is where we’re at.”
It’s not hard to figure out why the bullpen wasn’t at his full disposal. On Saturday, the Sox got just 4.1 innings from James Paxton. On Friday, Kutter Crawford hit a wall after just five innings, nearing 90 pitches.
In all, over their last seven games, the Red Sox have had just one game in which they’ve gotten more than five innings from a starting pitcher: that came Thursday, when Brayan Bello provided seven innings in a 17-1 pasting of the Astros.
Over time, there’s a price to be paid for a lack of innings from starters, and on Sunday, the bill came due for the Red Sox. Enter your email address here to receive the Fenway Rundown email newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday.
“That’s part of 162,” said Cora philosophically. “At times, guys are going to go six and seven (innings) and then they’e going to grind through it. We just have to find a way. We’ve got to get better at it. We’re facing some good hitters, lineups jut like ours that are going to keep grinding, keep grinding with you. The pitch counts are going to get up and you’re going to go through stretches like this.”
Having pushed Murphy for four innings and 90 pitches, he won’t be available for a few days. Cora was late to his post-game press conference as he discussed possible bullpen reinforcements for the upcoming Houston series.
Armed with one more fresh arm and the prospect of an off-day Thursday, the Red Sox should have the opportunity to re-set their staff for this week.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 28, 2023 4:24:10 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 12h Mookie Betts was asked if this weekend acted as closure. “I think it kind of acted as it. In four years being in another place and kind of establishing a whole new life, if you’re giving your all to that, it’s going to kind of take away from something here. 1/2
"So being that it was four years, it wasn’t so bad. But it did act as closure and I’m glad I got it.”
Mookie Betts was asked if the potential of winning the MVP is driving him. “It would be cool to win,” Betts said. “It would be super cool. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it wouldn’t be cool. The No. 1 thing is winning the World Series, winning the division, just playing well. 1/2
"In this clubhouse it’s so much fun, so much fun to come to work and be in the dugout and amongst these guys that it’s easy to play well. I think that’s why we are doing so well. It’s a little easier to play well when everybody is pulling for you.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 28, 2023 4:25:55 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 11h Mookie Betts appreciated all the love this weekend. “Super dope,” Betts said. “All that the city has done for me and all everyone here has done for me. I’m very blessed and I thank everyone for the opportunity because it definitely shaped me into who I am today.”
Alex Cora summed up the crowd reaction for Mookie perfectly. “That’s great,” Cora said, “This place is special and the kid is special and they recognize how good he was on the field for us and off the field. So not surprised at all. I mean, these people get it.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 28, 2023 4:30:47 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 13h Obviously not a good day for Murphy, but the Sox have played 13 in a row, were losing, and this is what the bullpen looked like. Hopefully his 90 pitches today helps win a game in the Astros series.
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