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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 28, 2023 18:16:31 GMT -5
Casas mis plays an easy foul ball
nothing changes if nothing changes.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 28, 2023 18:42:19 GMT -5
Sale is as sharp as a marble
2-1 Red Sox in the 2nd but this has a feel of a crazy pinball score game.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 28, 2023 19:50:01 GMT -5
a few wild pitches in the 5th by Sale dust clears Astros up 3-2 in the 5th Barraclough pitching
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 4:12:23 GMT -5
Jose Altuve hits 2-run HR to complete 1st cycle of his career, Astros crush Red Sox 13-5 AP
BOSTON (AP) Walking to the plate in the eighth inning, Jose Altuve was well aware of his personal scoreboard for the day: a single, a double and a triple.
“It’s kind of like in your mind, but you don’t want to change your whole approach,” he said. “I was just thinking about getting a pitch and trying to drive it.”
He drove it plenty far enough.
Altuve completed the first cycle of his career with a two-run homer over the Green Monster, and the Houston Astros rolled past the Boston Red Sox 13-5 on Monday night.
Altuve struck out swinging to lead off the game, then doubled in the third, singled in the fifth and tripled in the sixth. His homer made him the first Astros player to hit for the cycle since Brandon Barnes against Seattle on July 19, 2013. Hitting second for the Astros that day was a 23-year-old Altuve.
Now 33, a former MVP and a three-time batting champ, Altuve went 4-for-6 on Monday, his third four-hit game of the season and 37th of his career. It was just the third time in nine games that he's had multiple hits.
Astros manager Dusty Baker said it's as well as he's seen Altuve swing the bat since he returned in May from a 43-game absence because of a broken thumb.
Yordan Alvarez added a three-run homer as part of a six-run sixth inning and José Abreu hit a solo home run for the Astros, who won their third straight. Houston is locked in a tight race with Seattle and Texas for the AL West title.
Kendall Graveman (4-6) pitched a scoreless fifth inning for Houston, which followed up its 25-hit performance in Sunday’s win at Detroit with 18 on Monday.
“It’s good to score runs,” Baker said. “When you’re hitting a lot, you’re running a lot. That’s how Seattle got started on their streak, when their leadoff man got hot.”
José Urquidy worked the last four innings for the Astros, allowing one run to pick up his first save of the season.
Chris Sale lasted 4 2/3 innings and yielded three runs and seven hits, including a home run.
Houston starter Cristian Javier was chased in the fifth shortly after giving up a towering two-run home run to Boston’s Adam Duvall that cleared the Green Monster seats and put the Red Sox in front 4-3.
Boston’s momentum was short-lived.
Red Sox reliever Kyle Barraclough (1-1) walked back-to-back batters to open the sixth. With one out, Altuve hit a deep flyball that ricocheted off the Monster in center, scoring two and allowing Altuve to slide in for a triple.
Barraclough hit Alex Bregman with the next pitch. Alvarez then emptied the bases, driving his 22nd home run of the season into the Red Sox bullpen in right field to stretch the lead to 8-4. After two walks and another hit batter, Yanier Diaz hit an RBI single.
Barraclough threw 94 pitches in 4 1/3 innings, allowing 10 runs, 11 hits, five walks and three homers. He hit three batters.
“I just didn't have it, one of those nights,” Barraclough said. “I lost control. That's about as bad as I think I've thrown the ball in my life.”
The Red Sox were 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position left 13 men on base.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: INF/OF Pablo Reyes was placed on the 10-day injured list with elbow inflammation. ... OF Wilyer Abreu was placed on the paternity list.
Astros: Manager Dusty Baker said outfielder Michael Brantley could make his season debut over the next two days. Brantley had right shoulder surgery a year ago. He recently had a productive seven-game rehab stint with Triple-A Sugar Land and flew to Boston to join the team on Monday.
SET TO START
Highly touted Red Sox prospect Ceddanne Rafaela made his major league debut, inserted into center field in the eighth inning after being called up from Triple-A Worcester. He is expected to get his first big league start on Tuesday.
Rafaela said manager Alex Cora told him about the start shortly after he arrived in Boston on Monday. The 22-year-old infielder/outfielder was named the Red Sox’s minor league Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022 and has hit .312 with 20 home runs, 79 RBIs and 36 stolen bases in 108 games with Double-A Portland (60 games) and Worcester (48 games).
UP NEXT
Astros: RHP J.P. France (9-5, 3.51 ERA) will make his second career start against Boston. The first did not go well: He lasted 2 1/3 innings and allowed 10 runs and 11 hits in Houston’s 17-1 loss last week.
Red Sox: RHP Brayan Bello (10-7, 3.56) picked up his team-leading 10th win last week at Houston, allowing one run in seven innings.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 4:39:41 GMT -5
Red Sox feel effects of taxed bullpen in loss to Astros Barraclough gives up 10 runs over 4 1/3 innings in relief of Sale (three runs, six strikeouts) 2:14 AM ADT Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
BOSTON -- Adam Duvall had just hit his latest moonshot on Monday night at Fenway Park to put the Red Sox ahead in the opener of a key three-game showdown against the Astros.
Things were looking up.
And then they weren’t.
As the Red Sox were routed, 13-5, to fall 5 1/2 games behind Houston for the third American League Wild Card spot, the big topic was manager Alex Cora’s decision to stick with reliever Kyle Barraclough throughout a nightmarish top of the sixth.
After the game, Cora explained that his bullpen is running on fumes amid a stretch in which the Sox have played 14 days in a row and haven’t received a satisfactory innings load from the rotation. Boston plays Tuesday and Wednesday before getting its first day off since Aug. 14.
“For us, it's tough,” said Cora. “But this is where we’re at. It’s 16 games in a row. And a lot of teams go through this and we just have to get over that hurdle. Right now for us, this is where we’re at. We’re going to be in better shape [Tuesday] bullpen-wise. Much better.”
After Duvall’s two-run rocket onto Lansdowne Street (his sixth homer in the last eight games) in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Red Sox had a 4-3 lead and needed 12 more outs to gain what would have been an important win.
In a vacuum, Cora likely would have gone to Josh Winckowski or John Schreiber in a situation like that.
But given the circumstances, Barraclough, who got the final out of the fifth inning in relief of Chris Sale, came back out for the sixth.
As the sixth inning started, nobody was warming up as a safeguard in case Barraclough, a journeyman righty, faltered. As the Astros teed off for six runs in the game-turning frame, nobody ever did warm up.
“We had a lot of guys down,” explained Cora.
Would Cora have managed the game differently if Sale had been able to go six innings or so?
“He didn’t, so I can’t answer that question,” Cora said.
Barraclough pitched the rest of the night, totaling 4 1/3 innings in which he was tagged for 10 runs on 11 hits while walking five, striking out one and hitting three batters.
“I just didn’t have it,” Barraclough said. “One of those nights, I lost control. That’s about as bad as I think I’ve thrown the ball in my life.”
Barraclough expressed no qualms with Cora’s decision to keep him out there. In fact, Barraclough volunteered to go back out for the ninth when Cora was contemplating using a position player.
“No, not at all. That's why I'm here,” Barraclough said. “Those guys aren't supposed to be pitching and come in and clean up my mess. I pitched like crap. Go out there and wear it and make those guys fresh for the next day.”
Meanwhile, Houston, led by Jose Altuve’s first career cycle and a dominant four-hit night by slugger Yordan Alvarez, delivered the opening salvo in this three-game series.
Without question, Boston’s bullpen has been taxed of late. During these past 14 games without a day off, Boston’s starters have logged 66 2/3 total innings, for an average of 4.76 per start. That is the sixth-lowest innings pitched per start of any team in the Majors over that span.
In an effort to reset the bullpen, Cora kept Chris Murphy out there for four innings in Sunday’s loss to the Dodgers, even though the lefty was shelled for nine hits and six runs. The only other reliever who pitched in Sunday’s game was low-leverage righty Mauricio Llovera.
It turns out one day of rest didn’t suffice.
“We're still resetting today,” said Cora.
Nobody seethed more than Sale, who pitched well in his first start back from the injured list, but has been inconsistent in his last three.
“Just not doing my team, myself any justice,” Sale said. “It’s tough. I come here every day and put in a lot of work to not get a lot out of it. My teammates deserve better. They needed someone to step up big tonight. We were obviously gassed out in the bullpen and needed someone to come in and act like an ace and that’s just not what happened.”
Barraclough had to pay the price, and Cora didn’t like having to put his pitcher in that spot.
“It’s awful,” Cora said. “You saw me. Probably my face was all over TV. It’s uncomfortable.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 4:43:56 GMT -5
Red Sox last night
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 4:46:45 GMT -5
Red Sox allow ten straight unanswered runs in embarrassing loss to Astros
Published: Aug. 28, 2023, 10:32 p.m.
By
Sean McAdam | sean.mcadam@masslive.com
BOSTON — With their season on the line and fading playoff hopes dependent on a series win, the Red Sox kicked off a hugely important series Monday night with a stinker of a performance.
Leading 4-3 in the top of the sixth inning, the Red Sox saw the Houston Astros pound reliever Kyle Barraclough for six runs in the that inning, two more in the seventh and another two in the eighth, carrying the Astros to a 13-5 pounding of the Sox.
Houston second baseman Jose Altuve hit for the cycle for the first time in his career, becoming the first Astro to do so in a decade.
The lone bright spot on the night was the major league debut of Ceddanne Rafaela, promoted to the big leagues Monday afternoon. Rafaela reached on a bloop single to right in his first major league plate appearance in the eighth, but was then summarily doubled off first on an pop-up that barely reached the outfield.
Barraclough, also recalled earlier in the day from Worcester, took over for starter Chris Sale for the final out in the fifth, then returned for the sixth. Remarkably, even as the Astros sent a dozen hitters to the plate in the sixth and led when the inning began, no one warmed up in the bullpen.
In that fateful sixth, Barraclough walked four batters, hit two others and yielded two rockets — a two-run triple to center by Jose Altuve and a three-run homer from Yordan Alvarez.
Things didn’t improve much in the following innings, capped by Altuve’s two-run homer in the eighth.
On Sunday, after sticking with Chris Murphy for four innings and six runs allowed against the Dodgers, Cora noted that the silver lining was that, in the wake of the defeat, the Sox would at least have a reset bullpen going into the Houston series. But it didn’t seem like that Monday night.
The Sox had grabbed an early 2-0 lead on a two-run double from Triston Casas in the first before the Astros nicked Sale for solo runs in the second (Jose Abreu homer) and third (run-scoring single from Yordan Alvarez).
Houston then took the lead in the fifth before the Sox responded in the bottom of the inning. After a leadoff walk to Masataka Yoshida, Adam Duvall clubbed a two-run homer over everything in left. It was the sixth homer in the last eight games for Duvall, who was named American League Player of the Week for his recent exploits. But the lead didn’t last long.
Coming up
In the middle game of the series Tuesday, it will be Brayan Bello (10-7, 3.56) vs. J.P. France (9-5, 3.41) before the series concludes Wednesday.
Following that, the Red Sox have an off-day on the schedule and then a six-game road trip to Kansas City and Tampa Bay.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 4:49:05 GMT -5
In span of a month, Red Sox have gone from six lefty relievers to none
Updated: Aug. 28, 2023, 10:29 p.m.|Published: Aug. 28, 2023, 7:06 p.m.
By
Sean McAdam | sean.mcadam@masslive.com
BOSTON — And then they had none.
As recently as July, the Red Sox had six lefthanded relievers from which to choose: Joe Jacques, Chris Murphy, Joely Rodriguez, Brandon Walter, Richard Bleier and Brennan Bernardino.
But when the Red Sox optioned Murphy to Worcester Monday to give themselves a fresh bullpen arm (righthander Kyle Barraclough), it left them without a single lefty reliever in their bullpen.
For the time being at least, the eight-man relief corps is entirely comprised of righthanded relievers: Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, John Schreiber, Josh Winckowski, Garrett Whitlock, Nick Pivetta, Mauricio Llovera and Barraclaugh.
But for the next few days, that might not be an issue for the Red Sox. The Houston Astros have two excellent hitters — outfielder/DH Yordan Alvarez and outfielder Kyle Tucker — as part of their everyday lineup, bunched together hitting third and fourth respectively in the Houston batting order.
However, Alvarez and Tucker hit lefties as well as they do righties, so the fact that the Sox don’t have a lefty for those matchups isn’t as critical.
“Those two are really good against lefties,” said Alex Cora Monday. “They’re righthanded-heavy (as a lineup), they’re really good at what they do, lefties and righties. But Yordan and Tucker, they’re outstanding against lefties. We’ll figure out how to attack them and move on from there.
“That’s why, this (series), I feel we’re OK. Moving forward, playing Kansas City (this weekend) and Tampa (next week) and then Baltimore, there’s a lot of mixing and matching. We’ll see where we’re at roster-wise over the weekend.”
Barraclough gives the Red Sox a rested arm. Murphy threw 90 pitches Sunday in four innings of relief against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and because of the heavy bullpen workload of late, several others were unavailable over the weekend.
Getting Barraclough provides the Red Sox with someone who can deliver length. He appeared in two games with the parent club earlier this month. He was 8-0 with a 2.43 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) for Worcester after being signed by the Sox in June.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 4:51:50 GMT -5
Red Sox notebook: Ceddanne Rafaela called up, will start Tuesday Prospect, 22, hit .312 in Worcester
By Gabrielle Starr | gstarr@bostonherald.com | PUBLISHED: August 28, 2023 at 6:53 p.m. | UPDATED: August 29, 2023 at 12:10 a.m.
Ceddanne Rafaela was enjoying some PlayStation with his brother on Monday when the Red Sox top prospect noticed that he had missed “a couple” calls from Triple-A Worcester manager Chad Tracy.
When he called back, Rafaela said “Trace” decided to have a little fun with breaking the news.
“He told me, ‘You didn’t want to play in the big leagues?” Rafaela chuckled. “I was like, ‘Of course!”
Sitting in the home dugout at Fenway Park, the 22-year-old infielder-turned-outfielder didn’t try to hide his emotions, and couldn’t stop smiling.
“It’s everything I always wanted in my life,” he beamed. “It’s the most beautiful day.”
The Red Sox made a flurry of roster moves on Monday afternoon. They placed Pablo Reyes on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation and recalled infielder David Hamilton from Triple-A on Monday, and outfielder Wilyer Abreu went on the Paternity List, welcoming his first child less than a week after his own Major League debut.
Thus, Rafaela is getting his chance.
He is, by far, the highest-ranked Red Sox prospect to get the call this season. He broke out last season with dazzling defense, leading his Double-A manager to go so far as to say that he was a better defender at that stage of his career than Mookie Betts had been at the same level.
He’s also impressed at the plate since his promotion to Triple-A Worcester at the end of June. Over 48 WooSox games, he’s hit .312 with a .988 OPS, 62 hits, 13 doubles, 14 home runs, 40 runs scored, and 42 RBI. He also showed off his speed in the outfield and on the base paths, stealing 36 bases in 108 games between Double- and Triple-A.
Fresh off a rehab assignment in Triple-A, Tanner Houck had a front-row seat for the Rafaela show.
“Incredible talent,” the 27-year-old right-hander told the Herald. “The utility of being able to play infield and outfield, I think, is something that is super-important in today’s game. Being able to play multiple positions, I think it gives you more of a shot to continue to be up here.”
Rafaela confirmed he’s starting on Tuesday, and Alex Cora said he could get into Monday’s series opener against the Houston Astros, as well, if the right circumstances present themselves.
“Amazing, to play my first game at Fenway,” he said, sounding both awed and in disbelief over his situation.
“It means a lot,” he added, explaining that he grew up a Red Sox fan. “And my mom, I think this is more exciting for her than for me, because before I (was) born, she was a Red Sox fan. So, it’s a very special moment to make my debut with the Red Sox.” Curaçao represented
Baseball can be a lonely existence, especially for players who come from countries that haven’t sent many players to MLB. This season, Red Sox infielder Yu Chang, who’s currently in Triple-A, broke the MLB record for career games by a Taiwanese player. But when he played for Team Chinese Taipei in the World Baseball Classic in March, the Pool-A MVP opened up about how isolating North American baseball can be.
“No one stands beside me when I’m playing overseas,” Chang told reporters. “I’m always lonely and have to take in everything by myself.”
Rafaela will only be the 17th player in MLB history from Curaçao, a small Dutch Caribbean island that forms the ABC Islands with neighboring Aruba and Bonaire. Currently, there are only four active Major Leaguers from his homeland.
One of them is Kenley Jansen, who sounded like a very eager one-man welcoming committee before Rafaela arrived on Monday afternoon.
Upon hearing the news of the call-up, he strode through the Red Sox clubhouse shouting, “Now we got two!”
“It’s a dream come true,” Jansen told the Herald. “It makes me feel like me, what? 13, 14 years ago? When I first got called up.”
“You see your dream come to reality,” he continued. “I will never forget that moment, so I’m sure, what that moment feels like for him and his family, and I can’t be prouder for him, the work that he put in.
“I will talk to him when he gets here,” the closer added. “I follow his track record, and I want nothing but the best for him, to have a great career, and it’s coming up right now. The future is bright for him.”
Jansen is one of five Curaçaoan to pitch in the Major Leagues, and the first to wear the Red Sox uniform, but Rafaela will be the first to debut, hit, and play a position for the franchise.
“It’s crazy to have two players from such a small island, special for us to play on the same team,” Rafaela said. Player of the Week
Adam Duvall earned American League Player of the Week honors for the second time this season.
No surprise there, as the veteran outfielder collected five home runs and five doubles, and 12 RBI in just 31 plate appearances last week.
The National League’s POTW? Mookie Betts. On the farm
Grant Gambrell shined in his Triple-A Worcester debut on Saturday, tossing 5 ⅔ innings of shutout ball to earn his first WooSox win. He held the Rochester Red Wings to two hits, four walks, and struck out five in his 97-pitch start. The Washington Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate didn’t get a hit off Gambrell until there were two outs in the fifth.
The 25-year-old right-hander is one of the prospects acquired from the Kansas City Royals in the Andrew Benintendi trade. This is his second promotion of the season; he began the minor league season with six starts for High-A Greenville, then advanced to Double-A Portland in mid-May and made 15 Sea Dog starts before moving up to the top level of the farm.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 4:55:43 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 8h This is also why it was Chris Murphy on Sunday.
And, frankly, have to wonder if anyone out there is trying to protect something minor.
If that's the case, the Red Sox wouldn't want to admit it. But it would certainly affect bullpen roles/structure.Tom Caron (blue checkmark redacted) @tomcaron · 8h This is why it’s Barraclough. Bullpen is on fumes. In the last 9 games, they have had a starting pitcher go more than five innings once (Bello on 8/24.) Graphic courtesy @rotowire
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 4:56:26 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 7h Sweet Caroline in a 13-4 game. Toronto and Texas have both won. Seattle leads early against Oakland. Red Sox will lose ground in the AL Wild Card race.
Doesn't feel all that awesome.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 4:57:02 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 7h Ceddanne Rafaela isn't immune to the baserunning blunders that have marred this 2023 season for the Red Sox.
He's doubled off first base on that pop to right. Jose Abreu ranged back and Jose Urquidy slipped in behind for the 3-1.
Not a great look.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 4:58:53 GMT -5
Dan Shaughnessy @dan_Shaughnessy · 8h Disgrace of the Red Sox. Keep selling their "playoff race", yet, allow a guy from High Point Rockers to take a beating with nobody warming in 6th against team they are chasing for wild card. 4-3 Sox lead becomes 9-4 deficit. Sacks loaded. 1 out. Nobody warming #givingup.
That inning was proof that Chaim Bloom does not care about this team, this season. Bloomball is all about the future. Tough sell in this market.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 4:59:48 GMT -5
Dan Shaughnessy @dan_Shaughnessy · 8h Been watching baseball for 62 years. Never seen a team leading by a run in the sixth, then give up on the game with no pushback. Red Sox management/dugout simply quit. 4-3 lead became 11-4 deficit with no one up in bullpen. Sox need to stop selling this as a playoff chase.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 29, 2023 5:03:11 GMT -5
Matt McCarthy @mattmccarthy985 · 8h Alex Cora has chained himself to a barrel and has blocked the roadway.
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